It’s that time of the year again, autumn. Some people find this season somewhat magical, trees start to change color, leafs start to fall; and there is that fresh breeze of air you feel every morning, not too cold nor too hot. But it is also the season when the most common infectious disease hits the population, the common cold.
We all get it, we all want to prevent it, minimize its spread, reduce the symptoms and shorten the duration of the disease.
I’d let you have it that due to its very wide spread around the world since ancient times, there’s no surprise that myths about the common cold are as common as the cold itself.
History of the common cold and germ theory:
The common cold has been known to ancient civilizations, in fact, there is even a hieroglyph for it made by the Egyptians. But as you can guess, none of those civilizations knew what causes the common cold. The term common cold dates back to the 16th century.
In the 18th century Benjamin Franklin wrote: “People often catch cold from one another when shut up together in small close rooms, coaches, etc. and when sitting near and conversing so as to breathe in each other’s transpiration.” So, Ben got it just about right.
But he wasn’t the first one to recognize that cold and other diseases tend to spread by germs. In fact, the first time the notion of a contagion was described dates back to 1546 by Girolamo Fracastoro, who wrote that epidemics are caused by seed-like entities that spread from one person to another, and then Agostino Bassi proposed in 1834 the first clear germ hypothesis. However, the germ theory of disease didn’t gain much acceptance till the mid-19th century.
For some time, scientists thought the cold was caused by bacteria. They even tried to create a vaccine based on this theory which, of course, turned out to be false. In 1914, a biologist by the name of Walter Kruse discovered that the common cold was actually caused by viruses. However, his findings were not widely accepted until other scientists replicated his work and found the same results in the mid-1920s.
Medical definition of the common cold:
The common cold medically speaking is referred to as an upper respiratory viral infection, and by upper respiratory we mean: the nasal cavity, the oral cavity, and the pharynx (the throat).
Other terms are used to describe other areas of infection for example, pneumonia is used to describe the infection of the lungs, bronchitis for the infection of the bronchioles, which are divisions of the trachea (wind pipe) that connect to the lungs, and sinusitis is the term used to describe the infection of the sinuses, which are air-filled cavities located in the front of our skull.
Now of course, these infections are not necessarily isolated, a common cold can lead to sinusitis, pneumonia, and bronchitis. The latter you may have experienced as a cough making your breathing difficult after catching the cold.
The viruses responsible for causing the common cold are numerous, the most common one is Rhinovirus which is responsible for 30-50 percent of cases. Second comes Coronavirus with 10-15% of cases; and third is the influenza virus with 5-15 percent. The rest is caused by other viruses such as: Adenoviruses, Enteroviruses, Human parainfluenza virus, etc.
The variety of the agents responsible for the cold, and the genetic variation that occurs in some viruses are the main reason why we are not immune to this kind of infection; we get infected over and over again each year. We are fighting new strains of viruses that cause the cold every single year.
When do we get the cold?
In general, the cold is more common during winter. This is mostly due to kids getting back to school and people spending more time indoors. So when kids get back home, they often carry with them some viral infections which spread throughout the family, then to the workplace of parents and so on and so forth; till the virus is virtually everywhere.
Basically, kids gathering around in close courters with less than ideal hygiene creates the perfect breeding ground for these viruses. So this should explain why cold is more common in the winter.
Additionally, certain cold viruses have a tendency to spread more in cold temperatures by using some proteins as a coat to protect their membranes. We can also get a cold in the summer, this is mostly caused by viruses adapted to a higher temperature.
Myths surrounding the common cold:
Myth № 1: The common cold is transmitted only by direct contact.
The truth is, cold can also be transmitted through indirect contact. For example, touching something that another person with the cold has touched. The technical term for this is a fomite, which means any object that a bacteria or a virus can survive on long enough for the infection to spread to someone else.
Another way you can get infected is by having contact with water droplets, which are found in the air coming from someone who sneezed or coughed as far away as across a big room. This is why it is recommended to sneeze to a tissue or to your elbow if nothing else is available.
