What Do You Know About the Common Cold?
1. More than 200 viruses cause colds.
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And some of those viruses can be quite potent. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, some viruses, such as the rhinoviruses, seldom produce serious illness. But others, such as parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus, can lead to severe lower respiratory infections in young children.
2. Frequent hand-washing can reduce your chances of getting a cold.
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Frequent, thorough washing kills viruses you may have picked up on your hands.
3. Frequently cleaning telephones, countertops, and faucets in your home when a family member has a cold can help keep the illness from spreading.
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Cold viruses can survive on hard surfaces for several days.
4. Wearing warm clothing, avoiding cold drafts, and not going outside with wet hair can keep you from catching a cold.
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Viruses cause colds.
5. Over-the-counter cold/cough medications can cure a cold.
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There is no cure for a cold, but these remedies can alleviate cold symptoms.
6. Keeping your fingers out of your eyes and nose can help keep you from getting a cold.
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Your eyes and nose are the ways through which the cold viruses enter your system.
7. One-third of Americans catch a cold in the fall.
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Experts estimate that each year, Americans suffer 62 million colds.
8. Chronic sleep deprivation may increase your chances of catching a cold.
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Adequate sleep improves your immune function.
9. Fever and headaches are common-cold symptoms.
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Fever and headache are rare with colds but common with the flu.
10. It's better to blow your nose with a tissue than with a handkerchief.
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A tissue is better, as long as you use the tissue only once.
11. Drinking lots of liquids can help you recover from a cold.
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Fluids help keep mucus more liquid and help prevent ear infections, bronchitis, and other complications.
12. Daily exercise can help prevent a cold.
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Several studies have shown people who get regular, moderate exercise catch half as many colds as sedentary people.
13. Drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes can make you feel worse when you have a cold.
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Alcohol swells nasal passages, and smoke irritates them.
14. Most colds can be self-treated at home.
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You should see a doctor if ear discomfort becomes severe; if you cough up thick, rusty, or green mucus; or if a child with a cold develops rapid or difficult breathing, starts wheezing, or acts irritable or lethargic.
15. Antibiotics can cure a cold.
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Antibiotics have no effect on viruses.
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