My son had a cold last week, and though he is better, now I have it. I used a search engine to look for information on what causes cold symptoms, and I found a plethora of interesting news articles about the common cold on Science Daily. From reading these articles, I learned that the common cold is most frequently caused by varieties of Rhinovirus, and that there are more than 100 different strains. Rhinoviruses mutate frequently so that our immune systems do not recongize them. Once we have had a particular strain of the virus, our immune system is armed and ready the next time, and can destroy the viruses before we get sick. If the virus is slightly different due to a mutation, then our immune system does not get ready as quickly. One surprising thing that I learned is that what we think of as a cold is caused by several different types of viruses, including coronavirus, influenza A virus and respiratory syncitial virus (RSV).
The real Rhinovirus (left) isn't as cute as the plush one!
Another thing that I learned about the common cold is that the cold symptoms that we get--the sneezing, watery eyes, stuffy nose, aches, and exhaustion--are not caused directly by the cold virus. Instead, they are caused by our bodies' own reaction to the virus. Our immune system releases chemicals called inflammatory mediators, which help fight infections through various actions, including blood vessel dilation, mucus secretion, and sneezing. The aches and pains associated with a cold are also caused by these chemical warriors.
Well, why did I get a cold? Apparently, cold viruses live longer in cold, dry conditions, so the winter months in Massachusetts are ideal conditions for cold viruses. When someone with a cold sneezes, the cold viruses are carried in the droplets of moisture that fly from the person's mouth and nose (gross). The dry air removes the moisture, and apparently cold viruses like to be dry. The virus lives longer in this condition, and can be transferred more easily.
A sneeze!
Finally, how can I get rid of this cold faster? Antibiotics do not work on viruses; they only help with bacterial infections such as strep throat. However, it turns out that there are some things that I can do. One of the Science Daily articles says that a study has found that drinking hot drinks such as a fruit cordial helps to get rid of a cold. They compared the results for subjects with colds who drank cold and hot drinks and found that the ones that drank the hot beverages had a relief of their symptoms. A separate article listed some home remedies that studies have found to be effective; many have been around for hundreds of years. These home remedies include garlic, thyme, cayenne pepper, lemon balm, eucalyptus, honey and lemon, and fruit juices.
I have one question remaining: What's fruit cordial? I looked it up, and apparently it's fruit juice, so I'm going to heat up some juice and give it a try!