Will we ever get rid of the common cold for good?
I know we have this dream where all diseases on the face of the Earth get eradicated (along with poverty - sounds like a John Lenon song). The truth is that we live in symbiosis with the plants, animals and micro-organisms here. We were made to be exposed to the infectious agents and fight them off via mechanical barriers as well as specific and non-specific white blood cells (and antibodies). There are studies that show that when everything our bodies see when we're younger is aseptic/sterilized, we see higher incidences of allergy, asthma, autoimmune diseases when these children grow up. Our immune systems need to know from an early age that the world is not sterile so our bodies can adapt. The best we can hope for is to find ways to make the human immune system strong so when it sees the rhino virus, the influenza virus, measles, mumps, chicken pox... it can generate the proper antibodies and mount an effective defense. Get sick, build immunity and get over it.
What is the fastest way to get rid of a common cold and cough? I have a speech the day after tomorrow. What do I do?
There are no cures for a cold. There are people who swear that 1000 mg Vit. C, twice a day helps fight off the cold sooner. And Zinc may help.4 Things You Should Know About Zinc and the Common ColdAs far as your speech: take a daytime cold medication, and be sure you have cough drops, tissues, and water by the podium. You could stop by a walk-in clinic today, if you want prescription strength cough medicine, but ask if it will make you drowsy. Don’t take too much if you don’t want to be in a fog during your speech.Good luck!
Why can't science cure the common cold?
For starters, there are over 200 different viruses that have been implicated in causing the "common cold." It isn't a single disease and therefore each case can be different and would require different treatments. The most common culprit of the common cold is a group of viruses called Rhinoviruses. These in themselves all vary from one to another and all cause similar symptoms. So essentially, asking science to cure the "common cold" is equivalent to asking science to cure "viruses." On the topic of viruses, they are notoriously difficult to cure. This is partly thanks to their myriad method of infection and partly thanks to their use of your own cells to replicate and thrive There are relatively few diseases caused by viruses that have antivirals. Tamiflu, a relatively well known antiviral used to treat Influenza, doesn't actually cure the disease but just shortens the duration of the disease. The best way to kill a virus is to just let your immune system do its job. In fact 90% of the time you go to the doctor for a cold, if it is caused by a virus the doctor will simply give you drugs to treat the symptoms while your immune system runs it's course. The last thing to note is that if by cure, you mean eliminate it from the population, then you should know that there has only ever been 1 disease eliminated by treatment (aka science) and that is smallpox. Polio is getting close, but it is a very difficult goal and would require another Quora topic entirely to get into the answer. Both of these disease have been attacked through the use of vaccinations that are very specific to the strains of virus that cause the diseases. If we were to attempt this with the common cold, we would need a vaccine that protects against over 200 virus strain, which is impossible with today's techniques (the most viruses protected against in one vaccine at the moment is 6). It is unlikely that the "common cold" will ever be cured for the reasons listed above, as well as the fact that it is not really a high priority seeing as how it has a very low mortality rate. It is essentially just a nuisance disease, and research funding for that kind of disease is rather limited. Hope this helps.
Whats the best & fastest way to get rid of the common cold, and then prevent it?
I often get colds and it really annoys me, ive been through countless medicine's to try to treat it and most work for one case, and then stop. Whats the best way to get rid of the common cold? (And a fast one of possible)
Woud an antibiotic help you get rid of the common cold? explain your answer?
No. Antibiotics only kill bacteria, not viruses, and a cold is caused by a virus. (Actually, there are hundreds of viruses that produce symptoms that we call the "common cold")
How to get rid of a head cold fast :-(?
Step 1Use cold medications. Cold medicines include ingredients such as acetaminophen, dextromethorphan and pseudoephedrine, which stop body aches, suppress coughs and relieve nasal congestion. Step 2Drink plenty of fluids. Your body loses fluids when you blow your nose. To replace these fluids, drink plenty of water, teas or juices. Stay away from caffeinated beverages. These drinks can dehydrate the body. Step 3Eat chicken soup. A post nasal drip is common with head colds. In turn, you may develop a sore throat. Chicken soup soothes the throat. What's more, soup relives nasal congestion and thins mucus. Step 4Get plenty of rest. Depending on the severity of your head cold, you may consider staying home from work or school. Severe congestion can make you feel lightheaded. Also, resting can boost the immune system and help you fight infections. Step 5Take a vitamin C supplements. Vitamin C is an immune system booster, and it can help you get over a head cold sooner. Take about 200 milligrams a day. You can receive vitamin C from orange juice, fruits and supplements. Step 6Blow your nose regularly. Blowing your nose removes mucus from the nasal passage, which relieves congestion and helps you recover more quickly.
Why isn't there an effective cure for a common cold?
The common cold isn’t actually a single disease … well over 200 virus strains are implicated in causing the common cold. Some, such as the rhinoviruses, seldom produce serious illnesses. These viral infections are difficult to treat -- antibiotics have no effect against these viruses and to date, there are no effective antiviral drugs for the common cold. The condition is usually harmless and symptoms usually resolve within two weeks. The symptoms are mostly due to the body's immune response to the infection rather than to tissue destruction by the viruses themselves. Most people recover on their own within two weeks. Over-the-counter products and home remedies can help control symptoms.In contrast, symptoms caused by influenza are usually more severe. Every year in the United States, on average, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications; and approximately 36,000 people die from flu. Some of the complications caused by flu include bacterial pneumonia, dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes.While there are no effective antiviral drugs for the common cold, some preliminary research has shown benefits. Nevertheless, I suspect that the common cold simply doesn't have priority for the limited research funding that’s available, since the cold is such a mild disease compared with the flu.