So far there has been no cure for the common cold even though billions of dollars have been spent on medical research. Keeping healthy in the first place is the best defense. A healthy immune system can tackle a virus better than any antibiotic or medication. Among the things you can do to boost your immunity are wash your hands often, exercise, eat a balanced diet, reduce stress, and get enough sleep.
Dr. Ray Sahelian is a board-certified family practice physician and graduate of Thomas Jefferson School of Medicine. In his book, Finally the Common Cold Cure, he recommends an approach for getting rid of the cold.
As Dr. Sahelian points out, the primary cause of the cold is a virus. There are at least several hundred types of viruses that cause colds. But, as we know, not everybody comes down with the common cold when they are exposed to the virus. The most likely reason people don’t get sick is that they are maintaining healthy living habits. Dr. Sahelian has identified four immune system “busters” that cause people to get sick: lack of sleep, stress, smoking, and unnecessary use of antibiotics.
We should be getting at least six to eight hours of restful sleep, Dr. Sahelian says. “It is during the time of our deepest sleep that the immune cells are regenerated. One particular type of immune cell, called the natural killer cell, is very important. It is during deep sleep that the natural killer cell is activated. If it is not activated, then we are more vulnerable to getting a cold. Everyone is going to be exposed to the virus sooner or later, by shaking the hand of someone who has a cold or being exposed to children who are sneezing or coughing. If we have a good, activated immune system it is going to knock out that virus.”
Stress can come from a variety of sources, including personal relationships, financial problems, work, athletic competition, and illness. It can temporarily decrease immune functioning, thereby allowing the virus to get a foothold.
The third immune system buster is smoking. “Smoking damages the lining of the respiratory tract,” Dr. Sahelian says. “There are hairlike structures called cilia that are constantly sweeping out the germs that we inhale. If the cilia are damaged from smoking they are not going to be able to sweep out the bacteria or viruses, which then settle in to start a cold or another type of infection.”
The final immune system buster is taking antibiotics when you don’t need them. Dr. Sahelian explains, “Whenever someone comes down with a cold, as a rule they wait it out a day or two, take some over-the-counter pills if they are not into natural medicine, and then go to their doctor. The doctor examines them, and says, ‘You have a cold, take some more over-the-counter medicines, and you are going to be okay in a week.’ Well, the patient is not satisfied if they made the effort to go all the way to the doctor, wait in the office waiting room, pay $60 to $200, and then be told to use an over-the-counter medicine. So they are going to request an antibiotic prescription.
“Even though 90 percent of all upper respiratory infections are caused by a virus, over 50 percent of the time the patient will come out with a prescription for an antibiotic. Antibiotics do not kill viruses. And antibiotics are harmful because they can cause side effects, such as yeast infections, killing all the good bacteria in the gut. They can also cause fatigue, allergic reactions, diarrhea, and sometimes even more harmful things. So that is not the answer.”
What is the answer, then? According to Dr. Sahelian it involves maintaining a healthy diet, and taking supplements such as vitamin C and vitamin E, juices, and fish oils.
The late Gail Ulrich, founder of Blazing Star Herbal School in Shelbourn Falls, Massachusetts, and the author of Herbs to Boost Immunity, told us more: “Our culture’s diet is high in fats, refined sugars, and sodium. We now know that these foods produce free radicals in the body that create toxicity and weaken immunity. It is important first of all to eliminate refined sugar and flours, as well as caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol, and processed or deep-fried foods. It goes without saying to avoid tobacco and commercially raised red meats, especially because of the high pesticide and hormone content in these products, and to minimize alcohol consumption.
