Eight Things You Should Know About the Common Cold
One. A person spends more than 3 years of their life with a cold
Are you always cautious, trying every way possible to avoid a cold, yet still find it hard to escape? Let's do the math. If you catch a cold an average of 2.5 times a year (and believe most people catch more), then 2.5 multiplied by 70 years is 175 colds. Research shows that the average cold lasts 6-7 days. This means you will spend approximately 1140 days of your life with a cold. What does 1140 days mean? That's over 3 whole years!
Two. People who catch colds easily may have a genetic predisposition
According to a recent report in the UK's "Daily Mail," a study on some volunteers in the UK by scientists suggests that some people are naturally less susceptible to colds, while others are struck by the flu every year.
Researchers injected the influenza virus into 17 healthy people and monitored their condition for the next 5 days. Nine of them got the flu, while the others showed no symptoms at all. In those who got sick, certain specific genes showed acute inflammation 36 hours before cold symptoms appeared. The more severe the illness, the more pronounced this "gene signal" became.
Three. Choice of medication affects the duration of a cold
As is well known, treating the specific symptoms of a cold is the key to shortening its duration. Among the many cold medicine brands, Contac may be the one that best embodies this principle. For general symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, and nasal congestion, Contac offers a blue package. For more severe symptoms like coughing, fever, aching limbs, and sore throat, there is a specific red package. If your only symptom is nasal congestion, Contac Nasal Strips can easily solve the problem with a purely physical method, avoiding unnecessary medication ingredients that don't help with congestion. "Different cold symptoms, different solutions"—Contac truly delivers on this.
Four. When you have a cold, you should eat more foods rich in vitamins
A cold "caused by what you eat." Many experts at home and abroad believe that poor eating habits are closely linked to catching colds. Consuming too much high-salt food can reduce saliva secretion, causing oral mucosa to swell and become congested, increasing viruses, and easily leading to upper respiratory tract infections and eventually a cold. Eating too many high-sugar foods can deplete the body's water and vitamin nutrients, causing a dry mouth and weakening the immune system, which in turn can trigger a cold. Eating too much high-fat food, such as cream, meat, and broth, can reduce the body's immune cells' ability to fight viruses, making one prone to colds. Therefore, staying away from the "three highs"—high-salt, high-sugar, and high-fat diets—can reduce your chances of catching a cold. Additionally, vitamins can effectively boost the body's immunity. Consuming more vitamins when you have a cold (preferably from food) and pairing them with a targeted cold medicine can achieve twice the result with half the effort, leading to quick recovery.
Five. More outdoor activities help prevent colds
Ensuring good indoor air quality is key to preventing colds. When windows and doors are closed and there are no pollution sources like carbon monoxide, indoor air can become polluted as the number of people increases and time passes. Keeping windows open allows waste gases from the body and smoke indoors to be carried away by circulating air, which helps prevent colds. Clinical observations have found that people who stay indoors for long periods have two to three times more chances of catching a cold than the average person. It was reported that when a certain country's only television tower was out of service, the rate of children visiting hospitals for colds dropped significantly. Investigation revealed that children used to spend all day watching TV with very little activity, but now they are back outdoors in nature, restoring their resistance to viruses. Stagnant indoor air can easily cause upper respiratory diseases, while outdoor activities can help ultraviolet rays kill viruses.
Six. When you have a cold, you should get more sun
The sun is the source of energy for all things on earth. Ultraviolet (UV) rays in sunlight can quickly and effectively kill many viruses. Studies have shown that families that get more sun and frequently sun-dry their quilts and clothes have far fewer colds than families that are always indoors. This shows that UV rays in sunlight can effectively kill many viruses on clothes and quilts, including the common cold virus.
Seven. A good mood can significantly reduce the likelihood of catching a cold
As the saying goes, "Sorrow can turn one's hair white," which illustrates the effect of worry on the human body. People who are often sad and sentimental can experience a decrease in immune function, a weakened ability to kill pathogens, and lower interferon levels. This leads to a decline in the respiratory tract's defense function, giving cold viruses an opportunity to strike. According to foreign research statistics, people who are often worried or frequently distressed catch colds 3 to 5 times more often than cheerful, optimistic people.
Eight. Poor medication habits can increase the chances of catching a cold
Abuse of medication can lead to colds. Pharmacological and clinical studies have shown that many drugs, especially sulfonamides, antibiotics, anti-tuberculosis drugs, anti-cancer drugs, and even antipyretic and analgesic drugs (like paracetamol), can suppress the body's immune system to varying degrees. Frequent use of such drugs can reduce the body's ability to fight disease, thereby triggering a cold. When cold symptoms initially disappear, many people stop taking their medication. This actually gives the cold a chance to rebound. After symptoms start to disappear, you should continue taking the medication for another 1-2 days to consolidate the treatment effect and completely eliminate the cold.