Informational- The Common Cold

The common cold (acute viral rhino pharyngitis, acute coryza, viral upper respiratory tract infection, or a cold) is a contagious, viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system, primarily caused by rhino viruses, (picornaviruses) or coronaviruses. It is the most common infectious disease in humans; there is no known cure, but it is very rarely fatal.
Collectively, colds, influenza, and other infections with similar symptoms are included in the diagnosis of influenza-like illness. Often, influenza and the common cold are mistaken for each other, even by professional health care workers, but most of the recommended home treatments (drinking plenty of warm fluids, keeping warm, etc.) are similar if not the same. The symptoms of influenza often include a fever and are more severe than the cold.

Sleep
Lack of sleep has been associated with the common cold. Those who sleep fewer than 7 hours per night were three times more likely to develop an infection when exposed to a rhinovirus when compared to those who sleep more than 8 hours per night.

Vitamin D
A 2009 study found that low blood serum levels of vitamin D were associated with increased rates of the common cold. A randomized controlled trial found that 104 post-menopausal African American women living in New York given vitamin D were three times less likely to report cold and flu symptoms than 104 placebo controls. A low dose (800 IU/day) not only reduced reported incidence, it abolished the seasonality of reported colds and flu. A higher dose (2000 IU/day), given during the last year of the trial, virtually eradicated all reports of colds or flu.



The best way to avoid a cold is to wash hands thoroughly and regularly; and to avoid touching the eyes, nose, mouth, and face. Anti-bacterial soaps have no extraordinary effect on the cold virus; it is the mechanical action of hand washing with the soap that removes the virus particles.