Myth № 2: Cold weather causes the cold itself
I’m certain you’ve heard this more than you can count, and I’m also certain that up to this point you believed in this. In fact, you might have told someone you know to be careful and bundle up before going out to the cold weather; otherwise, they might catch a cold. However, weather itself is not responsible for the cold, it is not possible to get a cold from being exposed to low temperature or being wet and exposed to the rain, you need to get exposed to a cold virus.
You might be thinking that if cold weather isn’t responsible for the cold, does it make our bodies more susceptible to catching it? Does it weaken our immune system so that the virus sneaks in and causes an infection? The answer to that is still in debate, but largely, and based on what we know so far, the answer is no.
Myth № 3: Vitamin C can treat and/or prevent the common cold
This myth goes way back to the point where it became a cultural belief, most people in this day and age believe that taking vitamin C can treat the common cold or at least shorten the duration of the symptoms.
This has been a subject of research for decades; scientists have broken this into simple questions and done the research accordingly.
Question № 1: does taking vitamin C prevent the cold?
The answer to this question has been cleared to be a no, taking regular doses of vitamin C does not prevent you from catching the cold, and dozens of studies with thousands of patients have shown no benefits whatsoever.
Question № 2: does it reduce the severity of the symptoms once you actually catch the cold?
Does taking vitamin C help your body fight the infection more efficiently? The answer to this one is also a no.
Question № 3: what about the duration? Can vitamin C make the infection go away quicker?
The evidence gathered to answer this question hasn’t been found all conclusively negative; there have been some weak findings that it might reduce the duration on a scale of half a day. This could be achieved only if you take vitamin C before the infection settles in. Note that this is still controversial.
A similar product has been researched extensively, Echinacea. Which a few years back was the go-to treatment for the cold. The results have shown no evidence of any benefits provided by this herbal product.
Myth № 4: Airborne
A supplement developed by a school teacher, and is being widely marketed for that fact. This product targets people who are about to get on an airplane. Planes are basically close courters, and you have a higher risk of catching the cold if someone on the same flight with you is infected.
So, here comes the question, does airborne work?
The answer to this is found in the components of this product. It is mainly made of multiple vitamins, which as we concluded above, have no benefits to the prevention of the infection, nor any effects on the severity and duration of the symptoms.
What is interesting though, is that airborne has very high levels of vitamin A; and if you take it as recommended, you’ll find yourself overdosing on vitamin A.
Myth № 5: Neti pots
This is an interesting one, if you haven’t heard of it, it looks similar to a tea pot. You fill the pot with warm or salty water and then irrigate out your sinuses. So, basically you poor the liquid into your nostrils and then it goes into your nasal sinuses and comes out the other side, this is meant to flush out any mucus, bacteria, and/or viruses.
Do the Neti pots prevent cold infections if used regularly?
The answer is no, in fact, it actually increases your risk of catching the cold by two mechanisms:
First: cleaning out too much of the mucus which is there for a purpose. It serves as a barrier to prevent germs from infiltrating into your tissues, and it is part of the immune system.
Second: by washing out the bacteria in your nasal cavities which are part of the normal flora that prevent infections.
Do the Neti pots prevent cold infections if used in the acute phase of the infection?
Short term irrigation of your sinuses using the Neti pots or any other objects (e.g. saline nasal spray) has been shown to decrease the duration of the infection.
Helpful tips and FAQ:
Prevention of the common cold:
1-frequent hand washing
There is no need to use any fancy antibiotic soaps or any special products, just wash your hands with plain soap and water and that will clear the bacteria and/or the virus off your skin before there’s a chance of infecting yourself.
2-avoid exposure to people known to be sick
This is especially important in the first 3 days of their illness when they’re having a fever and shedding the most amounts of viruses.
3-avoid touching your eyes or nose when you are sick or when you are around people who are sick
Mainly because this is the most common route of transmitting the infection. Also, you should avoid crowds when you are sick. That way you’ll do everyone a favor by not contributing to the spread of the virus.
4-sneezing
When you do have to sneeze or cough, it is preferred to do it into a disposable tissue or your elbow.
