place@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU (10/21/85)
Now that cold season is upon us, and I am in day #9 of my first cold of the season, perhaps some of you blessed with medical knowledge can be of some help. Here is some background: My colds last anywhere from 1 and a 1/2 to 3 1/2 weeks. They start out with a complete shutting down of the sinuses. I have to use nosespray every two hours to breathe. The cold then drops down into my chest, giving me a cough and a hoarse voice. My nose then begins to run constantly, having to be blown at least once every two minutes. I feel lousy, achey, and tired during the duration. I take contac or dristan for cold symptoms, extra-strength tylenol for aches and pains. Sometimes an expectorant for cough. Question 1: What is the average duration of a common cold? Question 2: Is this a common cold? Question 3: What should I take? Question 4: What should I do? Question 5: Why does every doctor I see when in the extreme throes of a cold, say, "It's just a cold, it'll go away." Question 6: How can I keep from getting colds in the first place?" This may sound silly to you, but I get no satisfaction (or cure or even ease of suffering) when I visit a doctor. I am open to all legitimate suggestions. I'm almost ready to try the Polish remedy suggested to me of equal parts of lemon juice, honey, and vodka! Denise University of Illinois The Super Computing Illini
jrm@cbuxc.UUCP (John Miller) (10/23/85)
> > Now that cold season is upon us, and I am in day #9 of my first cold > of the season, perhaps some of you blessed with medical knowledge > can be of some help. Here is some background: > My colds last anywhere from 1 and a 1/2 to 3 1/2 weeks. > They start out with a complete shutting down of the sinuses. I > have to use nosespray every two hours to breathe. For me, nosesprays work great at first - I get the promised 12 hour relief, but with subsequent use, I need to use it more often and when I attempt to withdraw from it my nose shuts up like a steel trap! My advice is to never use the spray, it only prolongs the ordeal. > The cold then drops down into my chest, giving me a cough and a > hoarse voice. > My nose then begins to run constantly, having to be blown at least > once every two minutes. > I feel lousy, achey, and tired during the duration. > I take contac or dristan for cold symptoms, extra-strength tylenol > for aches and pains. Sometimes an expectorant for cough. > Question 1: What is the average duration of a common cold? 2 or 3 *BAD* days followed by 4 or 5 *better* days depending on your previous state of health and depending on how you take care of yourself during those days. I find that if I have been taking my 1-a-days previous to the onset and during the cold and if I take real good care of myself - e.g. when my body wants sleep, I sleep etc, it goes away fast. In fact, I have no symptoms at all after 7 days. If I don't take care of myself, have not been eating right, missing sleep, etc - I tend to get more colds and much worse. > Question 2: Is this a common cold? A qualified yes, there are a zillion different virus that can cause it and I have noticed that some will affect one area of my sinus while others seem to concentrate on a different area. It is common in the sense that it has been around alot. > Question 3: What should I take? good care of yourself, the drugs that are available CAN ONLY act on the symptoms. > Question 4: What should I do? sleep alot and stay home for a couple of days - watch the soaps or rent a bunch of good vidio tapes. > Question 5: Why does every doctor I see when in the extreme throes > of a cold, say, "It's just a cold, it'll go away." Because they really can't help you any more then the drug store can and that isn't much. > Question 6: How can I keep from getting colds in the first place?" If you are in a building (like at work) with a bunch of people that have colds - avoid contact with them if possible, don't touch yours eyes or pick your nose with your fingers (they may be infected). Wash your hands (I'm not sure if this will remove virus, but I'm sure someone in netland will set me straight). Above all, eat right, get enough sleep. Also, be very very careful around final exam week, I would have a tendency to run myself down and I could just about count on a cold for a reward. > This may sound silly to you, but I get no satisfaction (or cure or > even ease of suffering) when I visit a doctor. I am open to all > legitimate suggestions. I'm almost ready to try the Polish remedy > suggested to me of equal parts of lemon juice, honey, and vodka! > > Denise > University of Illinois > The Super Computing Illini Good luck, John R. Miller, at&t bell labs, columbus
fc@spuxll.UUCP (fc) (10/23/85)
I have found that the single most common "coincidence" between my getting a cold and preceding events is the exposure to a dense crowd of people, as in elevators, subways, etc. Normal suburban living does NOT involve mingling with dense crowds (I can walk up stairs to my office, for example). A half-full movie theatre does not affect me. If I do catch a cold (~ 2-3/year) its usually after visiting NYC and being with a lot of people. I used the word "coincidence" in line 1 because no single event will cause colds for me every time. Cold (as in low temperatures) does NOT cause colds (at least for me). I do not use any drugs if I do get a cold - I just let nature take its course.
