How To Beat a Cold or the Flu

Adults have an average of two to four colds a year, mostly between September and May, and summer colds are relatively rare. Young children suffer from an average of six to eight colds a year. But one type of cold, the flu, is a regular annual occurrence for many people, particularly during the winter months.

Chiron, the maker of half of the U.S. supply of flu vaccine, announced last year that it would not ship any of its flu vaccine as it usually does.

Following this announcement, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that only people in high-risk categories get the flu vaccine―children less than two years of age, adults aged 65 and older, people with chronic illnesses, nursing home residents, and certain types of health care workers.

Because of the vaccine shortage, many people took extra precautions to make sure that they wouldn't catch the flu―they took care to stay away from large crowds of people and particularly avoided people who were sick or just getting over something. Being extra careful has helped many people to steer clear of dealing with the flu.

Avoidance doesn't work for everyone, so if you couldn't quite manage to prevent the flu bug, here are some helpful things to consider

• Ibuprofen or acetaminopen can help with a fever and other aches and pains. Acetaminopen (Tylenol) does not upset the stomach like ibuprofen can.
• Do not take antibiotics. They kill bacteria, but not the viruses that cause a cold or flu.
• Do not smoke. This will only make it worse.

• Use cough drops and gargle with warm salt water for a sore throat.
• Keep a humidifier in your bedroom and take hot showers to clear a stuffed up nose.

• For a red and raw nose, rub ointment on and around the area. Other good remedies are creams or lotions with natural ingredients like colloidal oatmeal-be sure to check the label to be sure they can be used on mucous membranes.

The flu is not only uncomfortable, it also tends to hang on for a while. For generally healthy adults, expect three to four days for slight improvement, and up to 10 days or longer for a full recovery. But if your flu doesn't seem to want to clear up, it may be something worse. Contact your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Unusually severe cold symptoms.
• High fever.
• Ear pain.
• A cough that gets worse as other cold symptoms improve.
• A flare-up of asthma or any other chronic lung problem.

Believe it or not, one of the best ways to treat your symptoms and help get over the flu as quickly as possible is an old wives tale that actually works. Chicken soup, the tried and true remedy used by grandmothers the world over, actually contains substances that can ease the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections.

A scientific study performed by the University of Nebraska Medical Center suggests that chicken soup helps fight colds by stopping the movement of neutrophils, which are white blood cells that eat up bacteria and cellular debris. These neutrophils are released in great numbers by viral infections like colds.

"What we showed was that chicken soup has a very mild effect at slowing the migration of one of these cells", said Dr. Stephen Rennard, professor of medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

"Therefore, chicken soup may have a very mild anti-inflammatory action, and this potentially could contribute to some of the so-called medicinal activities that people have attributed to chicken soup," Rennard said.

Adding pepper to chicken soup also can help to clear a stuffy nose, doctors say. And homemade soup is more potent than canned chicken soup, since it contains more fresh chicken.

The shortage of flu vaccine resulted in more people having to take sick days and sit on the couch feeling sorry for themselves. But, it also resulted in people learning more about how to take care of themselves, treat symptoms, and get over the flu as quickly as possible.

Next time you have a cold or flu, remember to get plenty of rest, take over-the-counter medicines to make you feel better, and drink a lot of fluids. And also remember to indulge yourself with a hot bowl of soothing soup.