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Common Sense for the Common Cold

The news has been full of warnings about how widespread this year's flu epidemic has become. While getting a flu shot may (or may not) give you some protection, all those common-sense exhortations you mother gave you are really best way to avoid contracting influenza, or even the common cold.

First and foremost - wash your hands. That does not mean run them through some water and wipe on a towel. The germs that spread colds and flu can live for quite some time on surfaces such as door knobs, touch-screens in the self-check-out aisle, tables and chairs in restaurants, and anywhere else that people congregate. Soap and water, and washing for at least a full minute with them, is your best first line of defense. I know a lot of folks put great store in the alcohol-based gels, but they don't do nearly as good a job. In fact, they can make matters worse because the alcohol can cause your hands to become dry and cracked if you use them too often. Cracked skin is an open door for any micro-organisms (and those not-so-micro too) that come into contact with the wound.

Next, keep surfaces clean and dry, especially in the kitchen and bath, and make an even more valiant effort if someone in your family, or a visitor, is already infected. You may also want to look into picking up some disinfecting wipes in small packages that can be carried in a purse. These are great for those times when you must use a public bathroom, etc. I once wiped down a self-serve touch screen when I noticed the person before me sniffling and sneezing, then using the screen to check out. Maybe folks thought I was being extreme, but I wasn't willing to share that stranger's nasty germs. In fact, I usually avoid the self-serve lines for this very reason.

Of course, you know better than to share cups, glasses or utensils when dining with others. I don't care who they are, or how close you are to them, you can never be sure what they may have just picked up while hugging that old friend at the reunion, or shaking hands with the boss at the company party. By the way, have you ever considered what might be growing on the elevator's buttons? Who pressed them before you, and where had their hands been? Even more 'gross' - how about the elevator in a hospital? I can tell you from personal experience that if you want to find one of the worst places for disease-carrying germs, it isn't the local pre-school, it's the hospital elevator. Just imagine all the exotic bugs that pass through those doors every day. Gack.

Finally, I'll share my two favorite non-pharmaceutical remedies. The first was given to me by a friend who happens to be an old-style family doctor. Many years ago, I was really knocked out by a particularly nasty virus, and he insisted I try it. Much to my surprise, it helped a lot - not a total 'cure', but it sure cut the severity. You must first boil at least two cups of water. Have a ceramic cup and hand towel ready, as well as an ounce of the highest-proof ethyl alcohol (the kind you can drink) you can find. My MD friend recommended vodka with no extra flavoring, but said that plain whisky would work as well, as long as it was at least 150-proof. Pour boiling water into the cup until it's full, and let it sit a few minutes, to get the cup itself hot. Pour out the water and pour the ounce of alcohol into the cup, then add more boiling water. Drape the towel over your head, lean your face over the cup (not too close or you'll get a steam burn) and breath in through your NOSE ONLY, with your mouth closed. You may want to close your eyes as well. Do this several times and then pour out the 'toddy'. You could drink it too I suppose, but since I don't drink, I just toss it down the drain - kills the bacteria there too. You'll repeat this every 4 hours for one day, but the next morning you'll be breathing more easily and the cold won't be nearly as severe or long-lasting.

If you can't handle alcohol, here's a recipe for an herbal concoction that I used for my son when he had cold or flu symptoms. It consists of Golden Seal Root capsules (2), Reishi Mushroom capsules (2), and Pau d'Arco tea sweetened with honey. You can add Echinacea capsules too, if you like. Use the Pau d'Arco tea, which has a nice, flowery scent and light flavor, to wash down the capsules. I gave it to him three times a day, and it would clear him up well enough to be back in school the next day. He's 25 now, but still uses this combo whenever he feels a cold coming on. It works best - as do they all - when taken early in the game.

Nothing - not even a flu shot - will guarantee that you'll be influenza-free, but using common sense, caution, and keeping away from infected people as much as possible, will go a long way toward minimizing your risks.

Nancy Miller, RN, BA Psych, CHyT

Nancy Miller got her RN degree in 1975 and went on to earn a BA in Humanistic Psychology from Goucher College in 2002. She's also a certified hypnotherapist and an ordained minister. Nancy is the mother of one child, her 24 year old son Eric, of whom she is extremely proud.