Common Cold Prevention

We all have our reasons for practicing Common Cold Prevention. But have we ever really bothered to list them all down? While "not getting sick" is more than enough cause for fighting the common cold, it's possible that we could get some added motivation from learning the reasons others have for fending off the bug. Once all is said and done, we may find that there are a lot more ways to justify preventing the common cold than we think.

So in that spirit, here are my reasons for practicing Common Cold Prevention. All 32 of them.

1. keeping people from avoiding me like the plague.

2. nobody will think that I'm just something to sneeze at.

3. ...or somebody who just sneezes at something, for that matter.

4. the simple joy of a dry handkerchief in my pocket.

5. the freedom to hold hands with my girlfriend (the virus can be transferred through contact, you know).

6. not having pieces of stray tissue coming out of my nose.

7. keeping the bug away from my family.

8. ...and knowing it's not my fault if they do wind up catching it anyway.

9. keeping the bug away from my friends.

10. ...so that they can't pass the virus back to me.

11. the freedom to do something other than hold hands with my girlfriend.

12. not needing to stay in bed longer than I want to.

13. never getting sick of chicken soup.

14. not having to waste a sick day on actually being sick.

15. ...and not having to lose time and money for missing out on work.

16. staying away from the doctor's office.

17. ...so said doctor can't bill me for another check-up.

18. ...and prescribe drugs that will get even more green out of my wallet.

19. not having to spend my hard-earned cash on so-called cures that don't even work.

20. bragging about the fact that Common Cold Prevention has kept me virus-free for years (fine, months).

21. being well enough to go on that trip I've been looking forward to all month.

22. feeling like a million bucks when I wake up Saturday morning.

23. fully enjoying my weekend after a tough week at work.

24. saying it, without having to worry about spraying it.

25. not interrupting conversations with frequent coughs, sneezes, and excuse me's.

26. not worrying about green stuff seeping out my nose without my knowing about it.

27. enjoying the holistic health benefits I get from fighting the common cold.

28. people won't call me Rudolph when Christmas rolls along.

29. knowing my irrational fear of some big, fat, bearded old saint wanting me to pull his sleigh will remain an irrational fear.

30. the ability to carry a typical conversation. (Ever hear a guy with a cold talk? Good luck deciphering that language.)

31. not being consumed by the thought of my next sneeze sending my little brain across the room.

32. sharing my reasons for practicing Common Cold Prevention with others.

One of the best ways to prevent the common cold that people tend to overlook is avoiding contact with those who suffer from the virus. Why do you think the common cold is more prevalent in people who spend most of their time in close quarters with one another? It's because the chances are much greater that these people will somehow pass the cold virus back and forth to each other once one of them becomes infected.

You can relax, though. This doesn't mean you have to avoid cold sufferers (much less healthy people) like a plague, so you don't have to run and duck for cover whenever your sick friend comes within 10 feet of you to say hello. All this means is that you have to be a bit more conscious when you're around those who are infected. That's the number one step to Common Cold Prevention.

So what do you have to do when you're around them? For starters, you can ask them to carry a tissue or handkerchief along with them to avoid spreading germs, so that you don't have to carry on a conversation at a safe distance. You can easily inhale the cold virus after your friend coughs or sneezes, so he'd better have something to block his spray.

Also, think twice before sharing anything with him - food, drinks, or that handkerchief he sneezed in - since they are sure to be covered with germs that may put you on the fast track to infection. Washing your hands frequently would be a good idea as well, since the cold virus can be transferred through hand contact. And even if you refrain from touching your friend's hand, who's to say you won't get the virus on yours when he passes you your keys or he hands over the money he owes you?

This is also why you should keep your hands away from your nose, mouth, and eyes. These areas are most vulnerable to the cold virus, so infection becomes more and more likely with each scratch (nose), pick (teeth), and rub (eye).

And finally, never underestimate the common cold. Exposure to incredibly small doses of the virus is enough to cause infection. Stay vigilant!

While evasion may not be the best method of Common Cold Prevention (that probably still belongs to building a strong immune system through living a healthy lifestyle), it's still one of the most effective ways to prevent the common cold. And compared to others, it's relatively easy too.

The common cold strikes children 3-8 times a year, and hits adults about 2-4 times per annum. Known for putting people out of commission for an average of seven days, this virus is also capable of lasting a full two weeks. It's symptoms, which can manifest within hours of infection, can last for the entire duration of the cold. These tell-tale signs include a scratchy throat, a runny nose, and a slew of coughs and sneezes among many others, ensuring the time you spend in bed will be accompanied by a general feeling of unpleasantness and frustration.

