The Common Cold Skirmish

You can't do anything about the weather, but you can do something about a common cold. While you work on doctoring yourself to overcome or minimize a cold, keep away from others to prevent spreading the cold. Then enforce the number one best thing you can do: Wash your hands - often. Insist everyone around you do likewise. Use paper tissues only one time--no kidding--when you sneeze, or other use, replacing tissues each time. Common sense. Of course, but mission impossible most times. At the first sense that you are going to come down with a cold, usually a slight soreness in one of your nostrils or a slight sore or tickle in your throat, start drinking plenty of fluids, gargle with warm saltwater, get plenty of bed rest. This ought to nip the cold in the bud. Every year, almost without fail, I can count on "catching" a cold. Then, invariably I pass it along to my spouse. Then we seem to pass it back and forth. We are presently at the end of a bout that began around New Years Eve. We have treated ourselves, isolated ourselves as much as possible, followed all the wisdom of the ages to minimize the severity of the cold and not pass it along to anyone else. At times the cold appeared to be at an end only to start again. That may be where we're at now. I notice the bed rest for a day at a time seemed to help the most -- not go away -- helped. I suspect we sat too close to a person with a chronic cough when the next day we came down with our symptoms. While my spouse did not attend this same gathering with me the following week, the chronic cougher was there. This is when I became affected and have been nursing our colds together ever since. I firmly believe that people are utterly careless about their hygiene, and think nothing about how their lack of concern can and does infect others. Consider the cougher who persistently coughs in the hand and then shares the hand in a handshake or holds hands in a community setting. It happens more often than not. The person need not cough, but sniffle, sneeze, etc., utilizes a used tissue or handkerchief. The person does not wash his or her hands as a matter of course, nor is it always convenient to do so. In instances where it's a custom to exchange hand-holding for whatever reason, it ought to be understood when someone does not offer to extend their hand that it is better for all concerned. All guidance and instructions concerning hygiene always start by or include the subject of hand washing. There's a technique to hand washing. It's often described this way: Use soap and warm water - not hot. Wash for 15 to 20 seconds. Now, let me add some more common sense: Use a hand brush if available. Dry hands on clean paper towels or using an air dryer, again, if available. That's simple enough. Now the tough part: Do it as often as is possible. A recent article by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says you are not only likely to catch a cold this year, but several. "The typical American has two to four colds a year, slightly more if you're a woman between 20 and 30, fewer if you're an adult older than 60. Kids typically catch six to 10 colds annually...." Though this subject was brought on by my having "caught" a cold, my research uncovered the same prevention information as I had always known -- stay away from unnecessary gatherings and wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.... Simple, of course, but when dealing with others beside yourself, it's like trying to do something about the weather. -Bob- For some of my other articles on varying subjects, click on http://fourwinds.blogster.com Thanks for visiting.