
How Not to Fight Colds - frossie
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/opinion/05ackerman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
======
adammichaelc
The assumption is made that since the immune system's reaction to a cold is
inflammation and other cold symptoms, you are therefore experiencing the
symptoms of a cold because of your strong immune system.

If your immune system was sufficiently strong, you would never start
experiencing the symptoms of the cold because your body would destroy the
invading virus during its incubation period -- in other words before the virus
duplicated enough to warrant a stronger and more full immune response.

Also, the body's immune response, like all other responses in the body, is
performing a constant balancing act. When your body is in balance
(homeostasis) the right amount of inflammation occurs to destroy viruses and
bacteria, but not so much that you're out of commission. If your body is
consistently getting sick and producing high amounts of inflammation (runny
nose, itchy eyes, sore throat, etc.), two things are happening:

1\. Your initial immune response isn't kicking in fast enough to destroy
viruses while they are in their incubation period

2\. Your body is out of balance and your immune system's cells aren't able to
shut down inflammation when necessary.

Recent research suggests that vitamin D plays a critical role in both
"awakening" the immune system's T-cells, or turning them on, and moderating
inflammation , or sending the immune system into "sleep" mode when it's done
fighting off invaders. [1] [2]

Dr. Carsten Geisler, head of the Department of International Health,
Immunology, & Microbiology at the University of Copenhagen said, "When a T
cell is exposed to a foreign pathogen, it extends a signaling device of
'antenna' known as a vitamin D receptor, with which it searches for vitamin
D," If the level of vitamin D is inadequate, "they won't even begin to
mobilize."

Based on this (and other interesting studies) I'd say that the best way to
prevent the common cold is to make sure you have enough vitamin D in your
body. What to do when you've already got the cold... probably not much you
_can_ do except take some zinc lozenges, pound the vitamin C, and try to get
rest.

[1]
[http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=another-r...](http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=another-
reason-vitamin-d-is-importa-2010-03-07) [2]
[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090408140208.ht...](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090408140208.htm)

~~~
xiaoma
The zinc is definitely a very good idea, with some caveats. Vitamin C probably
helps in the long term, especially for athletes, but I don't think it's such a
good idea once you have a cold. Definitely don't take any during or soon after
a zinc lozenge.

Zinc supplementation for the purpose of fighting a cold is a bit tricky.
According to the largest review of zinc cold studies I know of, only ionic
zinc (as opposed to bound zinc) has a positive effect. Total zinc
supplementation has no correlation with either duration or severity of cold
symptoms. In fact, the majority of the brands of candy-like zinc lozenges on
the US market likely have no effect at all.

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15496046>

Summary: take zinc gluconate (ZG), make sure it's a slow lozenge and avoid
vitamin C or anything else that could interfere with the effects of the zinc
lozenge.

------
jordan0day
I'm reminded of something I once saw written (tweeted?) by the astrophysicist
Neil DeGrasse Tyson (although I doubt he is the originator): "Any good remedy
will cure the common cold in about a week. But left to itself, it will linger
for seven days."

------
zeteo
I don't know about the other remedies, but there is some good evidence in
favor of zinc combating the common cold:

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15496046?dopt=Abstract>

Note, however, that zinc is only effective if taken at the onset of the very
first symptoms. Personally, I've been using it during the last five years, and
it seems effective so far.

~~~
grandalf
The article failed to offer a model of what a cold is, how it starts, spreads,
etc. You're right about Zinc.

In general the article's point was about a one sentence insight, spread into a
long fluff piece with the hook of a counter-intuitive zinger.

------
known
From my personal experience I'd say for dry cough
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linctus> syrup is good and
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guaifenesin> syrup for progressive cough.

------
donaldc
_Boosting your immune system could only make your cold symptoms worse._

This isn't at all surprising. Many of these symptoms are part of the body's
efforts at fighting the cold. As long as these symptoms increase the body's
effectiveness at fighting the virus, I'd view them as a good thing.

~~~
KiwiNige
All that snot and sneezing helps to spread the virus around too. Perhaps some
of the most common colds are those that invoke a strong immune response.

~~~
donaldc
Good point. There are also downsides. Still, in general, I prefer to let my
body fight illness as best it knows how, unless it is obviously mis-
functioning.

------
dualboot
Thus science proves it.

Whisky is the cure for the common cold! ;)

------
garrettgillas
I've started flagging any articles behind a paywall because I assume that it's
the correct course of action. Please tell me if this is wrong.

~~~
KiwiNige
NY Times seems to hit you with a pay wall after you have read a few articals.
Delete your nytimes cookies and hit the link again.

------
geuis
I can't leave a comment about the story, but I can leave a comment about the
registration wall preventing me from reading the story.

~~~
ronnier
Read here:
[http://viewtext.org/article?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/...](http://viewtext.org/article?url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/opinion/05ackerman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion)