blatt@Glacier.ARPA (Miriam Blatt) (10/26/85)
> > Now that cold season is upon us, and I am in day #9 of my first cold > I take contac or dristan for cold symptoms, extra-strength tylenol > for aches and pains. Sometimes an expectorant for cough. > Question 1: What is the average duration of a common cold? > Question 2: Is this a common cold? > Question 3: What should I take? > Question 4: What should I do? > Question 5: Why does every doctor I see when in the extreme throes > of a cold, say, "It's just a cold, it'll go away." > Question 6: How can I keep from getting colds in the first place?" > > legitimate suggestions. I'm almost ready to try the Polish remedy > suggested to me of equal parts of lemon juice, honey, and vodka! > > Denise Denise, since the doctors aren't helping, probably the best thing you can do is to improve your lifestyle. Do regular exercise, make sure you get enough sleep, and eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit. Cut down a bit on red meat - most Americans eat way more protein than they actually need, and meat is full of fat which isn't much good for you. Above all, don't go to extremes - no one knows exactly what is the optimum diet is, so don't feel too guilty about eating the occasional thing that is probably bad, just try to keep it occasional. However, exercise is undoubtedly important. Another suggestion I've heard (originally from my mother, but more recently from a fully qualified medical doctor) is to cut down on milk and milk products when you have a cold. Also, those chemicals you put into your body to help you survive the cold may not help your immune system to fight it. I'm no medical person, but I don't believe the medicos have made detailed studies on whether the nose sprays and so forth have any statistical effect on how long an average cold lasts. I would always avoid such things except in extreme cases. Of course, your colds do sound pretty extreme. Finally, another myth invented (or at least propagated) by my mother, is that if you eat too much, your body gets so overloaded coping with your digestion that it cannot give maximum attention to fighting your cold. BELIEVE THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK. The idea is to avoid overeating, and perhaps have only 2 meals a day. Hope there is something there that might help. -Miriam
al@mot.UUCP (Al Filipski) (10/29/85)
<>
Has anyone got any information about a "cold cure" used in Israel that
consists of controlled breathing of hot air or steam? Supposedly the
heat either weakens the viruses or bolsters the body's immune system
(as a fever does) or both. I have heard the customary story that it
is being kept out of the USA by the FDA or the medical establishment
or some such conservative conspiracy. There are more quacks around
these days than you can shake a caduceus at, from Iridologists to
Reflexologists, and I am suspicious of new "cures", but, as everyone
knows, "if you read it on the net, it must be so", so does anyone
know about this?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alan Filipski, UNIX group, Motorola Microsystems, Tempe, AZ U.S.A 85282
{seismo|ihnp4}!ut-sally!oakhill!mot!al | ucbvax!arizona!asuvax!mot!al
------------------------------------------------------------------------jcp@osiris.UUCP (Jody Patilla) (10/29/85)
> Another suggestion I've heard (originally from my mother, but more recently > from a fully qualified medical doctor) is to cut down on milk and milk > products when you have a cold. > Milk products increase mucus production so ingesting them only makes the runny nose and all worse. Also, a big factor in preventing the *spread* of colds is hand-washing ! (yes, everything your mother said was right all along). If you have a cold, wash your hands often (esp. after a gbig bout of nose-blowing) and be sure to dispose of used tissues properly. If you work with people with colds, wash your hands after you are in contact with them and before eating or drinking. Another thing that helps are the iodine-impregnated tissues which are just now being marketed - unfortunately, they are only available in a few areas right now. -- jcpatilla
matt@oddjob.UUCP (Matt Crawford) (10/30/85)
Whenever I used to go to the student death clinic here with a cold-like virus, they would recommend, among other things, inhaling steam a few times a day, but they never said it would cure anything, I think it was just supposed to relieve symptoms. _____________________________________________________ Matt University crawford@anl-mcs.arpa Crawford of Chicago ihnp4!oddjob!matt Cure my run-on sentences, please
shor@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Melinda Shore) (10/30/85)
[] The unsubstantiated claim I've heard most recently (I forget where) is that nasal congestion helps fight cold and flu viruses. If air can't circulate through the nasal cavities, heat builds up and kills the little critters. As for me, I think I'd rather have the cold a few extra days and be able to breathe more-or-less freely. -- Melinda Shore ..!ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!shor University of Chicago Computation Center Staff.Melinda%chip@UChicago.Bitnet "Beavers, by teamwork family life!" [Dr. Bronner]
benn@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Thomas Cox) (10/31/85)
[]
This is a bit off the track beaten so far, so bear with me. I heard from an
unimpeachable source that people who work around ammonia just *don't get
colds.* And after I spent a day [as a busboy] washing walls with an ammonia
solution, I discovered that my sinuses were just amazingly clear. However,
short of a daily snort of ammonia, I guess that once you get the cold you
have to choose between "remedies" and just being comfortable. But our
favorite U of C humanoid Melinda Shore already pointed out, comfort may be
more important. I leave it to you.
