More about colds

Everyone knows about Vitamin C & colds – it fights them, or does it? In fact there has been much debate about this since 1972 when Dr Pauling – a Nobel Prize winner - published a paper on the beneficial effects of Vitamin C on colds. Now the thinking is that Vitamin C only makes a marked difference on the duration & severity of a cold in people who are under extreme physical stress, such as marathon runners, skiers & soldiers – in these cases it helps by up to 50%, which is a very significant result. In my view I think this can be extrapolated to relate to the normal population, so I recommend Vit C in the cold season.

Another cold fighter is zinc, a recent study has shown that zinc can reduce the duration of a cold by several days. The University in Detroit, found that the average duration of cold symptoms was reduced to 4 days by the zinc users as opposed to continuing for 7 days in the placebo study group. The zinc in this study was zinc acetate lozenges, taken within 24 hours of the symptoms starting, and stopping as soon as the symptoms stopped.  It has to be noted that nausea was a side effect by some of the zinc users.

Of course the obvious way to stay cold free is to try to avoid the common cold virus –but as there are believed to be over 200 viruses that cause the common cold this is hardly realistic – unless you develop Howard Hughes type behaviour.

However, this may not sound as extreme as you think, Hughes with his penchant for hand washing may well have been on to something all those years ago. Now in 2009 the universal advice is to wash your hands before touching your eyes, nose or mouth if you’ve been near possible cold germs, as this is the main route of infection.

So always wash your hands as Granny used to say – she knew best after all.

Disclaimer: The information presented here by Sophia McVeigh is intended for information only. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent disease. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplements or homeopathic remedies, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

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