“An immune-enhancing diet would include a wide variety of organically grown fruits and vegetables or wild fruits and vegetables as well. You also need whole grains and legumes along with adequate amounts of protein from soy, grains, or fish. The more you get back to a simple diet based on whole foods as they occur in nature, the better off you will be. It is important to include superfoods or nutrient-dense foods such as miso soup, garlic, and sea vegetables such as kelp. Wild foods are important, as are greens such as dandelion greens, mustard greens, watercress, astragalus, and steamed nettle greens. There are some delicious medicinal immune-enhancing mushrooms such as shiitake and reishi. Yogurt that contains acidophilus is important for balancing the garden of the intestinal flora, if you don’t have lactose intolerance. Other immune-enhancing foods include dates, almonds, buckwheat, chicken soup, chickpeas, burdock root, and parsley.”
Other lifestyle changes may be in order. “They always say, eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch, and a pauper at dinner. Drink at least eight glasses of pure water daily and exercise adequately,” Ulrich said.
A variety of herbs can be used to enhance immunity. “Echinacea is well known,” Ulrich said. “I also recommend garlic, osha root, and milk thistle. These protect the mucous membranes and stimulate production of white blood cells. There are also deep immune tonic herbs that would be helpful to build the bone marrow and increase deep immunity. These are astragalus, Siberian ginseng, and shiitake and reishi mushrooms. These are especially helpful when we have immune deficiency and long-term stress on the immune system.”
Adaptogens are herbs that help the body cope with physical as well as environmental and emotional stress. They include Siberian ginseng, panax ginseng, Korean ginseng, licorice, borage, and milk thistle.
What should you do at the first signs of a cold? “Sometimes a cold can come on mildly—a scratchy throat, a runny nose, or even just a tingling sensation in the nose or throat,” Ulrich explained. “But as soon as you notice the very first symptom, do not wait to act. Immediately take between 3 and 5 grams of vitamin C. You may wish to keep the 500 milligram capsules on your kitchen counter and take about six to ten of these, which would equal about 3 to 5 grams of vitamin C. Right after that immediately put a zinc lozenge in your mouth. The zinc lozenge should contain between 10 and 25 milligrams of zinc. Many people chew it and within a brief period swallow it, but this is a mistake. The zinc is fighting the cold by acting locally in the throat and palate and the nasopharyngeal area. It has to stay in the mouth for as long as you can tolerate it, generally five to ten minutes. You can bite it, but keep the pieces in your mouth before you swallow it. Keep these at home because you never know, a cold can start at two o’clock in the morning and by the time you have gone to the health food store in the morning to buy these supplements, the cold might have gotten a foothold.”
It is also important to take the supplements for an appropriate amount of time. “A common mistake is stopping the medications too soon,” Ulrich said. “The symptoms may have eased and then you forget to take the supplements. They have to be taken continuously. With the vitamin C you can lower the dose from 3 to 5 grams to 1 to 2 grams every few hours. I recommend the zinc at least every hour or two for the first half day and then every six hours after that. The maximum time for this protocol is a few days. The problem with the zinc lozenge is that it can irritate the palate and cause soreness. But I would rather have that than allow the virus to settle in. These suggestions are crucial, and timing is very important here.
“You may travel somewhere where zinc and vitamin C are not available, so I recommend taking them with you. I also recommend using the zinc lozenge right before you go to bed. If you wake up, take it again. Don’t let six or eight hours pass without doing it.”
How can you tell the difference between a virus, bacteria, or allergy? “Even doctors have trouble differentiating them because the symptoms overlap,” Ulrich said. “Viruses and bacteria will give fever but allergies do not. Runny nose is common with the common cold virus and allergies, but bacteria will rarely if ever give you a runny nose. Nasal congestion is common with the virus and allergies, but bacteria rarely. Another way to differentiate viruses from allergies is muscle aches and pains. If you have bad muscle aches and pains, it is more commonly a virus and hardly ever an allergy. Allergies will rarely give you yellow-green mucus, but bacteria commonly will as will all the viruses.
“It is not inevitable that we all come down with colds. By eating the right foods, getting a good night’s rest, reducing stress, not smoking, taking some of the supplements on a regular basis, like vitamin C and fish oils, garlic, onions, and then taking the immediate steps right away when coming down with a cold, you can, as a rule, either eliminate or greatly decrease the frequency of viruses.”