Common cold

The common cold is probably the most common illness in the world. It is characterized by sneezing, a scratchy throat, a stuffy nose, and coughing. In the course of a year, people in the United States suffer 1 billion colds.

A cold is typically acquired by touching one's eyes or nose after touching surfaces with cold germs on them, or by inhaling the viruses. Symptoms usually begin 2 or 3 days after infection and last 2 to 14 days. Colds can be avoided by frequent hand-washing and by staying away from infected individuals.

There is currently no cure for the common cold. This is because the illness is caused by a virus which continuously mutates, constantly changes its genetic base sequence, making it hard to find a cure for all the variations of the common cold.

However, the best way to avoid this illness is to maintain a healthy immune system while practicing good hygiene. Many people find that using dietary supplements of Vitamins A, C, and D, as well as Zinc and other herbs and minerals can keep them healthy and/or enable them to recover from a cold much more quickly. For those less knowledgeable in supplementation, products such as Zicam^® is often useful, as it contains some of these beneficial substances.

Is it caused by cold weather?

Cold weather has long been associated with the viral infection, and not entirely without reason. One cause of this apparent relationship is that people spend more time indoors during the cold winter weather. Spending extended time in close proximity to other people is a clear culprit. For this same reason, children in daycare or kindergarten are particularly prone to having colds. However, at least one study has found that cold weather does actually encourage the illness. Colder temperatures enable the virus to reproduce more quickly, and the host's immune response is slowed at the same time.
Another consideration is that cold weather is the result of the earth angling away from the sun. This reduces both the intensity and duration of exposure to the sun, which effects not only the weather, but the human body itself. When exposed to sunlight for a sufficient amount of time at a sufficient intensity, human skin begins converting cholesterol into Vitamin D. Therefore, during the summer, people in temperate zones tend to have higher Vitamin D levels. In the winter, however, sunbathing and other sunlight activities come to a halt, and outdoor activities are performed under heavy clothing. This combined with the already weakened rays prevents most of the skin's Vitamin D production. As Vitamin D levels drop during the autumn and winter, the immune system is weakened, and becomes less capable to fight off viral infection (as well probably at greater risk of other ailments). While people with a fairly strong immune system can still catch a cold, they are less likely to.