Gesundheit

It always starts the exact same way, and always at the most inopportune time. "I'm not getting sick," you try and tell yourself as you usher little Jimmy into the car, grab the wrong cell phone, and forget your lunch as well as your keys. "It must have been because I slept with the air conditioning on last night," you convince yourself as you swallow eight vitamin C tablets followed by six cups of Echinacea tea. Too much to do, too many people to see, not enough time in the day, and certainly not enough time to get sick. But of course, a cold waits for no one.

Give Us Salvation

The common cold is an acute viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. This sneaky little bugger affects the nose, throat, sinuses, larynx, and sometimes the lungs. The virus that causes the common cold is easily transferred through contact with the secretions of infected people, such as touching, sharing objects, and even a little friendly kissing. Once these viral strands enter the body, they multiply within our healthy cells, leaving mucus, itchy eyes, and a stack of unfinished paperwork in its wake. On average, it is projected that an adult will get two colds per year. Two laborious, inconvenient, miserable and wretched colds that seem to take weeks to fully clear from the system. Of course, sharing eating utensils and necking with your sick loved one may not be the brightest thing to do, but bundling up like you are going skiing the moment that a breeze brushes by is not all that smart either.

Cold Isn't from the Cold

What most people don't know is that the common cold is not aided nor abetted by drops in temperature. Rain plays no part in the little viral trail, and neither does shockingly, malnourishment. Poor hygiene promotes the rate of infection, but what allows your body to become susceptible in the first place is a weakened immune system. Within 36 to 72 hours of exposure, your weakened body becomes infested with this disruptive little viral strand. The sneezing, running nose, itchy eyes, congestion, throat irritation, coughing, body pain, headache, and sometimes fever, may not be life threatening, but they certainly are debilitating to a normal quality of life. Rarely, people with already weakened immune systems, such as those suffering from more serious infectious diseases, can succumb to viral infections, even those as simple as the common cold.

Within five to ten days, the residual effects of the infection are usually tampering off, with a slight cough and possible runny nose lasting, at times, for an additional two to three weeks. Yes, it is true that people get sick all of the time, but why should you have to?

With powerful antioxidants it is simple to avoid the normal pitfalls that most adults seem to stumble so blindly into. Packed with immune boosting antioxidants, fresh fruits and vegetables help protect your body from free radicals, toxins, chemicals, and you guessed it, the common cold. Most people lack a sufficient source of vitamins within their diets.

I am Dr Patrick Flanagan, and this is the latest edition of my Dr Health Secrets newsletter.

I am a scientist with over 300 inventions related to health, longevity, and medicine. This newsletter installment is about the common cold, something we have all come to live with. Sniffles, a sneeze, and a cough - it's an icon in our lives all because of our immune systems.