This week's focus: Cold and Flu

Note: This brochure discusses diet and lifestyle changes that published research has shown may support your resistance to common colds, coughs, and influenza. Talk to your healthcare provider to learn more about your options and before making changes to your everyday nutrition and self-care practices.

OVERVIEW

A cough is a symptom of many diseases, though most come from short-term viral infections like the common cold and the flu (influenza) that may be spread through the air (by sneezing, for example) or by contact with contaminated objects. The relatively new H1N1 influenza—the so-called “swine flu”—has raised widespread concerns, but, fortunately, the basic protections are the same for all of these viral infections. Read on for more information on minimizing cold, cough, and flu infection and special considerations for the H1N1 virus.

SYMPTOMS

The common cold often causes coughing, runny nose, sore throat, and vague discomfort called malaise. Flus are more serious, and may include a high fever, body aches, and chills. Since colds and flus are caused by viral infections, antibiotics are not effective treatments, though some antiviral medications are. Vaccinations are created for the seasonal flu each fall, and a new vaccine is being tried for the H1N1 virus.

Sometimes sore throats and coughs are symptoms of more serious conditions distinct from the common cold, which may require medical diagnosis and treatment with appropriate antibiotics. People with coughs and sore throats lasting longer than a week should talk to their doctor. A chronic, persistent cough requires medical attention in order to determine the underlying cause.

PREVENTING COLDS & FLUS

To reduce the risk of seasonal colds and flus, including the H1N1 influenza:

Wash your hands often, and take your time. Use regular soap with warm water, and wash for 20 full seconds. (About the time it takes to sing the Alphabet Song.) Carry alcohol-based hand sanitizers to use in a pinch and keep your favorite hand lotion near the hand-washing stations in your house to avoid drying out your skin.

Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes, which can allow germs access to your body.

Boost your immune system. Support your basic health by making sure to get enough sleep; getting plenty of water, fruits, and vegetables; avoiding sugar and alcohol binges. While evidence is mixed, some research suggests that vitamin D (1,000 to 2,000 IU per day) may support health and ward off infections. Multivitamins may also cover nutritional gaps needed by the body to maintain basic health.

Stop the spread: The Centers for Disease Control recommend covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze; washing hands often; and not sharing cups, glasses, and eating utensils to avoid spreading viruses. Use disinfectants to clean household objects and surfaces. Remember that people are often infectious in the early stages of illness, so make these precautions part of your regular healthy habits to help protect yourself and those around you.

MANAGING COLDS & FLUS

If you or your family members are infected, take precautions to manage illness and limit the chances you spread infection to others.

Call immediately. If you think you have the flu, call your doctor right away. Antiviral medications work best when taken within one to two days of first having symptoms.

Get nutritional support: Studies have shown 1 to 4 grams of vitamin C a day may make your cold shorter and less severe, and it may also help ward off the flu. Lozenges containing zinc gluconate, zinc gluconate-glycine, or zinc acetate, providing 13 to 25 mg of zinc every two hours, may also help shorten colds. Keep healthy comfort foods on hand (avoid sugar and excessively fatty foods), and drink plenty of water.

Keep the right medications on hand. Keep acetaminophen and ibuprofen, on hand for children, teens and adults. Do not give aspirin to children or teenagers due to the risk of Reye’s syndrome, a rare but serious illness reported to be associated with aspirin.

Don’t dry out: At very low levels of humidity, the nose mucus dries up and isn’t able to defend as well against harmful viruses and bacteria. You can help boot out the virus by using a nasal mist to keep your nose mucus moist and putting your face over the rising steam as you sip your herbal tea.

Try gargling: With plain water, gargling three times a day removes mucus and keeps bacteria and viruses from sticking around.

Be sure to rest: Give your body some down time to help it fight off infection. Lie down, stay warm, and sleep if you feel tired. This keeps all the body’s energy available for combating the virus. If you have trouble relaxing, dim the lights, watch your favorite movie, or take a bath. And if you’re sick the CDC cautions: Stay home.

Give it time. Wait a full 24 hours after fever subsides (without the use of fever-reducing medication) to go back to work or school. For example, if your child’s last fever occurred at 2 pm, he or she should not go back to school the next day. Wait one additional day.

THE H1N1 “SWINE FLU” VIRUS: PUTTING FEARS INTO PERSPECTIVE

The heightened worry about the swine flu is more about the lack of long-term data than the seriousness of the disease. However, even though the risk of complications from swine flu are similar to seasonal flu for most of the population, the total number of those at risk of more serious illness may be higher overall, as organizations like the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology have forecasted that infection may spread much more widely than the typical seasonal flu.

The good news is that a level head and simple precautions will reduce the likelihood of H1N1 infection, and for those who do contract it, health experts reassure us that swine flu does not appear to be causing illness that is significantly more severe than typical seasonal flu for most healthy people.

One positive difference about the H1N1 virus: people over age 64 may be less prone to it. And when infected, people over 64 also appear to be less likely to experience serious, flu-related complications that require hospitalization.

Vaccination vs. virus
Keep in mind that some people cannot be vaccinated due to allergies or other health problems. Others are concerned that the H1N1 vaccine is relatively untested. And others have raised that the 1976 swine flu vaccine was associated with increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS; a condition in which the body damages the nerve cells causing muscle weakness and temporary paralysis, and in rare cases permanent nerve damage or death). According to the CDC, only one of several studies since then has suggested a link, and that only one person out of 1 million may be at increased risk.

If you have allergies, are managing serious health problems, believe you may be at higher than average risk of GBS, or have concerns about the risks of trying untested medicine, talk to your doctor about whether a vaccine is right for you.

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Disclaimer: The information in this page was prepared by Aisle7 for educational purposes only; it is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Health claims are based on scientific studies (human, animal, or in vitro), clinical experience, or traditional usage. The results reported may not necessarily occur in all individuals. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications, diet, or exercise habits. Aisle7, Walmart, and Pierce Promotions make no representations concerning the information contained in this article and disclaim any liability for such information and the decisions you make based on such information.