5-cleaning
Clean counters and other surfaces that are frequented by people especially if you have kids in the house. Kids’ toys are commonly covered with viruses, cleaning them constantly will help prevent the infection.
6-dry air
Using a humidifier in your home may actually reduce the risks of getting a cold. Incidentally, in the winter season we heat our houses which results in the dry air shrinking the mucosal surface in our nasal cavities; therefore, making the invasion easier for the germs. This is yet another reason why the cold is more common in the winter.
7-smoking
It has been found that it increases the duration of the cold by a scale of 3 days, which is another reason why you should stop smoking if you already do.
8-sleep deprivation
Getting adequate sleep in duration and in quality keeps your body functioning at an optimal level. Therefore, sleep deprivation will weaken your body and your immune system; making you more susceptible to catching the cold and other infections.
9-vitamin D
This may come as a bit ironic, since most of the obsession has been surrounding vitamin C. Recent preliminary research has shown that vitamin D may help prevent the cold but it’s not a sufficient reason to take vitamin D supplements unless you already have some deficiency which in that case, it totally makes sense to use supplements.
FAQ:
1-What causes the symptoms of the cold?
All of the symptoms you see during a viral infection such as the cold are not actually caused by the virus itself, but by the inflammatory response your immune system launches to kill the virus.
This is mediated by the secretion of some inflammatory components such as Histamine, Interleukins, prostaglandins, etc. Which increase the diameter of your blood vessels in the nose causing fluids to leak out, hence the congestion. This will also irritate the mucosa activating the cough and the sneeze reflexes.
2-If all the symptoms caused by the cold are due to the immune system response, should we go out of our way to treat the cold even if it means suppressing our own immune system?
Well, it turns out that our immune system overreacts a little bit when fighting out a cold and causes more symptoms than are strictly necessary. So, a reasonable treatment of the system will not stop your body from fighting the infection. If you have a fever, it’s okay to take some over the counter antipyretics (fever reducing drugs).
3-Why don’t I catch the cold even though my whole family is infected?
Being asymptomatic does not mean you are not infected by the virus. Some studies have shown that in 25 percent of cases, the immune system fights the infection without causing any symptoms to the host.
4-Can high fevers damage my brain?
The answer to that is mostly a no. the kind of fever that you are likely to encounter during a cold infection even it reaches what is considered a high fever (40°C=104°F) will not cause any brain damage.
Only extremely high fevers (42-43°C=107-108°F) can be harmful for the brain which are not going to be caused by the common cold.
5-Should I use an ice bath to reduce my fever?
This is not recommended since reducing body temperature too quickly can have some serious side effects, and it is absolutely unnecessary even if you think it might make you feel better.
6-Are there any over the counter drugs that can be used to treat the cold?
Certainly, you can have Acetaminophen to treat the fever and the pain in your sinuses. Another option is what is called Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) such as, Aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen to treat the inflammation.
Note that Aspirin should not be used to treat viral infections in children since it can cause a somewhat rare but serious side effect called Reye’s disease.
7-My kid has a really bad cough following a cold, should I use cough suppressants to treat it?
Interestingly, a lot of the common products marketed as cough suppressants have a mixed composition of cough suppressants and cough expectorants.Which is paradoxical. You shouldn’t be trying to get rid of the mucus by coughing using an expectorant and then at the same time adding a cough suppressant.
If you have a somewhat productive cough and you want to take the phlegm up then take an expectorant.
If your cough is dry and annoying then the best option is to take a pure cough suppressant.
8-is chicken soup beneficial for the cold?
As a matter of fact, any hot liquid will help moisten the mucus membranes, reduce sore throat and will help hydration. Therefore, there is nothing special in chicken soup; hot liquids of any sort will have the exact same effect.
9-what is the difference between the Common Cold and the Flu?
Both of these infections have similar symptoms. The flu; however, is much more severe with a longer duration, reaching up to several weeks. It is caused by influenza viruses. It has the same prevention and treatment plan as the cold with the exception that the flu has seasonal vaccines that will prevent you from getting the infection.