The humble cold is the most common infectious disease in the U.S. It accounts for more absences from school and work than any other illness. The most common route of infection is not from coughing or sneezing, or walking barefoot in the rain, but from hand-to-hand contact. That is why when you have a cold, washing your hands frequently is so important. The likelihood of you becoming a victim of the cold virus increases however, if you are overtired or physically exhausted as this suppresses your natural immunity.
Children under two generally get 5-10 colds a year, especially if they are in daycare. Older children and young adults get about 3-6 colds per year. After the age of 30 the number starts to decrease to about two per year. Most uncomplicated colds last between eight and nine days, but about 25% last two weeks, and 5-10% last three weeks.
The following are a list of suggestions to assist in combating the common cold:
- As long as your temperature remains below 102 F there is no need to lower it. Cold viruses do not reproduce at higher body temperatures. A slight fever should help you get rid of the virus quicker and feel better much sooner.
- Chicken soup does help the symptoms. Chicken contains a natural amino acid called cystine. Cystine can thin the mucus in the lungs and make it less sticky so you can expel it more easily. Homemade is the best.
- Rest. It is important to rest and take it easy throughout the time you are ill. This time may be longer if you do not allow yourself to recuperate and recover completely. If you exercise regularly, you needn’t stop. However, you should definitely cut back on the intensity until you feel better.
- Wash your hands frequently and try to keep them away from your nose and eyes. Use disposable tissues as opposed to cloth handkerchiefs. If you are caring for a child with a cold, WASH YOUR HANDS every time you have to wipe their nose. This will protect you from being infected. In addition to washing the hands you should wash your sinuses as well. There are several ways to keep your nose clean and this will minimize airborne transmission of little critters.
- Drink plenty of fluids but avoid dairy products (including cheese and yogurt). Water is the best. Try to drink at least eight to ten glasses a day. This will help the stuffiness and help the secretions loosen. In addition to drinking water, warm a cup with some salt and gargle. Gargling with warm saltwater soothes the throat and speeds healing.
- Eating refined sugars weakens your immune system and promotes yeast overgrowth. This includes ALL sodas which typically have eight teaspoons of sugar per can. Honey, molasses, maple syrup, date sugar, cane sugar, corn sugar, beet sugar, corn syrup, fructose, lactose, and other refined carbohydrates are known promoters of yeast growth. Reducing or eliminating these in your diet will help your immune system.
- Many people will start to drink large amounts of orange juice when they are sick. All the simple sugars (fructose) in the juice will actually make you worse. Try to avoid ALL juices, including organic juices or ones with no sugar added.
- Researchers have shown zinc lozenges reduce the severity and duration of cold symptoms, particularly a sore throat. They believe the zinc is directly toxic to the virus and stimulates your body to produce antibodies to destroy the virus. They seem to work for about three out of four colds. You can suck on ONE-QUATER of a zinc lozenge every thirty minutes. Do not chew and quickly swallow the tablets, as they won’t work. If you get nauseous you should stop the zinc immediately, as it is a sign of toxicity.
- Extra vitamin C is also helpful. I recommend a blend of mineral ascorbates such as Ultra Potent C that unlike typical ascorbic acid does not cause loose stools at higher doses. You can take 500-2,000 mg every 1-2 hours.
- Lauricidin is the monoester of the fatty acid lauric acid. This fatty acid possesses anti-viral activity against virus replication (it prevents their entry into Cell Membranes) and can help in speeding your recovery as well. It is commonly sold under the trade name “Monolaurin”.
- Andrographis is an excellent immune booster. At first you use 2 capsules every 2 hours and then decrease over to 2 tabs 3 times a day for about 5 days.
- Lastly If you cannot afford to be sick then I can highly recommend doing an IV-Immune drip of concentrated vitamins. Commonly known as a Myers push this drip allows you to take in doses of vitamin C and Magnesium and B-complex and other trace nutrients that simply cannot be done orally. I have witnessed many a cold stop in their tracks when using the immune drips.
This form of IV therapy is expanding rapidly and can be used much like a menu of ingredients depending on your symptoms and needs. For those on the go this can be a make or break it intervention in that you can literally stop a cold in a day or less.
Below are noted some products/treatments that I have found extremely useful for cold-related disorders. Dosing and application is dependent on body size and symptoms.
Diarrhea
Colostrum, Probioplex, I-Flora, Glutamine Blends,
Sinus Infections
Clear Phlegm Pinellia, Gan Mao Ling, J’s Nose Drops, Xlear nasal spray, Laser
Bronchitis, Upper Respiratory Infections
Wei Soup A, B, and LC Balancer, Amazon A-V, Amazon A-F, Tea Tree Oil, Lavender,
Best of Health to You,
Dr. Dave Marquis, DC, DACBN
Oak Park Wellness Clinic
860 Oak Park Blvd. #202
Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
(805) 481-3499
