How can I prevent a cold?

Good hand washing is key to preventing both colds and the flu.  So try not to touch your face, eyes, nose and mouth during this cold and flu season without washing your hands since this is how viruses can be transmitted. Cover your sneezes and cough with the inside crook of your elbow (if you don’t have a tissue). Throw out used tissues immediately.  But the best way to prevent the flu and any complications that can develop from it, such as pneumonia, is to get a yearly vaccination. The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get a flu shot. And this year the H1N1 is included in the regular flu vaccine.

The following can help prevent a common cold:

• Cleanliness: Children and adults need to understand the importance of hand washing. Healthcare professionals recommend carrying a bottle of alcohol-based hand rub containing at least 60% alcohol for times when soap and water are not available. These gels kill most germs, and are safe for older children to use themselves. Use cautiously as the overuse of antibacterial cleansers can cause damage to normal bacteria that reside on the skin.
• Keeping the kitchen and bathroom countertops clean, especially when someone in the family has a common cold, is important. Children's toys should be washed before and after play when a cold is present in the house.
• Avoiding spreading the virus: Sneezing and coughing into tissues keeps the viruses from spreading. Tissues should be discarded right away, and then the hands should be washed. Children should sneeze or cough into the bend of their elbow when they do not have a tissue. Avoiding close, prolonged contact with anyone who has a cold is recommended by healthcare professionals. Wearing a facemask, purchased at a local pharmacy, can help in the prevention of spreading or catching a cold virus.
• Fluids: Water, non-sweetened juices (100% juice, not sweetened), hot teas, and warm soups (especially chicken soup) are all good choices to drink during a cold. Alcohol, caffeine, and cigarette smoke should be avoided as they may cause dehydration and aggravate the symptoms of a cold, including a runny and stuffy nose.
• Sleep quality: Plenty of sleep and rest helps the body recover from a cold. Healthcare professionals recommend at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep (not waking up).
• Temperature and humidity: Keeping the room warm but not overheated where the individual with a cold lives is important. If the air is dry, a cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer can moisten the air and help ease congestion and coughing. A clean humidifier may help to prevent the growth of bacteria and molds.

You should read product labels, and discuss all therapies with a qualified healthcare provider. Natural Standard information does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Dried powdered fruit and vegetable supplements, multivitamins, and other health remedies, even garlic and vitamin C or E, may show some benefits in those with deficient or marginal intake of antioxidants and phytochemicals, but the best and most effective way to prevent illness is with comprehensive nutritional adequacy maintained all year with dietary and supplemental recommendations, not by looking for specific cold remedies.

Almost every family has their favored remedies and advice. From chicken soup to wearing cloves of garlic around the neck to wearing warm hats, your mother learned her immunity-enhancing ideas from her mother. Unfortunately, chicken soup, steam vaporizers, hot tea with honey, and rubbing smelly salves on the chest do not have scientific data to document effectiveness and in fact have mostly been debunked in scientific investigations. In fact, when scrutinized with high-quality placebo trials, almost all remedies show no significant effects, unless a person was somewhat nutritionally deficient before supplying more of the needed micronutrients. For example, pomegranate is a superfood that builds stronger immune function, and the long-term use of it and other highly nutritious superfoods may decrease incidence of infections, but they should not be seen as cold remedies, but merely a highly nutritious food that support a normal-functioning immune system, which enhances immunity.

Even vitamin D, elderberry, and zinc, which have proven efficacy, are likely only of value in people whose levels are suboptimal. So the goal is still to achieve nutritional adequacy and forget the idea of nutritional remedies when ill. Take 15 mg of zinc per day all year, and increase to 30 mg with onset of cold symptoms. Probiotics and elderberry syrup are likely worth a try when ill.

The following strategies have been shown in various studies to help you reduce your need for boxes and boxes of facial tissues and just in general feeling "lousy" for a week or so after succumbing to the "common cold":

Getting enough sleep and rest can help you and your immune system -- not an easy task in our multi-tasking society.

A healthful diet abundant in (colorful) fruits and vegetables with their numerous phytonutrients can't hurt, according to some researchers. Believe it or not, there is even a study finding "chicken soup" can perhaps help to fight a cold.

Ask your health care provider to measure your Vitamin D level and make recommendations on an appropriate daily dosage for you. Studies have linked lower levels of Vitamin D with more getting colds more frequently and conversely, those in the same study that had higher levels may be associated with significantly fewer colds.

Wash those hands. Know the "happy birthday" song; in other words, if you can recite this song, then you have adequately spent enough time washing your hands with warm, soapy water.

When soap and water and a faucet is not available, use alcohol hand sanitizer (60% or greater concentration) to try and kill cold germs on your hands and fingers.

Stay home if you are spewing forth with cold germs via sneezing, runny nose and coughing. You will be doing your friends, colleagues, classmates and co-workers a big favor!

Use facial tissues, not your hands, when you sneeze and try not to rub your nose and eyes to reduce transmission of viral particles that cause colds.

Ferrum phos 6x is a natural remedy that should be in every home medicine chest. We call it the “nip it in the bud” remedy. Use it at the very first sign that you or your child is about to get sick.

Parents know when their child is “under the weather” – the child may lack an appetite, be listless, not be interested in things they usually like to do or play with. They may have a mild fever but no other actual symptoms yet. Parents can tell when their child is likely to come down with something the next day.

Or if it’s for you – you know your own warning signs when you’re run down – perhaps a funny feeling in the back of your throat.

I recommend getting Ferrum phos ahead of time so you have it on hand when the time comes – it may not be a convenient time to go out and buy it, and your local health food store may not carry it. You may need to order it online, and make sure you get the cell salt or tissue salt version in a 6x potency.

Dissolve a couple of pellets under your tongue three times a day to ward off a cold, flu, or fever. Of course do all the other common sense things like getting extra rest, avoiding sugar and caffeine, and drinking the juice of half a lemon in a glass of water with a little honey to sweeten it.

There’s much more information about natural remedies to prevent and treat colds in my A Healer In Every Home.