Yeah, yeah, yeah, we all know there’s no cure for the common cold. But there’s got to be something we can do about it. And while we’re on the subject, let’s do something about the flu, too.
 

Cold calls

Most people don’t run off to the doctor’s office every time they get the sniffles. But what should be done about treating the common cold at home?
Get plenty of rest. It really is important. When you sleep, your body is able to fight off infections more effectively, even minor ones. Skip Letterman and turn in instead after “Rudolph” is over, along with the kids.
Drink lots and lots of fluids. Not the alcoholic kind, smart aleck. Water and sports drinks; no booze, sodas or coffee. Water and sports drinks re-hydrate the body and help clear congestion, enabling the body to flush out infection. Drinks with alcohol and caffeine dehydrate you more.
Find an OTC through the morass of medications. Remember that we already agreed there is no cure, so don’t look for one. Instead, a little relief can be found if you choose the right one for the symptoms you’re experiencing — cough, congestion, etc.
Get steamy. Standing in a steamy bathroom can help congestion and even calm a cough. A hot bowl of chicken soup can make you feel better, too.
Sometimes, a doctor visit is in order, even if it’s “just a cold.” Contact your doc if your cough mucous is yellow, green or tan and has lasted more than a week or is accompanied by a fever; if you cough up blood; if you’re short of breath or audibly wheezing; or when accompanied by night sweats.
If you have heart problems and cough up pink, frothy mucous, go directly to the ER.
 

What a flu-zy

Conveniently for the sake of timing, flu season is most prevalent from December to March. Inconveniently for many of us, we’re going to get it.
It’s everywhere.
The flu is caused by the influenza virus and there are many different strains that mutate more frequently than a ninja turtle. That’s why people continue to come down with the flu year after year.
Remember that guy’s hand you shook the other day? Or how your coworker has been sneezing all over her computer and then you had to repair it for her? That’s how the flu is spread, through all those gross little droplets of moisture. It is spread from one day before symptoms appear to five days after becoming sick, which means you can spread it before you even know you have it.
The flu lasts two to seven days, with four-five days the most common. When you have the flu there’s generally fever, aches and pains throughout the body, exhaustion, headaches and cold symptoms. The symptoms come on more rapidly than a cold and people with the flu are usually unable to perform their daily activities.
There’s no cure for the flu either, by the way. The flu shot provides immunity to a certain strain that circulated the previous year but may not prevent the virus if it has mutated this season.
One medication, Tamiflu, may help shorten the duration of the flu, but it’s only effective if taken within the first two days of the onset of symptoms, according to about.com.
If you have the flu, drink lots of fluids of course, take OTCs to relieve symptoms, sleep as much as possible, don’t worry about eating if you don’t feel like it as long as you are drinking a lot, and avoid alcohol and tobacco.
And call your mom. It’s not a proven treatment, but hey, doesn’t it make everyone feel better?

If you catch a bug …

Everyone’s got an opinion when it comes to treating cold and flu.
Some are valid; others work just because they remind you of the times when you didn’t have to go to school and you sat on the couch all day with your mom bringing you chicken soup and crackers and hot chocolate, rubbing your hair and taking your temperature between Gilligan’s Island reruns.
Sigh.
Helping to sort out the legit from the legend is food writer and author Grace Young, “The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen,” (www.healthline.com)
 

Sip chicken soup

It turns out there is something to chicken soup after all. In one study, researchers measured nasal mucus velocity (aka “runny nose”) and nasal airflow resistance (stuffy nose) after volunteers drank cold water, hot water or chicken soup. Of the three, hot chicken soup was the most effective at making noses run — which is a good thing, since nasal secretions help rid the body of pathogenic viruses and bacteria.
 

C, I told you so

Young cites a review of 29 studies that involved more than 11,000 participants about the benefits, or lack thereof, regarding Vitamin C. The reviewers found that vitamin C failed to reduce the incidence of colds. But overall, with doses of 200 mg or greater (more than twice the 60-75 mg current recommended dietary intake for adults), the duration of colds was shortened by about 8 percent — not a huge difference, but something.
If you try it, don’t exceed 2,000 milligrams per day. More than this can cause upset stomach.
 

Zinc: Zomething different

Zinc’s effectiveness against cold symptoms is more controversial. One study found that zinc lozenges shortened the duration of colds by one-half, while others found no advantage over a placebo. If you want to try zinc lozenges, follow the protocol used in scientific studies: Take the lozenges every two hours and stop when your symptoms die down. Warning: Excessive doses of zinc can interfere with the absorption of other minerals, and high doses can be toxic.
 

Here comes the sun … in a pill

Since colds and flu tend to strike during the darker winter months, some researchers believe a lack of vitamin D, the “sunshine” vitamin, might have something to do with it. At least one study found that a group of kids who took vitamin D supplements had fewer colds than another group that didn’t.
Unless you get steady exposure to the sun in the winter, it seems prudent to take a multivitamin that contains 100 percent of the daily value for vitamin D.

 
Editor’s note: Compiled from Internet resources including WebMD, about.com, flufacts.com, weather.com and cdc.com (Centers for Disease Control).