After-school Special: 'C' is for cold
We're a few weeks into the school year and already it seems the entire newsroom staff has the sniffles, including me. Coincidence? I think not. So I went looking online for ways to prevent yourself from catching every bug those little patient-zeros bring in and out of the classroom.
Here are some cold facts: The National Institute of Health Web site says there are about a billion colds in the U.S. each year and you can expect children to have three to eight of them per year throughout their childhoods. In places like the South Bay where there is no real winter, colds are most common during rainy times of year. People are most contagious in the first two to three days of a cold and their runny nose is teeming with viruses, so don't let them sneeze on you.
Read how to prevent a cold after the jump. And if you have any great tips for avoiding colds in your classrooms or homes, send them, will you?
Here are five proven ways to reduce exposure to germs from the NIH Web site:
Switch day care: Using a day care where there are six or fewer children dramatically reduces germ contact.
Wash hands: Children and adults should wash hands at key moments -- after nose-wiping, after diapering or toileting, before eating, and before preparing food.
Use instant hand sanitizers: A little dab will kill 99.99% of germs without any water or towels. The products use alcohol to destroy germs. They are an antiseptic, not an antibiotic, so resistance can't develop.
Disinfect: Clean commonly touched surfaces (sink handles, sleeping mats) with an EPA-approved disinfectant.
Use paper towels instead of shared cloth towels.
Here are seven ways to support the immune system:
Avoid unnecessary antibiotics: The more people use antibiotics, the more likely they are to get sick with longer, more stubborn infections caused by more resistant organisms in the future.
Breastfeed: Breast milk is known to protect against respiratory tract infections, even years after breastfeeding is done. Kids who don't breastfeed average five times more ear infections.
Avoid second-hand smoke: Keep as far away from it as possible! It is responsible for many health problems, including millions of colds.
Get enough sleep: Late bedtimes and poor sleep leave people vulnerable.
Drink water: Your body needs fluids for the immune system to function properly.
Eat yogurt: The beneficial bacteria in some active yogurt cultures help prevent colds.
Take zinc: Children and adults who are zinc-deficient get more infections and stay sick longer.