That, in a nutshell, is why it's a must to practice Common Cold Prevention. And that's not even taking into account the bug's effect on your social and professional life. If only because of these reasons, you should be asking "how is the common cold prevented" instead of wondering why we should even bother trying to prevent it.

Problem is, even if we are prepared to make a sincere effort at preventing the virus from infecting our loved ones and ourselves, there are far too many misconceptions about dealing with the common cold that, quite honestly, most of us don't even know how to start. Then again, that's what these articles are for - to provide that information.

So how is the common cold prevented? Below are a few of the most basic, yet most effective, steps to Common Cold Prevention.

Wash your hands.

Both common sense and proper hygiene tell you that washing your hands keeps germs away, but you may not know that it's the act of washing, and not the washing itself, that serves to remove the cold virus that has somehow found its way onto your palms.

Interesting as it is, though, that piece of trivia doesn't change the fact that you must wash frequently to stay virus-free, especially when you're around people who suffer from or people who have recently suffered from the common cold.

Why is that? It's not because these sufferers have coughed or sneezed all over the place, if that's what you're worried about. The common cold is not easily passed through the air you breathe, so there isn't much cause for alarm when someone beside you sneezes (unless the sneeze was aimed directly at your face). No, hand contact is a much more effective way of passing on the virus.

Despite that, the possibility of having someone with a cold touch you isn't what you should be worried about either, since that's easily avoided. Rather, what you have to worry about is what else that person has touched - the chair, the doorknob, the toilet seat, that book you've been reading for the past hour - because it's likely that those objects are laden with germs that are just waiting to pounce.

By touching them and bringing your hands up to scratch your nose or rub your eyes, you're already leaving yourself open to infection. But since it's nigh impossible to avoid everything the infected has touched, the most logical solution would be to employ some frequent hand washes. It'd be a good idea to keep your hands off your face, too.

Tissues, handkerchiefs, hand sanitizers, disinfectant, etc.

Another good idea is to make use of all of the above. Like earlier stated, you really can't tell how much of your stuff has been exposed to the virus, so using these tools should aid a great deal in Common Cold Prevention. More simple tips and useful info in Part Two. Read on.

Early on, we established that Common Cold Prevention is a must, but also that the biggest hindrance to our commitment in keeping the virus at bay was not knowing how to start. Thus, we posed the question: how is the common cold prevented? And this is the second half of our answers.

The biggest advantage these means of Common Cold Prevention have is that they're both easy and effective. Steps like washing our hands frequently and using disinfectant have already been discussed in-depth, but there are plenty of other easy ways to prevent the common cold too. Ways like...

Being selfish.

Not in the conventional sense, of course. But just enough so that you don't wind up sharing anything with anyone who has a cold. Why not? Because, obviously, his or her stuff will be littered with germs primed to infect you the first chance they get.

Share your stuff with an infected person and he or she may wind up sharing something with you too. And always be vigilant. He or she could have borrowed your stuff without you knowing about it! Meaning, by the end of the day, the two of you could have something in "common".

Keeping to yourself.

Also a good rule to live by is to stay away from other people. Again, let's not get carried away. This doesn't mean that you have to be an introvert to actually stay virus-free, but it would be a good idea to limit the time you spend in places jam-packed with people. A busy marketplace, the subway, and the office elevator come to mind.

Since the cold virus is easily passed from one person to another, the likelihood of you acquiring the virus shoots way up the more time you spend close enough to breathe in the breath of strangers.

Living healthy.

At this point, it's probably best to mention that a study has proven that the chances of infection stay the same for people with all types of immune systems, active or otherwise. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that everybody deals with the common cold the same way. While it is true that exposure to the cold virus will more often than not get you infected, the way you handle that infection differs, depending on how healthy you are.

That said, eating a balanced diet, sleeping right, and generally sticking to a holistic approach to health and well-being can still be considered part and parcel of Common Cold Prevention, if only because it prevents you from experiencing the worst the virus has to offer.

Drinking up.

Our final easy step to Common Cold Prevention? Drinking lots and lots of water. Doing so can flush harmful chemicals and pathogens out of your body, including the cold virus itself. Fluids can help prevent the cold virus if you've only been exposed to a few particles (although it's important to note that it's possible to get infected just from slight exposure), and may even be able to speed up recovery if you're already sick.

Now that all is said and done, we've eliminated the only legitimate excuse to refrain from practicing Common Cold Prevention. But just because we've come up with a few basic steps to go about preventing the common cold, it doesn't mean we should stop asking that all-important question: how is the common cold prevented?