Colds---Continue

PROMISING DEVELOPMENTS

A weakened cold virus may be the key to shrinking tumours and even extending the lives of colon cancer patients for whom other treatments have failed, according to a preliminary study. The drug, called Onyx-015, is being developed by Onyx Pharmaceuticals. In a Standford University study, the cold virus was injected into 35 people whose cancer had progressed to the liver. For some, the tumours disappeared within a few months; In others, they shrank. Larger studies are needed to confirm these promising results.

Lifestyle changes 

You can ease the misery of a cold with the following:

• Rest. You've heard it before, but if you have a cold, getting some  needed rest is probably the single most important thing you can do to help your body get over the infection.
• Drink fluids. Water is best and steaming hot liquids--clear soups, herbal teas--can help clear your nose and soothe your throat. Avoid alcohol and coffee while you're sick; they dehydrate you.
• Use a humidifier. Inhaling moist air will open your airways and help you breathe easier.
• Gargle with warm salt water. This is a good way to take the 'ouch' out of sore throats caused by colds. Try to gargle several times a day.
• Keep it clean. If anyone in your family has a cold, use a virus-killing disinfectants to wipe off kitchen counters and other surfaces you're likely to touch. Or make your own disinfectant by mixing I part bleach with 10 parts water.
• When it comes to preventing future colds, your daily habits are very important. Here's how to keep viruses away in the first place:
• Wash your hands. Quite literally, your odds of catching to get Navy recruits in Illinois to wash their hands at least five times a day, cut the rate of colds and other respiratory illnesses at a naval facility almost in half. So get into the habit of washing your hands often, especially before every meal.
• Eat breakfast. A study of 498 healthy individuals in Cardiff, Wales found that those who started their day with breakfast got fewer and less severe colds than those who skipped their morning meal. Cereasls, many of which are fortified with vitamins and other nutrients, and protein which helps create antibodies that fight infections, are just two more reasons why breakfast really is the most important meal of the body.
• Think, positive. That same study in Wales found that those who approached life in a negative mood were more likely to get a cold or other illness. This supports what doctors have long known: stress weakens your immune system, make in you more suspectible to colds and other illnesses.
• Make friends. At first glance, this notion may seem contradictory. After all, it would appear that the more people you hang out with, the more you'll exposed to the viruses that cause colds. But research has show that having a large circle of family and friends may offer protection against colds. The reason: the more you're around those who care about you and support you, the better you're able to handle stress. And that boosts your immune system, making it together for cold viruses to gain a foothold.

TIPS ON BLOWING

How you blow your nose depends on what you want to blow out. For the thin, watery discharge of an early cold or an allergy attack, compress one nostril and gently blow out of the other. A vigorous honk is acutally no more effective, and all that energy can cause big trouble by sending infected mucus into your sinuses or middle ear.
     Clearing out the thick, sticky mucus at a cold's end or from a bout of sinusitis is more difficult because your nasal passages are swollen. Try inhaling some steam before blowing or using a nasal spray (Drixine or Sudafed) to reduce the swelling. Use the spray for only a couple of days; it can have a rebound effect, causing even more swelling. If you're still having trouble blowing, try  a saline irrigation spray, which thin mucus and can be used indefinitely.

Medications
Always choose products that target only the symptoms you have. There's no sense in taking a multi-symptom medication unless you actually have everything it treats. Not only is it a waste of money, but it exposes you needlessly to potential side effects. For headaches, muscle aches and to reduce a fever, take aspirin or paracetamol. One caution: don't give aspirin products--the lable may say salicylate or salicylic acid--to childeren who are under 16 years of age because of the possibility of Rey's syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disorder.

                                             IS IT A COLD OR THE FLU?

How can you tell that what you're coming down with? Colds and flus are different illnesses and knowing which you have will make your treatment choices clearer. Check your symptoms against those below:
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SYMPTOMS                       COLD                          FLU
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Fever                                    usually not                   38.8 degrees to 40 degrees C temperature 
                                                                                  for 3 to 4 days 
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Headache                              usually not                   very common
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Body aches                           slight                            usual, often severe
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Fatigue                                  very mild                     can linger for 2 to 3 weeks
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Total exhasution                    no                                develops early on
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Stuffy nose                            usual                            occasionally
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Sneezing                                usual                            occasionally
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Sore throat                              usual                           occasionally
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Cough                                     mild to moderate         usual, can become severe

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