The common cold is a viral infection that can be caused by many viruses. A cold generally affects the nose, throat, and upper respiratory tract. In order to fight a cold, one must know it’s symptoms, whether to suppress them, the dangers of taking aspirin, complications to be aware of, and how to support the body during the cold.

Personal Story

Colds are no fun! I remember having a cold at school. I couldn’t breathe through my nose and I didn’t feel well. I just wanted to go home and go to bed. I could deal with the silent symptoms, but I really didn’t like coughing. I did NOT like to draw attention to myself, and I couldn’t stop coughing, so people looked at me. I wanted to get rid of that cold!

Symptoms of a Common Cold

Common cold symptoms tend to come on gradually. Here are some common symptoms:

• Cough
• Congestion
• Low-grade fever
• General unwell feeling
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Sore throat
• Slight body aches or a mild headache
• Sneezing

Colds usually last seven to ten days.

Suppress Symptoms of a Cold?

Most people are miserable when they have a cold. The stuffy nose, sore throat, and sneezing are bad enough, but when they get a fever or nagging cough, there is a real temptation to do something-ANYTHING- to get some relief. Is taking something the best thing to do? Let’s consider some behind the scene information about a couple of key symptoms.

• Fever- Fevers are symptoms of an illness, rather than being an illness itself. A fever helps the body fight invader germs that cause illness. It may be best to let the body do its job to make a hot, unpleasant atmosphere for germs. Of course, it is not prudent to let a fever rage for days. The body needs to sleep, and a person may decide to reduce a fever to provide rest. Hydration is very necessary to prevent secondary illnesses, complications, from coming on. It is important to discover what condition the fever is trying to eliminate and work on treating the cause of that.
• Cough- Coughing is the body’s way of expelling mucus from the respiratory tract. Once again, care must be taken not to interfere with the process. However, it may be prudent to calm a cough at night to promote restful sleep to help the body heal and repair itself.

When considering how best to reduce a fever, we need to be aware of an important disease that needs to be avoided.

Reyes Syndrome Alert

Reye’s syndrome is a deadly disease that can affect children, teens, and adults who use aspirin to control colds, flu-like symptoms, upper respiratory system, or chicken pox. Here are some helpful facts:

• The problem especially lies with children under sixteen years of age. Reye’s seriously impacts the brain and liver, but all body organs can be affected.
• The cause and cure are unknown, but research has found a link between Reye’s syndrome and the use of aspirin and other salicin-containing products.
• Acetaminophen (Tylenol, etc.) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.) is a better alternative to aspirin if a person’s fever needs to be lowered.

Reye’s Syndrome is a serious complication that can be avoided with the choice of medicine used to lower a fever.

Complications

The common cold can develop complications like

• Sinus infection- mucus in the sinuses
• Bronchitis, with a cough that produces mucus and can last 10 to 20 days.
• Earache- infection in the inner ear

Seek medical attention if you have symptoms that concern you. For example, if you have a cough that lasts beyond 7 to 10 days or a fever goes above 100.4 degrees, it can indicate the complication of pneumonia, which requires medical attention.

Body Support

Rest is the best support. Some herbs that can provide additional benefit include:

• Elderberry syrup
• Echinacea
• Garlic lemonade
• Ginger tea

Elderberry, echinacea, garlic, and ginger can provide support for a body struggling with a cold.

Action

Prepare your family by having the knowledge and supplies you need to combat the common cold.

Resources:

http://www.reyessyndrome.org/what.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/symptoms-causes/syc-20351605

May God bless your healthful endeavors!

Joni

P.S. What have you done when you have a cold?