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They’re everywhere. On your skin, in the bathroom, on the kitchen sink, floating in the air, and lurking between the fingers of the person you handshake. Yes, they’re everywhere. And they’re looking for you… tracking and hunting you down in order to make you their next victim. You can’t hide from them.

The most common symptoms of the common cold are nasal discharge and obstruction, sneezing, sore throat, cough, and hoarseness. Although URIs can be caused by bacteria, most commonly they are caused by viruses. There are at least two hundred different viruses that cause colds. Half of these are rhinoviruses although coronaviruses, influenza, and other types of viruses also play a role. With time, many individuals become exposed to a number of these viruses, built an immunity against them, and will not easily succumb to these germs again. The odds of catching a cold are thus reduced with age, except in the elderly since their immune system often begins to falter.

Being exposed to a rhinovirus is almost inevitable in the winter, but coming down with symptoms of the common cold is not inevitable. In my clinical experience, the majority of colds can be stopped dead in their tracts by a combination of vitamin C and zinc lozenges, taken at the right time, and in the right dosage and frequency. If more doctors recommended these natural supplements, the number of unnecessary antibiotics prescribed for colds could be dramatically reduced. A long-term moderate exercise program can reduce the risk of the common cold.

The following is an hour-by-hour recommendation of how to go on the nutritional offensive and stop your cold before it settles in for a lengthy stay. This supplement plan has the best chance of being effective the earlier you start. So pay attention to your body (and it helps if you keep your home stocked with these crucial supplements year-round for the fastest response time) and start this cold attack plan at the first moment your suspect a cold is coming on. Often, the earliest symptoms include a scratchy throat, twitching in the nose, runny nose or congestion, or sneezing. But remember, cold symptoms usually develop about two or three days after you are exposed to the virus. If you suspect that you were exposed, start this plan immediately, before waiting for the full blown symptoms to emerge. Chicken soup could be helpful and can be taken about the same time as the supplements.

Discuss with your doctor before undertaking any of the common cold treatments listed below.

At the earliest onset of symptoms: (discuss with your health care provider first)
Take 3 to 5 grams of vitamin C followed by 500 mg every 3 hours.

Allow a zinc lozenge containing 10 to 20 mg of zinc in the form of zinc gluconate, zinc gluconate/glycine, or zinc acetate to dissolve in the back of your mouth. Keep the lozenge in the mouth for at least 5 minutes or as long as you can. Swallowing the lozenge early reduces its effectiveness. After the Zinc Lozenge has melted, wait a few minutes and place another lozenge in your mouth. Repeat the zinc lozenge every hour for four hours and then reduce the frequency to every two to three hours while awake. If you wake up in the middle of the night, take the zinc lozenge again.

Several times a day breathe steam from a humidifier or lie in your bathroom tub and allow hot water to shower on you while you breathe in the steam. This helps to loosen the mucus in your nose and lungs and you can cough out and blow out all the junk in your nasal passages and lung tissue. Stay in the tub breathing steam for at least 20 minutes and have a glass of water near you to drink from. Breathing this warm steam may do you as much or more good to ease symptoms of the common cold than most of the over the counter cough and cold medicines sold in pharmacies.

The second and third days
Take 1,000 mg of vitamin C three times a day and continue the zinc lozenges every three to four hours.

Other potential immune enhancers
Andrographis has been evaluated in common cold and flu
AHCC mushroom extract
Beta glucan extract
Bovine Colostrum has been tested in common cold
Echinacea most recent studies have not found echinacea to have much of an influence on the common cold.
Elderberry has been tested in common cold and flu
Olive leaf extract supplement

MultiVit Rx - Lasts 2 to 4 months.
High Quality Daily Vitamins and Minerals with zinc and vitamin C

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Developed by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

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MultiVit Rx Supplement Facts:
Serving Size: 4 Capsules
Servings per Bottle: 30

 

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Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter. Twice a month we email you a brief abstract of several new studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics - including the common cold - and their practical interpretation  by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

When to get medical advice:
In most cases, the appropriate use of nutrients and herbs can stop a cold dead in its tracks. However, you should consult a health care provider if:
Your symptoms are getting worse
Your fever exceeds 102 degrees
You have severe nausea, have vomited, and can't keep fluids
You have a moderate or severe headache
You have difficulty breathing.
Your mucus has turned thick yellow or green
And you have a moderate to severe earache.