yours,
--
Thomas Cox
...ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!benn
But of COURSE everything is unique.
If they weren't, they'd all be one thing.ajs@hpfcla.UUCP (10/31/85)
Re: fighting colds Here's another off-the-wall method that seems to work for me. If I feel a cold coming on, I purposely dress very warm, and sleep very warm, on the verge of discomfort. This usually reduces the duration and intensity of the symptoms (I know, that's just a guess, there is nothing to compare them to!). Why does it work? Because an elevated temperature (fever) may not just be a side effect of illness, it may actually be an attempt by your body to deter the reproduction of the infecting organisms. If this concept is correct, purposely staying (uncomfortably but not dangerously) warm helps hold the infection at bay. Then again it may just be a placebo. All I know is, it works for me. Alan Silverstein, hpfcla!ajs
tomm@tekig5.UUCP (Tom Milligan) (10/31/85)
A couple of years ago the magazine "Science 8[1-5]" had a brief report that a doctor in Israel had developed a machine that cured (yes!) the common cold. In essence, it produced ~180 degree steam that the person with a cold was supposed to breath. The theory is that (according to this article) cold virus' can only reproduce in an environment where the temperature is less than normal human body temperature. This is why they affect the mucus membranes in the respitory tract. In any case, breathing this hot steam at some interval relating to the "gestation" period for cold virus' is supposed to inhibit their reproductive cycle and eventually (ie. within 1 day) wipe them out. Whether this works or not, I don't know, but I would like to hear if anyone has heard any additional information on this, I would at least be curious to hear it. Tom Milligan
werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (10/31/85)
It is known that a cold, left to itself, will perist approximately
a week, while aggressive treatment will completely eliminate the disease
in seven days.
--
Craig Werner
!philabs!aecom!werner
"The proper delivery of medical care is to do as much Nothing as possible"slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) (11/01/85)
> Question 3: What should I take? I find it better to take NOTHING. If I have a fever or muscle aches, I may take some tylenol. But OTC cold remedies seem to cause me more trouble than they are worth. Contac, for instance, makes me shakey, groggy, and generally stupid (or more stupid, as the case may be.:-) Nasel sprays, by the way, are very habit forming. I have known people who started taking them and soon couldn't breathe without them, even when the cold was gone. Think of it this way--the symptoms of the cold are actually your body attacking the virus. Let the symptoms take their course, and your cold will be over sooner. I have also found that if you don't take anything, it is easier to ignore the cold and go on with your life. If you are concentrating on your medicine all the time, you may feel worse! Probably the best remedy when you are really feeling down is a shot of whiskey. That's about all the night-time cold remedies like Nyquil are, by the way, is alcohol. It's a pretty good cough medicine, too. > Question 4: What should I do? Drink a screwdriver and go to bed. Or try to find something to occupy your mind so you aren't thinking about how miserable you feel. One thing NOT to do is to blow your nose much. Let it run and wipe it. It will help, believe it or not. Use chapstick under your nose to prevent soreness. > Question 6: How can I keep from getting colds in the first place?" Just generally keep your health up. Make sure you are eating a well- balanced diet, exercise, and so on. Keep away from large crowds of people. Most colds go around in the winter, not because of the cold, but because people are inside, crowded together, and the virus can get around better. Avoid children if possible. Most of the colds I get anymore are from my daughter, who picks them up at school. By the way, you may grow out of it. I used to get lots of horrible colds when I was young. I seldom get them anymore, and I've been told that this is quite common. (There's got to be *something* good about growing old.) Another thing I found once was that central heating can cause you to have more colds. We lived on a farm and had a propane stove instead of central heat. In two years I had no colds. I don't know if this is due to the higher humidity, or the fact that with central heating your body gets used to one temperature, and any change, such as going outside will affect you more. -- Sue Brezden ihnp4!drutx!slb ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I march to the beat of a different drummer, whose identity, location, and musical ability are as yet unknown. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
mann@LaBrea.ARPA (11/01/85)
A year or more ago, Science News reported on a study of inhaling hot, moist air as a treatment for colds. The treatment was said to work well, as I recall, and I'd be interested to hear of any further developments. I don't remember who did the study, etc., but you could look it up. --Tim
avinash@ubvax.UUCP (Avinash Marathe) (11/04/85)
I heard that a double blind study done showed that sucking on a 23 mg.
