Tips To Stop A Cold

As December approaches, the temperatures take a dive especially in the early mornings. Temperature changes make some people prone to catching colds. I came across some tips from Independent Online and the Daily Mail which you can use to prevent catching colds.

Keep Warm
Professor Ron Eccles, director of the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff, says: "As soon as the weather turns cold, I keep my nose warm. The nose dries out in low temperatures or in dry air conditioning, and respiratory viruses become trapped and start to reproduce. We should all wind scarves around our necks and over our noses."

Since it does not really get that chilly here (compared to the US), I think a handkerchief or a small piece of towel can be used instead to cover our noses during the cool months of December and January.

Kiss But Don't Shake
The commonest way of catching a cold from an infected person is by shaking hands with them, or touching a surface they have touched (the cold virus can live on a door knob for hours) and then rubbing your eyes or mouth. This is a more reliable way of transmitting the virus than breathing near or even kissing them.

Better yet, wash your hands more often with water and soap. How to do proper hand-washing? Go here and learn.

Chicken Soup or Broth
An experiment at the University of Nebraska Medical Centre found many of its [chicken soup] ingredients could stop the movement of certain white blood cells which are thought to stimulate the release of mucus and congestion caused by a cold. And the amino acid cysteine, which is released from chicken during cooking, can thin mucus. Capsaicin, found in pepper, has been found to ease congestion.

Any food that will either boost our immune system or act like an antibiotic will be helpful in combatting the cold.

How About Sex?
Regular sexual activity may help boost the immune system and prevent susceptibility to colds, scientists at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania claim. Immunuglobulin A or IgA levels of people who engage in sexual activity 2 or more times a week were found to be higher. IgA is a chemical that locks on to an infection when it enters the body and then prompts the immune system to destroy it.

'Sounds like a very cool tip to stop the colds, huh?

Try Eating Garlic
Eating garlic in its raw form may help reduce the symptoms of a cold, speed up the time it takes to recover and reduce chances of catching another virus.

Don't forget to brush your teeth afterwards, ok?

Strive To Be Happy
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania found that happy people are 3 times less likely to get a cold. The team studied more than 300 initially healthy volunteers.

There, you go. I sure hope those tips will help you fight the cold virus and prevent it from ruining the coming Christmas holidays.