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From: slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: Cure my Cold, Please
Message-ID: <419@drutx.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 1-Nov-85 13:09:10 EST
Article-I.D.: drutx.419
Posted: Fri Nov  1 13:09:10 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 3-Nov-85 04:53:31 EST
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver
Lines: 58

>  Question 3:  What should I take?

I find it better to take NOTHING.  If I have a fever or muscle aches,
I may take some tylenol.  But OTC cold remedies seem to cause me more
trouble than they are worth.  Contac, for instance, makes me shakey,
groggy, and generally stupid (or more stupid, as the case may be.:-)
Nasel sprays, by the way, are very habit forming.  I have known people
who started taking them and soon couldn't breathe without them, even
when the cold was gone.

Think of it this way--the symptoms of the cold are actually your body
attacking the virus.  Let the symptoms take their course, and your
cold will be over sooner.  I have also found that if you don't take 
anything, it is easier to ignore the cold and go on with your life.  
If you are concentrating on your medicine all the time, you may feel worse!

Probably the best remedy when you are really feeling down is a shot
of whiskey.  That's about all the night-time cold remedies like Nyquil
are, by the way, is alcohol.  It's a pretty good cough medicine, too.

>  Question 4:  What should I do?

Drink a screwdriver and go to bed.  Or try to find something to occupy
your mind so you aren't thinking about how miserable you feel.

One thing NOT to do is to blow your nose much.  Let it run and wipe
it.  It will help, believe it or not.  Use chapstick under your nose
to prevent soreness.

>  Question 6:  How can I keep from getting colds in the first place?"

Just generally keep your health up.  Make sure you are eating a well-
balanced diet, exercise, and so on.  Keep away from large crowds of
people.  Most colds go around in the winter, not because of the cold,
but because people are inside, crowded together, and the virus can
get around better.  Avoid children if possible.  Most of the colds I
get anymore are from my daughter, who picks them up at school.

By the way, you may grow out of it.  I used to get lots of horrible
colds when I was young.  I seldom get them anymore, and I've been told
that this is quite common. (There's got to be *something* good about 
growing old.)

Another thing I found once was that central heating can cause you to
have more colds.  We lived on a farm and had a propane stove instead of
central heat.  In two years I had no colds.  I don't know if this is
due to the higher humidity, or the fact that with central heating your
body gets used to one temperature, and any change, such as going outside
will affect you more.
-- 

                                     Sue Brezden
                                     ihnp4!drutx!slb

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I march to the beat of a different drummer, whose identity,
   location, and musical ability are as yet unknown.
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