Like the game of party line we played as kids, myths about colds and other short-term illnesses prevail. The reality is that the common cold is caused by a virus that is passed from person to person. They can occur anytime during the year and not just during what is commonly referred to as the “cold season”.
So what are those myths? Contributing author Dr. Joe Alton is here to debunk these myths and to reinforce what I have always said: thoroughly washing your hands is one of the best ways to avoid sickness, including the common cold.
I’ve written books about Ebola, Zika virus, and other epidemic diseases, but your chances of getting these viruses are pretty small.
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One virus that you are likely to get, however, is the common cold. It’s the most common illness on the planet, and is one that 75-100 million Americans present to a medical professional for treatment every year. Only a small percentage of these people go on to have secondary respiratory infections such as pneumonia, which can lead to a life-threatening situation.
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The common cold is an infection caused, usually, by a virus in the Rhinovirus or Coronavirus family, although a number of others have been implicated. Affecting the upper respiratory system (nose, throat, sinuses), it’s a rare individual that hasn’t dealt with a cold at one point or another.
Like many viral illnesses, there is no cure for the common cold, and attention should be paid to methods that might prevent it. Many people have their own strategies for prevention, but some of these methods are ineffective and have little basis in fact. Here are time-honored (but false) ways that you can (can’t) prevent a cold:
Prevention is only an issue in the winter
You can only catch colds then: In reality, colds occur most often in the Spring and Fall. Many viruses actually become dormant in cold weather.
Dress warmly and you won’t get sick
Dressing warmly for cold weather is a smart move to prevent hypothermia, but it won’t prevent colds. A cold is an infectious disease caused by a virus. Regardless of what you wear, you can be infected in any type of weather.
Stay inside during the winter to avoid catching a cold
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Staying inside actually increases your chances of getting infected. Enclosed spaces can expose you to a higher concentration of the virus.
Take antibiotics to prevent colds
Antibiotics kill bacteria. Colds are caused by viruses, an entirely different organism. Therefore, antibiotics are ineffective against them as a preventative or a cure. Although many people ask their doctors for antibiotics to prevent or treat colds, this is a practice that has contributed to an epidemic of resistance in the U.S. Indeed, one out of three Americans leave their doctors’ offices with a prescription for antibiotics to treat an illness that is completely unaffected by them.
A weakened immune system will cause a cold
Certainly, having a strong immune system is a good thing, but even the healthiest person can catch a cold if exposed to the virus. Most people who catch a cold were perfectly healthy until the virus gets a hold of them.
Vitamin C will prevent colds
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Although supplements like Vitamin C and Zinc may decrease the duration of a cold, they don’t do anything to prevent your catching one.
Keep your head dry
A wet head will cause a cold: Having a head full of wet hair is thought by some to predispose you to a cold, but it just isn’t so. You may feel a chill, but it won’t make you more likely to catch a virus.
Turning down the heat in the house will prevent a cold
Many feel that central heating causes the nose to dry up and make them more susceptible to a cold. A virus can colonize the mucus membranes, regardless of the temperature or level of humidity.
Wearing Garlic or other herbs will prevent your getting sick
What? Wearing garlic may repel vampires (and everyone else), but its health benefits mostly derive from being ingested in its raw form.
Avoid kissing to prevent colds
Interestingly, relatively small quantities of virus reside on the lips or in the mouth. Most of it is found in the nasal cavity. Then again, it’s hard to be kissed without being breathed on as well.
