Author Topic: About colds  (Read 81 times)

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Offline agate

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About colds
« on: February 08, 2015, 03:57:48 pm »
Excerpts from the Berkeley Wellness Letter, February 9, 2015:

Quote
COLDS...


by JOHN SWARTZBERG, M.D. 

Infectious disease specialist John Swartzberg, M.D., the chair of the Editorial Board of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter and Berkeleywellness.com, weighs in on colds, their supposed cures, and other myths and facts about these viral infections. This interview was conducted by Jeanine Barone, the nutrition and sports medicine editor of the Wellness Letter.
...

How long does a cold virus last on a surface such as a doorknob or tabletop?

Dr. Swartzberg: Usually a few hours. Although cold viruses can be transmitted by touching inanimate objects (called fomites in medicalese) and then touching your mouth, nose or eye, the greater risk comes from a sick person who coughs or sneezes near you, or from shaking hands with someone who has a cold.

If you kiss a sick person on the lips, does that dramatically increase your risk of getting a cold, compared with shaking hands, say, or just talking to him or her?

Dr. Swartzberg: When people with a cold are talking, they are aerosolizing droplets, and the closer you get, the greater your risk of inhaling these particles. If you hug, you are really close so there is more of a change of inhaling them. If you kiss on the lips or cheek, you are directly inoculating the virus onto your mucus membranes. It’s proximity that counts.

Do you ever use bleach to disinfect surfaces in your kitchen or elsewhere? Is bleach effective in reducing infectious organisms?

Dr. Swartzberg: Bleach is an excellent way to kill organisms, but it isn’t necessary to clean household surfaces with it. We live in a sea of microbes, and the vast majority cause no harm; some are actually beneficial. Making your environment close to sterile is unnecessary and obsessive. Still, if someone has in your home has a staphylococcal infection, you may want to take extra precaution.

What do you think about zinc supplements as a treatment for the common cold? BerkeleyWellness has written somewhat positively about them. Would you take them?

Dr. Swartzberg: The research suggests zinc may be modestly effective. The theoretical reason why zinc might work is that it may help prevent the cold virus from replicating. But the clinical trials have been mixed. Do I take it? Yes, but it's hard to know if it helps. If it's taken as directed—and not for a long duration—it doesn't appear risky. If you want to try it, go ahead. Just don't use any zinc product that goes directly to your nose, because it may damage your ability to smell.

What do you yourself do avoid catching cold?

Dr. Swartzberg: There really isn’t much anyone can do, except wash hands. No dietary supplement, including zinc, has been shown to prevent colds. One possible exception is Cold-Fx, a patented, standardized extract of ginseng: some evidence suggests it can help treat colds, and there is also some data to suggest that if you take it continuously during the cold season, you get fewer colds. I must say, I’m skeptical. There’s no convincing evidence that any herb or vitamin will help prevent or treat colds.

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