Common cold – to treat or not to treat?

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All doctors know the plain and old 

Prescription for a nasty cold:  

Just stay in bed, drink twice the norm 

And keep your body very warm!  

As the old saying goes, if you are treated for a common cold, you recover in a week; otherwise, it goes away on its own in seven days. Is there a grain of truth in this joke?  

What is the common cold? 

This disease is common indeed: virtually anyone has at least once suffered from sneezing, coughing, and fever. Some unlucky people catch it several times a year. Little wonder, since “cold” (as we call it in everyday life), is caused by a whole army of viruses, including the notorious flu virus.  

Sixteen thousand people die of the flu in the USA every year.  

The common cold is the most widespread group of diseases in the world. It includes influenza, parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial infections, rhinoviral and adenoviral infections, and other catarrhal inflammations of the upper respiratory tract.  

The flu virus stands apart because sometimes it can be deadly. Incredible as it sounds, sixteen thousand Americans die of the flu every year. This is an average; a particularly dangerous and aggressive strain of the virus may kill hundreds of thousands.  Most victims die because of a weak immune system. This is why vaccination is so strongly recommended to people over 65 years of age, patients with chronic heart and lung conditions, as well as others with an impaired immune system. Do everybody need flu shots? Do these shots protect from all kinds of common cold? Not really. Those who opt for the flu vaccination just to be on the safe side may get infected anyway, in some cases suffering even more than without vaccination. Why does this happen?  

Why vaccination may be harmful 

Flu vaccines are updated every year. Nevertheless, doctors cannot be certain about the particular variety of the flu that would attack us in a given season. Vaccines usually work against the three most likely subtypes of the virus. If nature comes up with an unknown fourth variety, the vaccine would provide only partial help by stimulating the immune system as a whole. Surprisingly, this stimulation could actually aggravate cold symptoms. Why is that?  Well, it is our own immune system rather than virus poisoning that causes the nastiest cold symptoms, such as fever, a runny nose, and coughing.

As the virus penetrates into the cells in our nose, throat, and the bronchial tube, it tries to multiply before assaulting other vital systems such as the nervous or vascular systems. The immune system, however, attacks the infected cells and kicks them out of the body along with the virus. This does not make us feel better. Aren’t they our very own dear cells? So, when our savior, the immune system, ejects them without mercy, we suffer inflammation, swelling, breathing problems, and fever. Therefore, the stronger and more aggressive our immune system is, the stronger the symptoms of a cold. On the other hand, an immune system that is in top shape would not let the virus penetrate our body in the first place: it would kill it with antibodies provided by the special protective mucus inside the upper respiratory tract.   

A strong and aggressive immune system may exacerbate the symptoms of a cold. 

Accordingly, while we do need to strengthen our immune system, whipping it up with a vaccine may sometimes prove counterproductive.  

Symptoms and treatment 

Treating a viral infection such as the common cold with antibiotics makes little sense. Antibiotics do kill bacteria but do not affect viruses (as opposed to side effects). Antiviral medication, like Tamiflu, may help against the flu virus; in other cases, it would be no more effective than a placebo. So, if you want reliable protection from cold, start boosting your immune system. I will not describe in detail what you should buy or take to achieve this end. I do not believe in “magic pills” designed to make you skinny, smart, or healthy.  

Those who truly want to strengthen their immune system must make friends with cold water and cold air. 

Don’t get me wrong, I do not deny the benefits of vitamin C, lemons, garlic, raspberries, zinc, and other popular food supplements. Yet, you cannot buy good health in a drugstore. Those who truly want to strengthen their immune system must first of all make friends with cold water and cold air, as we have already discussed.  

Symptomatic treatment 

Let us now return to the symptomatic, or, as I prefer to call it, auxiliary treatment.  Auxiliary treatment should be aimed at helping the body recover with minimal discomfort for the patient, not merely at suppressing unpleasant symptoms. Take a stuffy nose, for instance. It is caused by the inflammation and swelling of the mucus membranes in the nasal cavity, as well as by spasms of blood vessels. Why not clear your nose with a symptomatic medicine such as Afrin, for instance? No, this would not be a case of auxiliary treatment. Such medications would simply give you short-lived relief followed by an overall worsening of your condition. Indeed, they narrow all blood vessels (including those in the brain); they also increase the heartbeat rate that is already abnormally high due to fever and congestion.  

One of the best means to reduce nasal congestion is saline water.  

In contrast, a regular and frequent application of saline water liquefies and removes mucus, while reducing irritation in the inflamed epithelium to help it recover. This means long-term relief rather than a 15-minute hiatus.  

In Ayurveda, the ancient Indian medical system, the procedure of cleaning your sinuses with saline water is called Jala Neti. It is believed to be a potent means of preventing cold and treating nasal congestion.  

Ready-made saline water is available at any drugstore as Saline Nasal Spray. If you start spraying it into each nostril once or twice an hour, it’s a matter of a day or two before your nose congestion disappears without a trace. Coughing would also go away, since in most cases it is caused by the inflamed phlegm that leaks from the nose into the throat. This is why coughing usually intensifies at night when the body is in a horizontal position.  

The best cough remedies are the RobitussinDM syrup or MucinexDM pills. Their active ingredients soften the mucus and partially suppress the cough reflex. Note that these medications, in contrast to Benadryl or Doxylamine, contain no antihistamines that have a drying effect on the mucus membranes, intensifying their irritation.  

As for pills, take anti-inflammatory medicines such as Ibuprofen, Motrin, or Advil three times a day. The ever-popular Tylenol does reduce fever, alleviate pain, and general malaise, but its anti-inflammatory effect is rather weak. Moreover, large doses of Tylenol may be hazardous to your liver.  

Rest and plenty of fluids are the most effective ways to treat a common cold. Viral poisoning is dangerous to the heart, so if you do not allow your body to rest, you are interfering with the self-healing process and running a risk of damaging the heart muscle. As for drinking, it helps your body liquefy the mucus in the respiratory tract and remove toxins through the skin and kidneys. Conversely, a lack of water in your system may mean a slower recovery.