Help for a stuffy nose during the common cold
What I find helps the most during the common cold is taking a hot, steamy bath for at least 10 to 15 minutes. The steam helps break up the mucus and clear the nose for a few hours to come. This is especially important to do before going to bed so you breathe through your nose for a few hours as opposed to breathing through the mouth which can make the mouth quite dry.

Eight Tips for Ducking a Cold
It’s a germy world out there, but there are some steps you and your family can take to protect yourself from being infected with the latest virus circulating around your home or office.
1. Wash your hands frequently if you happen to shake a lot of hands or are in contact with many people at the office or home.
2. Keep your hands away from your eyes and nose.
3. Maintain moist mucous membranes by drinking plenty of water and using a humidifier in cold, dry season.
5. Sleep a good, deep sleep at least six to eight hours a night.
6. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables (these foods are rich in vitamins and phytonutrients).
7. Limit your intake of alcohol, caffeine, and sugar.
8. Exercise regularly.

Natural Therapies for cough due to the Common Cold
Licorice is one option
Marshmallow
Mullein

Sore Throat
Doctors often improperly prescribe antibiotics to children complaining of sore throats but could avoid that mistake by administering a simple test for strep throat. American physicians prescribe antibiotics for 53 percent of the estimated 7.3 million children with sore throats who visit a doctor each year, according to the eight-year study. But antibiotics are called for in just the 15 percent to 36 percent of cases where the source of the pain and inflammation is strep throat, or group A streptococcal pharyngitis, against which antibiotics are effective. Children with sore throat are frequently given unnecessary antibiotics.

Over the counter substances - non prescription - for the common cold
I am not convinced pseudoephedrine or other decongestants are that helpful. Antihistamines can actually make symptoms of the common cold seem worse. Alternating between acetaminophen (in painkillers such as Tylenol) and ibuprofen (for example, Advil) is better than sticking with either agent alone at bringing down a fever in a young child.

Cold feet and the Common Cold
Getting chilly can bring on a cold. This reverses medical orthodoxy that says there is no connection between developing the viral infection and a drop in body temperature. Researchers at Cardiff University's Common Cold Center paid 90 students to sit for 20 minutes with their bare feet in buckets of cold water. A few days later the study found that 13 of the students reported cold symptoms, such as a runny nose or sore throat, compared to five in a control group of 90 students who kept their feet dry in socks and shoes. When feet are placed in cold water, there is constriction to the blood vessels in the nose. This may be one of the factors that actually can aid the virus by lowering the defences within the nose and triggering the symptomatic infection. Previous studies inoculated patients with the cold virus and then chilled them, but failed to find any link between temperature and catching a cold.

Exercise and the Common Cold
Moderate amounts of aerobic exercise such as jogging, brisk walking and cycling during the cold and flu season boost the body’s defenses against viruses and bacteria. But at a certain point, the physical stress of a long workout undermines the immune system and leaves the endurance athlete even more vulnerable to infection than before a workout.

Common Cold Research Update
Giving nursing home residents a daily dose of vitamin E may offer a little help in reducing the risk of upper respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold, according to new study findings. Studies have shown that vitamin E can boost the immune system in the elderly, and in the current study, slightly fewer people who received vitamin E supplements developed one or more respiratory infection of any kind during the study period. Vitamin E recipients also appeared somewhat less likely to develop the common cold. SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, August 18, 2004

Two ingredients commonly used in cough syrup are no better than sugar water in suppressing night-time coughing in children. The two ingredients are dextromethorphan -- often listed on labels as “DM” -- and diphenhydramine, an antihistamine. The former is the most common nonprescription cough suppressant on the U.S. market.

The more outdoor air is pumped into office ventilation systems, the lower the inside levels of viruses that cause the common cold.

