Colds

Colds

A simple cold isn’t so simple for seniors. Now, it’s true that by adulthood you’ve been exposed to so many cold and flu bugs that you’re immune to many of the sniffles that your grandchildren are likely to develop in a given winter. But that hard-won immunity does little to protect you from the scores of new strains of cold viruses that develop every year. What’s more, the older you get, the less vigorously your immune system responds, so while your body is busy fighting off a cold, another infection can slip in, says Katherine Sherif, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the Medical College of Pennsylvania/Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

Colds occur more often during the winter months but cold weather doesn’t cause colds. “It mainly happens because people are close together,” says Michael Fleming, M.D., doctor in private practice in Shreveport, Louisiana. “During cold weather, we can’t get outside a lot. We tend to be close to each other. And so with coughing and sneezing and all those other things we tend to do when we have colds, it’s easier for viruses to be passed.” Even though colds are more common in the winter, don’t think that you’re immune in the spring, summer, and fall. Because colds are caused by viruses, not bad weather, you can get them anytime.

Will there ever be a cure for the common cold? Not likely, experts say. So don’t hold your breath. Instead, here are some tips to help get through colds with a minimum of suffering.

Try This First

Crush a cold with vitamin C. While it may not be a cure-all, research seems to indicate that vitamin C does bolster the body’s immune function, says Elson Haas, M.D., director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, California, and author of Staying Healthy with Nutrition. And at high doses, vitamin C seems to help stop viruses from growing. Take 1,000 milligrams six to eight times a day for up to a week, suggests Dr. Haas.

Note: Excess vitamin C may cause diarrhea in some people.

Other Wise Ways

Pump up your immune system. There’s pretty good evidence that aerobic exercise does increase the effectiveness of the immune system, Dr. Sherif says. And you don’t have to train for a triathlon for your workouts to be effective. “You’re so much less likely to get sick if you walk five days a week for 30 to 45 minutes,” Dr. Sherif states.

Get more rest. When your cold leaves you feeling wiped out, it’s just trying to tell you something. To fight the cold and recover your health, you need the restorative powers of sleep and rest, advises Dr. Fleming. It helps a lot to get to bed on time when you’re fighting the germs. But even during the day, try to lie down and take it easy whenever you can.

Suck on a zinc lozenge. Zinc has also shown some ability to lessen a cold’s severity, Dr. Sherif says. Three or four times a day, suck on a zinc gluconate throat lozenge until it dissolves in your mouth. Or take up to 50 milligrams of zinc in supplement form at least once every day. Zinc can make you feel nauseous, so take it on a full stomach. Also, doses of zinc over 20 milligrams a day should be taken under medical supervision.

Add some echinacea. Otherwise known as the purple coneflower, echinacea is a North American plant of which the roots were used by Native Americans and early settlers to treat colds and flu. Most health food stores sell echinacea in a liquid form known as a tincture. Add one-half dropperful of tincture to a few ounces of water and drink it three times a day the first day that you feel cold symptoms coming on. If you don’t experience any side effects the first day, from the next day on, add one full dropperful of tincture to the water each time, instead. Don’t take echinacea if you have an autoimmune condition such as lupus, tuberculosis, or multiple sclerosis or if you’re allergic to plants in the daisy family, such as chamomile and marigold.

Sip some soup. “Hot soups are helpful,” Dr. Haas says. “They open you up, they warm you, and they nourish you.” Of course, chicken soup is the old standard that many doctors recommend when their patients have colds. Dr. Haas also suggests making a big pot of vegetable soup including onion, garlic, carrot, potato, cabbage, zucchini, and a little pressed or sliced ginger.

Eat the stinking rose. Sure, you could take garlic capsules, even the popular odor-free ones sold in stores. But because no one will want to get too close and risk catching your cold, why not try a little bit of garlic, straight, fresh, potent, and in a palatable form? Make it a final addition to your soup, Dr. Haas suggests. “When you put your bowl of soup on the table, you actually press a clove or two of fresh garlic right into your bowl so you’re not cooking it at all, but it gets to be dispersed into the warm soup.”

Relieve your pain. For the aches and pains and headache that accompany a cold, take acetaminophen or ibuprofen according to the bottle’s instructions, Dr. Fleming says.

Humidify your world. If a lot of congestion accompanies your cold, help loosen it and move it on its way with a damper environment, says Penelope Shar, M.D., internist in private practice in Bangor, Maine. Use a humidifier, keep a pot of water simmering on the stove, or put a pot of water on the radiator.

Try a Tabasco tonic. When you have a cold, you’re often fighting the discomfort caused by a buildup of mucus and secretions that your body is producing to help conquer the cold virus. That means a lot of hacking, coughing, and nose blowing.

Spicy foods can be a great way to cut through those secretions, thin them out, and help you expel them, says Marshall Postman, M.D., allergist in private practice in Reno, Nevada. He recommends using Tabasco sauce because it’s readily available, cheap, and easy to measure. Just shake the bottle well, put 10 drops of Tabasco into a full glass of water, and drink it. Do this three times a day for as long as your symptoms persist. You can increase this up to 20 drops, but cut back to 10 if your stomach starts burning and bothering you.

“Most people are surprised,” Dr. Postman says. “It’s really not as spicy as people imagine. It’s like a moderately spicy Bloody Mary.”

Water your cold down. Drink as much clear liquid as you can—at least eight glasses a day—whether you feel thirsty or not. “When you have a cold, you become dehydrated,” says Dr. Sherif. “People don’t realize that’s happening. By the time they feel thirsty, it’s much too late. They need that water to fight off the infection.” Keep in mind that even when you’re getting over a cold, the weakness you still feel can be a sign that you’re dehydrated. And whatever fluid you drink, make sure it doesn’t have caffeine in it. Steer clear of coffee and colas. They’ll only dehydrate you more.

Get gargling. A sore, scratchy throat and cough caused by a cold can make you feel miserable. Gargle with salt water—that’s a pinch of salt in one-quarter of a glass of warm water—three or four times a day. It can help you feel a little better, according to Dr. Shar.

Sip hot lemonade. It’s not lemonade in the traditional sense, but it can ease the pain of a sore throat. “Hot lemonade is half lemon juice and half tea. You add enough honey so that you can stand drinking it and it coats your throat. It makes your throat feel good,” Dr. Shar says.