zinc gluconate tablet, reduced the duration and severity of a cold. The
tablet needed to be sucked (chewed) rather than swallowed.
Zinc gluconate tastes terrible so you have to be really motivated. I've
heard that some of the health food stores carry flavored zinc tablets.
Anyone have references and more details about this study?
Avinash Marathe
{ihnp4,decwrl,allegra}!amd!ubvax!avinashtuba@ur-tut.UUCP (Jon Krueger) (11/05/85)
In article Thomas Cox writes: >This is a bit off the track beaten so far, so bear with me. I heard from an >unimpeachable source that people who work around ammonia just *don't get >colds.* And after I spent a day [as a busboy] washing walls with an ammonia >solution, I discovered that my sinuses were just amazingly clear. However, >short of a daily snort of ammonia, I guess that once you get the cold you >have to choose between "remedies" and just being comfortable.... At a minimum, you choose between "remedies" and just being confortable. I would venture that you also choose between an unreliable remedy and a reliable environmental toxin. Burns the hell out of membranes such as those found in your nose, throat, eyes, even skin if contact is prolonged. I'd go for the comfort, and retain my sense of sight and smell while I'm at it. -- -- Jon Krueger UUCP: ...seismo!rochester!ur-tut!tuba BITNET: TUBA@UORDBV USMAIL: University of Rochester Taylor Hall Rocheseter, NY 14627 (716) 275-2811 "A Vote for Barry is a Vote for Fun"
larsen@fisher.UUCP (Michael Larsen) (11/08/85)
> In article Thomas Cox writes: > >This is a bit off the track beaten so far, so bear with me. I heard from an > >unimpeachable source that people who work around ammonia just *don't get > >colds.* And after I spent a day [as a busboy] washing walls with an ammonia > >solution, I discovered that my sinuses were just amazingly clear. However, > >short of a daily snort of ammonia, I guess that once you get the cold you > >have to choose between "remedies" and just being comfortable.... > > At a minimum, you choose between "remedies" and just being confortable. I > would venture that you also choose between an unreliable remedy and a > reliable environmental toxin. Burns the hell out of membranes such as those > found in your nose, throat, eyes, even skin if contact is prolonged. I'd go > for the comfort, and retain my sense of sight and smell while I'm at it. > -- > > -- Jon Krueger > UUCP: ...seismo!rochester!ur-tut!tuba > BITNET: TUBA@UORDBV > USMAIL: University of Rochester > Taylor Hall > Rocheseter, NY 14627 > (716) 275-2811 > "A Vote for Barry is a Vote for Fun" *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***
hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath) (11/12/85)
This discussion reminded me of an amusing (to me) advertisement I used to
see on billboards all over London. The ads were for an over-the-counter
patent cold remedy. I don't recall then name, but the gist was that their
remedy would cure your cold. All you had to do was take it regularly for
nine days ...
"God cures the patient. The doctor collects the fee."
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe)
Citicorp(+)TTI Common Sense is what tells you that a ten
3100 Ocean Park Blvd. pound weight falls ten times as fast as a
Santa Monica, CA 90405 one pound weight.
(213) 450-9111, ext. 2483
{philabs,randvax,trwrb,vortex}!ttidca!ttidcc!hollombe