Common Cold Symptoms & Remedies
Whoever you are, you’ve probably suffered from the common cold virus. It never needed to be popularized – I mean, there’s a reason it’s cold the common cold. It comes with the seasons or with a simple cough. In fact, it’s incredibly contagious, almost making sure that it will never go out of style, virus wise.
From the moment you’re born, it’s something to watch out for. The common cold virus, has over one hundred strains, making sure that one of them will get you. That’s another reason that the common cold virus is so darn common – immunity is pretty much impossible. Even not getting enough sleep means you’ll probably get the cold, or at least makes you a lot more prone.
Symptoms of a Cold
The symptoms of a cold are fairly simple. Your nose could be stuffy, making it very difficult to breathe unless your necks at a certain angle – alternatively, it could drip a lot, making wearing nice shirts very, very awkward. Your throat could be itchy or scratchy. Sneezing’s another good indicator. Among the more common and obvious symptoms of a cold include a fever and a headache.
In fact, the symptoms of a cold actually arise from the body naturally fighting back against the cold. The body’s best bet against the common cold virus lies in inflammatory mediators. These mediators are released when the cold first touches base with your body. Some of these mediators might actually sound familiar, like kinins, histamines and prostaglandins among other things. They things are actually responsible for the most obvious symptoms of a cold, such as the overproduction of mucus and snot.
They’re also the things that make you sneeze. Happily, you don’t even need these inflammatory mediators – sometimes people actually have a cold running through them without the symptoms of a cold. Now that you know what the symptoms of a cold are, you might want to know a few common cold remedies.
Common Cold Remedies
Common cold remedies run the gamut. As with any remedy to any malady, the first thing is to take care of yourself. If you don’t take care of yourself, whatever any medicine you take won’t be as effective. Strenuous activities are definitely a no-no or it can’t be avoided, just make sure you do the minimum. You’re actually going to need a lot of water as well.
Common cold remedies also include the ever popular zinc lozenge. Zinc in itself is definitely required for the human body to function properly and found in most foods, actually. Taking in zinc lozenges can make cut that cold’s lifespan a lot shorter – or at least, reduce the time that it afflicts you. While the studies involved with zinc lozenges are largely flawed, it’s still worth a shot. It’s real easy to find them in stores.
Astralagus root are a part of the Chinese common cold remedies department. Traditional Chinese medicine decrees that astralagus root is fantastic for buffing up the immune system, helping out in the fight against the common cold virus. In addition to working against the cold, astralagus root is also full of anti-oxidants and it thus works against heart disease as well. Definitely worth a shot as it is full of good stuff.
Now, most people actually know this simplest of common cold remedies, which is garlic. It could be taken raw or combined into other dishes, such as soup or a drink. The form isn’t important. The point is to take in garlic, although raw garlic is best to preserve the good stuff.
Obviously, there are some side effects running around, not the least of which involves bad breath. The side effects of taking in too much garlic might actually be considered worse than the cold itself. You could actually develop the symptoms of a cold because of garlic, like a constant headache, chills or even a runny nose. That obviously could prove rather counterproductive. For the most part, cold sufferers should probably test it out first before putting it on their list of common cold remedies.
The Common Cold Virus – Summary
You’re going to suffer from the common cold virus at one point or another. Like a horror movie, it’s around each corner, exploding out of the lungs of a sneezing guy. It’s a part of being alive and due to its quickly mutating and changing nature and the huge number of strains, it’s pretty much impossible to ever develop a real cure or vaccine against the common cold virus.
Battling the common cold’s a battle that’s going to happen over and over and over again, so don’t worry about it if you keep falling under its influence and spell. Everyone does. What’s important is that you know how to handle the common cold virus by knowing what the symptoms of a cold are and what common cold remedies are available to you.