For instance, I've discovered that the Influenza virus - AKA the "Common Cold" - is capable of surviving for up to 30 days at 0 degrees Metric System (that's as low as 32 degrees on the Thermometer Scale)! And that's not all: at lower temperatures, it can survive indefinitely. Meaning, "who knows how long?"
I believe that this may hold the key to why the Common Cold tends to hit hardest during the winter months. It makes sense: since the bug can keep its freshness so much longer when the weather is cold, and because the weather is coldest during the winter, we see that those cold months just set the proverbial stage for an infection fiesta - replete with sneezing, coughing, runny noses and all the attendant misery that we associate with Mr. Common Cold.
Have you ever been out drinking, where you knew when you went out that you were coming down with something? Maybe you already had that nasty tickle in the back of your throat, a little phlegmy activity going on, or your eyes started burning a little like they do - but you just went out drinking anyway? And then you're having those cold beers, and it's not really helping the situation but at least you're getting drunk? I kind of like that feeling! Your head is starting to get a little hot and light, but you keep downing those beers. In those cases, I think that the drink can help you reach a different appreciation of the beginning stages of a real knock-down drag-out cold.
Another thing to consider: is "feed a cold, starve a fever" a myth? It could well be. With so many reversals these days in the field of medicine, the name of the game is: "adapt or change." You can't afford to rest on a stack of old wives' tales, not with your health at stake. I'd look into that if I were you.
Note: This article has not been ratified by the Federal Disease Board, and may be riddled with inaccuracies.
8 comments:
Conventional wisdom seems to suggest that a good cure is to go shopping or do work that brings you in contact with the public. Got a hacking cough, runny nose, and raging fever? Try stepping out to a bookstore or cafe, or working as a receptionist or cashier. It stands to reason that your recovery will be that much faster if you manage to cough all those nasty germs out where they can move on to another host.
I try never to blame the person who is coming in to work sick, trying to make a living etc. It's not their fault, it's the fault of the person they caught it from!
I blame that person.
Who's blaming? All I'm saying is, those cold germs know a good thing when they see it. Are they going to give in pressure by a bunch of white blood cells to go away? No, the only way to get rid of them is to offer them something better - like plenty of elbow room in a brand new host.
I'm blaming. I blame the person they caught it from!
Influenza is NOT the common cold! If you've ever had influenza you could not possibly mistake the two. The common cold is caused by hundreds of different viruses (which is why even after you're immune to one, you can still catch another one). It is different from influenza, a more severe viral infection of the respiratory tract that shows the additional symptoms of rapidly rising fever, chills, and body and muscle aches. And you better believe it aches - evr get actual influenza and you'll be in bed for a very long time, wishing you were dead.
Good point! Another interesting fact about the Common Cold. Thank you, rebekka!
Part of the confusion for me was that this year, I got a cold, and then a flu right in the middle of it! Suddenly the symptoms all changed! But the flu burned itself out quickly, and then I went back to having just the cold.
Now I'm fine, apart from that dry, lingering cough that will go away in a few weeks.
It's hard to admit one was only kidding without also tacitly admitting that it wasn't funny.
Although hey - that ought to be a separate thought of the day in its own right! Look for that one to pop up in the future.
Post a Comment