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Monday 20 December 2010

Fun Monday Dec

"coughs and sneezes spread diseases!
trap your germs in a handkerchief!"




Jill (Life is not bubble-wrapped) our gracious hostess for December, wonders "When you have  a cold, when you have the flu, what do you reach for, what do you do? What do you want? I want…"
  • Chicken Soup - is a must have...it soothes and seems to work a treat.
  • Zinc - to boost the immune system
  • Vitamin C - traditional remedy
  • Paracetamol or Aspirin as a last resort
  • Inhalants - to help breathing

'Feed a cold, and starve a fever' is an old maxim. When full of cold I like to retire under the duvet with tissues and inhalant close at hand...and sleep...zzzzzz

Now some thoughts from my Open University studies...
Colds are caused by a plethora (over 100) rhinoviruses, so a 'cure' is unlikely, but symptoms can be alleviated.
Viruses live, replicate and change genetically inside the cells of an organism.

They "lose their virulence quickly if they dry out, and so must be transferred in droplets of water, which is why sneezes are particularly effective. The runny nose and sneezing produced by a cold are not caused by the virus particles themselves, but by an inflammatory response of the immune system to the infection." Open University, Milton Keynes, S171 'Empire of the microbes'  Cockwell, C. and Brown, A.

5 comments:

Jan n Jer said...

Lol...that is a cute video. Now a days the little ones are being taught to catch a sneeze or cough in the crook of their arm. Our little grands are quite good at it, thank goodness, since they are little germ spreaders. Your cold remendies are all the things I do also.

joanygee said...

Glad you like the video, the catch-phrase from it stayed in my memory. I think we were taught it at school!

Sayre said...

Sounds like allowing yourself to sneeze is actually a good idea - rather than stiffling it with medication. Just keep the tissues handy to catch all the bad droplets!

It took me a long time to get coordinated enough to sneeze into the crook of my arm. I'd still rather do it into a hanky in my hand.

Jill said...

ooh, grossology about diseases, I love it. Thanks for playing along. I hope I haven't killed fun Monday!

joanygee said...

Fun Monday's living up to its name and I hope everyone enjoys playing. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to showcase some of my studies.
Can't quite fathom why one would sneeze into the crook of an arm tho' (puzzled look). Thanks for stopping by...