Lots Of Colds

[hammerman]

Are some people more prone to colds (man-flu ;-) ) I had a cold last Ocotber, one at the start of Feb and now i've got one again.

It's only the usual stuff, bunged up nose, aching joints, bit of a temperature and a nasty cough.

I know there's a "lot of it going round" but 3 times in 6 months ?

I'm fairly healthy...overweight and type 2 but im active and out in the fresh air all day. I eat well, lots of veg and fruit etc.

Work have been pretty good, but the boss keeps asking why i get so many colds.

Anyone else prone to getting them ?

[Sqad]

One "old chestnut" to remove straight away is a compromised immune system causing the recurrent attacks......it may, but is a very rare cause.

In simple terms..the viruses and bacteria that cause upper respiratory tract infections are so infectious that they are easily transmitted.

Also in smokers the lining of the nose and sinuses leaves the covering "an easy duck" for marauding infections.

In the winter one is in extremes of temperature...out in the cold, back to the central heating of the house or ca and this damages the lining of the nasal passages to organism invasion (colds)

One needs to know what one is dealing with.....are they recurrent infections or is it an allergy that is causing the trouble? This can be sorted out by blood tests.

So........that's it in a nutshell........yes some people are prone to these situations.

\\\\\I'm fairly healthy...overweight and type 2 \\\\

;-)......;-).

[Clanad]

I'd certainly defer to Sqad (sans u[i ) but, in doing so, I'd just as certainly reinforce the issue of sinuses being a major souce of viral transmission to the rest of the body.

I first made sense of this several years ago when a Doctor friend pointed out that nearly all 'colds' announce their arrival via a sore throat. After a brief schooling on the physical structure of the throat, he pointed out there was absolutely no reason for the sore throat except for the drainage from the sinuses.

Did you ever look in a mirror at the back of your throat just as the telling symptoms of pain begin... notice the two or more red streaks running vertically along the back of the throat?... sinus infection drainage!

Look, sinuses do wonderful things but the dark, damp, mucosa lined passages are, as Sqad intimates, hot beds of infection just awaiting a trigger from a virus or even bacteria. The saving grace is that if one keeps the sinuses draining normally by keeping them well [i]irrigated] a lot of mysery can be avoided.

The real culprit not directly mentioned by the venerable Sqad is the desert like dryness caused by the "out in the cold, back to the central heating..." experienced universally in our cold northern climates, especially here in the U.S. Carrying almost religiously, a small squeeze bottle of saline solution and applying the contents to the sinuses several times during the day, will work wonders.

One wants to accomplish this feat in private since to get maximum effect one has to sniff forcibly inward when spraying and continue to sniff to get the solution as widely spread through the sinuses as possible.

Be assured, there's no medication of any kind in the saline solution (a popular brand here in the U.S. is "Simply Saline" made by Arm & Hammer... it's cheap but one could make their own if so desired.)

So... mind all those things your Mother told you... wash your hands, don't rub your eyes, don't pick your nose (in Sqad's case also be discriminating about whom you kiss!) and... irrigate those sinuses!

[Sqad]

Clanad...your 5th paragraph that sqad didn't mention.......read sqad's 4th paragraph.........;-)

[Clanad]

Absolutely, Sqad, except I was simply clarifying (no pun intended) that the "damage" to the lining was caused by the drying effects of the "out and back thing"... Thanks!

[Sqad]

;-)

[jno]

I suppose one other question might be whether you hang around in crowds a lot, or take packed commuter trains to work. The more people you encounter, the more you're likely to meet someone generous enough to pass his cold onto you.

[Hopkirk]

or hers

[hammerman]

Im a gardener and work outside all year, generally on my own. I have had sinusitus several times in the past which has needed antibiotics to clear it.

Despite getting many colds, they do seem to clear up fairly quickly...blocked nose has gone in 24 hours as had the horrible tickly cough. Unfortunately, it feels like ive done 12 rounds with Mike Tyson...every muscle or joint is sore and painful.

Thank you for your help.

[Sqad]

Thanks for the feedback.

Might be a good idea to see your GP re. a blood tests, just to check your immune status.e,g anaemia etc.