Curing the common cold

All too common

I knew my cold was bad when a telemarketer called me, “Sir.”

I had an awful “common cold” week last week – stuffed up, coughing, headache, sore throat, and for a couple of days my voice sounded like James Earl Jones.

Suddenly it seems like everyone has a cold – most everyone where I am, anyway. And there’s little relief in knowing that there was something we could have been doing all along to reduce our chances of getting one in the first place.

How about you? Have you dodged the bullet so far? If so, it’s not too late to start doing yourself a favor today that might help keep you cold-free through the upcoming cold season.

Walking it off

The average adult may be hit with two to five colds each year. That estimate is part of a recent study from the University of South Carolina in Columbia (USCC) that set out to understand the relationship between different levels of physical activity and the risk of upper-respiratory tract infection, also known as the “common cold.”

The USCC researchers studied 547 healthy adults between the ages of 20 and 70 (the average age was 48). The group was evenly divided between men and women. Subjects were evaluated five times over the period of a year, reporting on any cold symptoms during that period and giving researchers details of their physical activities.

After evaluating the data, the USCC team found that subjects who had a moderate to high level of physical activity experienced 25% fewer colds than those whose daily activities were relatively low. And for some reason, during autumn months that number jumped to 32% fewer upper respiratory infections. In general, these benefits were slightly more pronounced among the men.

No need for extremes

This study offered two other important conclusions. First: the researchers stressed that the benefits of reduced risk of colds can be attained with only moderate physical activity each day, such as a 30-minute walk or even mowing the lawn. And second: very high levels of physical activity may have negative effects on the immune system and may increase the risk of catching a cold. Running a marathon, for instance, can deplete the immune system defenses, leaving a runner vulnerable to colds and other illnesses in the week following a marathon race.

These new conclusions about the effect of exercise on the immune system echo a similar message in a Stanford University study I told you about in an e-Alert I sent you earlier this year (“Have We MET?” 3/21/02). The Stanford research clearly showed that the most powerful predictor of lifespan is “exercise capacity.” In other words, the higher the fitness level, the greater the lifespan. Furthermore, the Stanford team found that even small improvements in exercise capacity may reap positive, long-range benefits. So if you exercise for years, but without ever reaching maximal exercise capacity, it doesn’t matter because you’re still giving your immune system an invaluable boost.

What to avoid

And since we’re on the subject of the common cold, this would be a good time to remind you of the e-Alert I sent you last December (“The Hidden Risk for Cognitive Decline is Hiding in your Medicine Cabinet” 12/20/01) with a critically important warning about cold medicine.

A study published last year showed that several over-the-counter cold medications, designed to treat colds, allergies and insomnia, contain an active ingredient called diphenhydramine hydrochloride – a drug that can be very dangerous for people 70 years and over. Benadryl, Genihist, Sominex, and Sleepinal are just a few of the commercial medicines that contain this ingredient.

In the Yale-New Haven Hospital study, researchers showed a significantly increased risk for decline in individual cognitive assessments, such as inattention, disorganized speech, altered level of consciousness, altered sleep-wake cycle, and behavioral disturbances. The maximum cumulative daily dose for subjects in the study was 100 mg, a level that’s quite easy to achieve in just a few doses of many over-the-counter products. Some sleep aids, for instance, contain 50 mg of diphenhydramine per pill, while most allergy and cold remedies contain 24 mg. In other words, within a single day, you could ingest enough diphenhydramine to begin experiencing cognitive decline.

So why take a chance with over-the-counter cold medications that can cause drowsiness, excitability, dizziness, and other side effects? In the December, 2001, issue of the HSI Members Alert, we told you about the amazing results reported from users of Kan Jang, an Ayurvedic formula made from an Indian shrub. Many herbalists claim that Kan Jang strengthens the immune system and can reduce cold and flu symptoms. You can find out more about this formula at a web site called iherb.com.

However you may choose to treat your cold symptoms – with hot tea, chicken soup, extra rest, plenty of liquids, etc. – one thing you can do right now to avoid the sniffles and everything that goes with them, is to schedule a 30-minute walk for yourself each day. It may not keep you from ever having a cold again, but you’ll be doing your immune system a world of good.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute