Germs/Colds etc.
TV ClubHouse: Archive: Germs/Colds etc.
Skootz | Tuesday, December 16, 2003 - 06:48 am     I have had a cold now for 2 weeks. I think I was just over the first one and on Sunday I could feel another strain coming on. I am taking echinasea, vit c and Garlic....and trying to take it a bit easier today (quite hard to do with 2 young kids home today) Anyways, our house has been fighting colds since the end of October. I have 2 kids in school so I know that a lot of the germs come from there, but I often wonder...How long do cold germs etc., stay on items. When you go to the store, they say that the shopping cart is one of the worst germ carriers. However, how long do they stay there? I usually do my grocery shopping in the morning, so I often pick a cart that has been outside all night..so the cold air will freeze off any germs. What about door knobs, fixtures etc., in your own home, I can only disinfect them so often, but I am wanting to get rid of the cold virus in our house and I seem to be not able to do so. We live in a old farm house, so there is a lot of drafts etc, I do have the window open at night in our bedroom to keep the room fresh etc., But I cannot keep on top of it. Also, I often see kids at church chewing at the back of a bench (that annoys me to no end lol), how long do these germs stay there???? Any information would be wonderful thanks...I am at my witts end on getting rid of these cold virus' |
Sasman | Tuesday, December 16, 2003 - 07:59 am     Are You a Cold Expert? Does catching a cold make you an expert? Test your knowledge of the common cold by guessing the answers to the following questions. True or False? ________ 1. Antibiotics are an effective treatment for the common cold. ________ 2. There are more than 100 different cold viruses. ________ 3. It’s possible to be infected with a cold and yet never know it. ________ 4. Using central heating during the winter causes your skin and mucus membranes to dry out, which increases your chances of catching a cold. ________ 5. Washing your hands is a better way to kill a cold virus than using a germicidal hand lotion. ________ 6. People only catch colds when their immune system is run down. ________ 7. Cold symptoms such as sneezing, coughing and a runny nose should not be treated, because they are good for you by helping you get rid of the cold. ________ 8. You can only catch a cold from someone sneezing, spraying, coughing, or blowing their nose on or near you. Answers (most information was taken from www.commoncold.org) 1. False. Viruses are not living cells. Since antibiotics only kill living cells, using antibiotics to try to kill cold viruses is a waste of money. Antibiotics would be used to treat bacterial infections, which could occur as a result of the cold. 2. True. A cold is an illness caused by a virus infection located in the nose. There are more than 100 different cold viruses. Rhinoviruses cause at least one-half of all colds. Colds can also be caused by adenoviruses, coronaviruses, and parainfluenza. 3. True. Only 75% of people who have been infected with cold virus develop symptoms. The other 25% have the virus growing in their nose, but don’t suffer the symptoms—runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, fever. These symptoms are activated by “inflammatory mediator” chemicals in our body, which are produced by the immune system. Inflammatory mediators include substances like histamines, kinins, prostaglandins and interleukins. It’s possible (but not proven) that infected people with less active immune systems don’t produce enough inflammatory mediator chemicals to show cold symptoms. 4. False. It sounds scientific, but even though central heating makes us feel dry, it doesn’t impair the workings of mucus membranes. A cold virus doesn’t need dry membranes to start an infection. Once it gets into the nose, virus particles hook up with receptors on nasal cells, enter the cells, and replicate. If low humidity caused more colds, then people in dry environments-- like deserts—would be expected to have colds more often than people in humid regions. This is not the case. September is the month for major cold epidemics in the U.S. This is long before central heating is turned on. 5. True. Germicidal hand lotions do not reliably kill rhinovirus. The best way to avoid a cold is to keep your germ-laden fingers out of your nose and away from your eyes. (Cold viruses deposited on your eye go straight down your tear duct to the nose.) Keep germs off your hands by washing them thoroughly, which doesn’t kill the virus, but removes it. Washing is a lot cheaper than hand lotion. 6. False. Once the virus enters your nose, you have a 95% chance of becoming infected with a cold, no matter how healthy you are. In fact, it’s possible that people with healthier immune systems suffer worse symptoms. (See question #3) 7. False. There are several reasons to treat cold symptoms as soon as they appear. One is to prevent as much sneezing, coughing, and nose blowing as possible, which just spreads the virus around in the environment for others to share. There’s no point in enduring sneezing and a drippy nose, because those secretions do not eliminate the virus, which is busy multiplying inside nasal cells where it is safe. Blowing your nose propels the virus into your sinus cavities, which may become inflamed and infected. It’s a good idea to reduce or eliminate your symptoms by taking an antihistamine and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug like ibuprofen. Add a decongestant or cough suppressant if necessary. 8. False. Although colds are transmitted in these obvious ways, your hands and fingers, which easily pick up cold viruses from the environment, are a major source of transmission. |
Skootz | Tuesday, December 16, 2003 - 11:55 am     Thanks Sasman..but really the information I am looking for is how long do germs stay on these items..they must die at sometime don't they? |
Kaili | Tuesday, December 16, 2003 - 12:13 pm     I can't answer you about how long the germs last- but I will say: Take Zinc!!! Zinc is excellent for colds. Really helps a lot. |
Denecee | Tuesday, December 16, 2003 - 01:08 pm     I am in the 25% that never know they have a cold because to my knowledge I haven't had a cold in at least over a decade. I had the flu once in my life about three years ago. |
Kimmo | Tuesday, December 16, 2003 - 03:08 pm     Skootz, I have seen on news shows here and there that germs stay on surfaces a while. I just read on one website that they can survive for up to 3 hours on "surfaces that are used a lot." I imagine for shopping carts, bathroom doors, etc, germs are on them all the time (except if untouched overnight, like you described). Here's an interesting link about contaminated surfaces (though it doesn't say how long germs last on them): Fomites But if the cold came home with your kids, you could have gotten it even before coming home if it was on them and you hugged them and then wiped your nose! Etc. There have also been repeated studies that show that echinacea is not an effective cold remedy. As Kaili said, zinc is good for staving off the cold (if you discover your cold symptoms at the onset). |
Jmm | Tuesday, December 16, 2003 - 06:43 pm     Skoots, I checked out a few sites and it says that cold virus' can live on some surfaces for several hours. That's about as specific as I can find. |
Rslover | Friday, December 26, 2003 - 07:13 pm     They just had a report that echenacia doesn't work for children but I swear by it. It really has worked for me for years. Anytime I feel a cold coming on I take it. But, you must 1. Keep it in the house- so you can take it immediately. 2. Only use the liquid - the pills don't work. 3. Take a dosage every two hours the first 24 hours. 4. Take a dosage every four hours the next 24 hours. By then, my symptoms are gone. You can take it up to two weeks, no longer. It doesn't work after that. A study just came out about sambucol (elderberry extract) working. I never took it but know people who swear by it. I find zinc works for a sore throat, but can sometimes upset your stomach (but it doesn't to mine). |
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