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West Side Presbyterian Church
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Parish Nursing > The Do's and Don'ts of Common Cold Combat
The Do's and Don'ts of Common Cold Combat
In the winter, common colds are, well, common. Compare your arsenal of common
cold combat techniques
with these do’s and don’ts from
MayoClinic.com and see how they match up.
Do’s
- Do drink plenty of fluids to loosen congestion and prevent
dehydration. Alcohol and caffeinated
beverages dehydrate and should be avoided. - Do gargle with a saltwater mixture of ½ teaspoon salt to eight ounces of warm water to relieve a sore or scratchy throat.
- Do try an over-the-counter saline nasal spray which can combat stuffiness and congestion.
- Do eat chicken soup, of course! It acts as an anti-inflammatory and helps relieve congestion.
- Do try an over-the-counter decongestant or pain reliever to offer some symptom relief. Unfortunately, these won’t prevent a cold or shorten its duration. Make sure to read labels carefully.
- Do use a humidifier if it’s cleaned properly (at least once every three days) and the water is changed daily, to prevent dry mucus membranes, stuffy noses and scratchy throats.
Don’ts
- Don’t use antibiotics; they don’t fight colds and only aid to the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria when used inappropriately.
- Don’t use antihistamines; they help the symptoms of allergies but can impede the flow of mucus and can dry nasal membranes if you have a cold.
- Don’t use over-the-counter cough syrups; they are not shown to be effective at treating the true cause of coughs due to colds and may even be harmful to children.
- Don’t “starve a cold”; there is no evidence that the lack of food helps treat a cold.
Common Colds Can’t Stand Common Sense
A few things to do to prevent the common cold…
- Regularly wash hands at least 15 seconds with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Use paper towels instead of cloth towels to dry hands.
- Clean your desk, phone and computer keyboard with sanitizing wipes regularly.
- Try to manage stress which can lower your immunity.
- Maintain a healthy diet and engage in regular exercise to boost your immunity.
Adapted from “Cold Remedies: What Works, What Doesn’t, What Can’t Hurt.”
MayoClinic.com.
Available at
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cold-remedies/ID00036; Accessed 11/13/2007