In a recent double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the August 15, 2000 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers at the Department of Medicine, Wayne State University, in Detroit, Michigan, recruited 50 volunteers within 24 hours of developing symptoms of the common cold. Participants took one lozenge containing 12.8 mg of zinc acetate or placebo every 2 to 3 hours while awake as long as they had cold symptoms. Subjective symptom scores for sore throat, nasal discharge, nasal congestion, sneezing, cough, scratchy throat, hoarseness, muscle ache, fever, and headache were recorded daily for 12 days. Compared with the placebo group, the zinc group had shorter mean overall duration of cold symptoms (4.5 vs. 8.1 days), cough (3.1 vs. 6.3 days), and nasal discharge (4.1 vs. 5.8 days) and decreased total severity scores for all symptoms.

Herbal Tea For Sore Throat
"Demulcents" is a general category of products that are soothing and relieve irritation. They are not topical anesthetics but have been used for many years to treat sore throat. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a demulcent mixture containing licorice root, elm inner bark, marshmallow root, and licorice root aqueous dry extract (an herbal tea called Throat Coat).

An herbal tea containing a mixture of traditional demulcents was more effective than a placebo tea in the short-term relief of pain in patients with acute pharyngitis. Because the effect does not last long--less than 30 minutes--frequent tea drinking is required throughout the day. Although I use an analgesic and a topical anesthetic for my own sore throat, herbal tea may be useful in patients who prefer a more active approach and who want to avoid the feeling of a partially anesthetized mouth.

Brinckmann J, et al. Safety and efficacy of a traditional herbal medicine (Throat Coat) in symptomatic temporary relief of pain in patients with acute pharyngitis: a multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. J Altern Complement Med April 2003;9:285-98.

Flu Research Update
A strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus that may unleash the next global flu pandemic is showing resistance to Tamiflu, the antiviral drug that countries around the world are now stockpiling to fend off the looming threat.

Cold Medicine
Makers of unapproved prescription cough and cold medicines containing the drug carbinoxamine must stop selling them. As of June 2006, twenty-one deaths have been reported among children under age 2 who took carbinoxamine products, the Food and Drug Administration said. Many unapproved prescription carbinoxamine products are sold illegally for treating cough and cold symptoms even though the drug has not been found safe and effective for that use. Some companies sell drops and syrups labeled for use in children as young as one month old. The FDA said it was told of 120 unapproved carbinoxamine products that were being sold. Doctors likely are prescribing the medicines without knowing they lack FDA clearance. The FDA said two unapproved carbinoxamine products were sold under the brand names Cardec and Rondec. Maker Alliant Pharmaceuticals reformulated Rondec in December 2004 and it no longer contains carbinoxamine. One company, Mikart Inc., has FDA approval to sell carbinoxamine products for treating allergy symptoms.

Common Cold Emails
Dear Dr. Sahelian,
About four years ago I read your book The Common Cold Cure.  I tried using zinc, Vit.C. and Echinacea and found that they were really effective in stopping a cold if I used them at the first sign, and lessening the effects and shortening the duration of the cold if started a little later.  Then I started to think, "If zinc kills viruses, would it work on the virus that causes plantar warts?"  I had had plantar warts for 15 years and had gone to doctors repeatedly to have them frozen, burned, and finally I had laser surgery.  But one year after the surgery all the warts had returned.  Then I read your book and shortly thereafter started taking 50mgs zinc and 500 mgs Vit C.  daily, ground up in a bowl of oatmeal.  I did this for one year and by the end of the year every single wart was gone!  I have been wart free for 3 years now even though I only take zinc and Vit C. during the cold season and not every day.  Thank you for your book.  I hope my story can help someone else.

Osha Root (Ligusticum porteri) is a Native American herb from the parsley family. It inhabits in the southern Rocky Mountains. Osha Root has been used to soothe sore throats. Boiling the root into a tea may help loosen phlegm and is and is used for colds and flu.
Pelargonium

Q. I have discovered an extremely effective treatment of symptoms at the onset of common cold viruses. The product combines 1g each of Andrographis and Elderberry and 500mg of Olive leaf plus 2.5g of echinacea. These capsules have proven so effective that I am considering using them at times when my immune system may be under stress, such as travelling.

Q. Can the common cold be caused by a bacteria?
     A. No. The common cold is caused by a virus, so an antibiotic is not helpful.

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