h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Are we talking about Flu or headcolds here?


I've been frantically avoiding colds the past few years, as I was 'sick' of catching 'em. *ahem*

Here's what I do:
*Take loads and loads of Vitamin C. I used to laugh at my mother when she told me to all the time.

*Eat lots of fruit - high vit. C content.

*Get plenty of sleep. Go to bed early - don't let that nasty bug infiltrate your immune system. This is war!

*If you can, take it easy as soon as symptoms develop... blag some time off work or education. This way, you might fight it off before it gets bad.

*This sounds obvious, but avoid close contact with people who have a cold or other infectious illness!

If you think you're getting a cold or your head is bunged up, mustard baths work very well. It brings your blood to the surface so you get a nice glow and clears out your nose. Also makes your eyes water a bit too. It's a very Victorian idea but does actually have a beneficial effect. Places like Culpeper sell packets of it.

Already an emphysema sufferer, a couple of years ago I was admitted to hospital (unconscious) with two collapsed lungs after a severe asthma attack.

Released in Autumn (Fall) my hospital-based medical specialist advised me to get a FREE flu jab from my family doctor and so be protected from any flu bugs floating around.

I rang the doctor's surgery and made an appointment. Arriving for my appointment - expecting to have a needle stuck in my arm by a nurse - I was ushered in to see the doctor. After reading (emailed to his computer) my case notes from the local hospital he agreed that I did indeed qualify for a FREE flu jab. He then directed me to the nurses area. A nurse administered my FREE flu jab.

About to leave the building I was stopped by a receptionist.

"$28 please." "But the flu jab was supposed to be FREE." "It is, the $28 is the charge for seeing the doctor."

The story has a happy ending. I never caught the flu and the following year it was indeed FREE as I did not have to see the doctor - who apparently specialises in charging like a wounded bull.

Point of explanation. In New Zealand people over 65 plus people suffering from severe lung and heart problems qualify for the free flu immunisation jabs.

Another tip is to regularly wash your hands. I know it dosn't sound like much but you would not beleive how much it helps. With all the people out there sneezing and coughing all over things it only seems logical.
Not to mention most people don't even wash their hands after using the bathroom! And if you think you are safe because you wash after you go, what about the person before you, did they wash? And if they didn't they just grabbed the handel on the door to get out. Now you are going to have to touch it too! SICK

I'm coming out of the tail end of a cold at the moment. Still coughing from time to time. Paracetemol makes me feel better but doesn't do much for the cold itself - the best cure for that is plenty of rest, tissues, petroleum jelly (for the sore nose) and vitamin C. If nothing else, eating lots of oranges tastes good!

I also recommend steam inhalation for clearing the nose, especially if you put a tiny little bit of menthol crystals in the water. It'll blow your head off, but it takes all the snot with it. Olbas Oil (a mixture of several different essential oils and menthol) is also great for this, and it's also good to put a couple of drops on a tissue by your bed. It's great for keeping your head clear during the night. Smells nice, too.

And yes, it does work well if you put it in the bath.

Here's a few tips which people have probably already mentioned:

Contrary to popular opinion, going out in the cold doesn't cause you to catch cold. Being cold does make you more suseptible to catching viruses because your body is working less efficiently, but colds are only caught more in the winter because of the close proximity to other people and recycled air due to shut windows and poor ventilation.

Colds are only caught from other people, they don't spontaneously appear... so if somebody has a cold, try to avoid contact. Don't shake hands with them - people touch their nose and face frequently. So wash your hands often too.

And the steam thing works well... cold viruses mostly live and breed in your nose, and can be killed off at temperatures higher than body temperature. So inhaling steam from a boiling kettle or saucepan of water regularly helps enormously.

Have you noticed how a running nose drys up at night when you're asleep? Nobody knows why.

A cold virus is actually many different viruses. The body produces interferon and antibodies to battle them. Mucus in your nose (and chest) is the dead bodies of both. Some battle eh?

Taking large doses of Vitamin C isn't scientifically proven to help cure colds, but the body absorbs more of it when suffering from a cold, so it probably helps.

Erm... what else... taking antibiotics for colds, flu and chesty coughs helps in the short term but in the long run the viruses in your body build up a resistance against antibiotics that they've been exposed to. So it's safer to avoid using them as much as you can, so if you really need to use them one day they'll have a better effect.

Oh and I've just found some fun information on 'flu, if this article includes it:

There is a correlation between sunspot activity and flu epidemics.

The worst epidemic ever was in 1918 to 1919, causing 200,000 deaths in Britain and five million deaths in India. Eskimos were hit very badly too, many communities losing over half their population.

Aspirin reduces the symptoms but doesn't help cure the disease.

Vaccines have never been particularly successful because the influenza viruses keep mutating and changing, and therefore developing a resistance to any new vaccine in a matter of years.

Many animals can catch flu too. The strain that affects chickens ('Fowl Plague') is almost always fatal.

And finally, wine or grape juice can kill a variety of viruses (most notably polio). So there's an excellent excuse when you next have a cold!

Right, I'm off to the bar!

Just a clarification regarding antibiotics and colds. Antibiotics are indicated for BACTERIAL infections. A cold is caused by a viral infections. Antibiotics are completely useless for a cold.

Oh yes Whoops. I got mixed up between coughs and colds.