Prevention to Cure a Common Cold

If I ever think that I have been exposed to cold viruses, I eat something spicy, because the oils, or the chemical capsaicin from the spice in hot peppers, fill up the areas of my cell membranes in which viruses inject their genetic material that makes us sick. Many viruses look like a Lunar Lander and have a barb that sticks into one of our cells through a "dent"-like area. The oils and capsaicin of spices and other foods block the barb.

The foods that work include hot peppers of any kind - fresh or ground, onions, garlic, fresh ginger, pickled ginger, horseradish, kimchee, and similar foods. Hot spicy shrimp eliminated my symptoms once in just 45 minutes. because of this, about 20 years ago, I increased my daily intake of all these kinds of foods with good results: many fewer colds.

There are over 200 separate viruses responsible for what we call "the common cold" and after we have suffered form each virus, some physicians feel that most of us are immune to each one. As with all rules and generalizations, though, this does not hold for everyone and all diseases do not affect different individuals the same way. The rhinovirus causes a lot of colds, and we may not be able to development much of a resistance to that one.

Take the measles - I had the three-day measles 7 times before I developed full immunity to them (twice as an adult).

The only time I become ill is sometimes when I experience a puff of dirt and dust in the face while cleaning, or during some other event. Otherwise, I do not catch colds. Here are the reasons for this, in my opinion:

• 1) I grew up around a lot of cigarette smoke [each parent smoked 1 full carton a day] and dust, but once I left for college, my airways and lungs cleared up and I stopped catching colds so often. I even had pneumonia twice as a child.
• 2) I have undergone a substantial amount of martial arts training outdoors in cold weather climates, down to short times at 75 degrees below zero F. This strengthened my immune system and my survival attitude. My 3rd degree black belt test was outdoors in winter, in snow, ice, and a stream reaching up to mid-calf in cold water. I did not become ill. It was a martial arts camp during two weekends - 3 days in January and 3 days in February (we used cabins for sleep and meals) and no one became ill during those two weekends. This does not happen instantly. I trained for 3 years before I could do this. This training saved my life because one terrible winter, my car broke down in 75 degrees below 0 F and the outdoors felt like a dead planet. No one would stop to help me, so I walked about 1/3 mile to a gas station and was OK.
• 3) During the winter, I keep the thermostat low, especially for sleeping. Cool temperatures can help ward off colds - under 65 degrees F. I also use a vaporizer because germs take hold when your mucous membranes become dry (eyes, nose, throat, etc.). Eye drops or artificial tears help in the winter as well. I drink lots of liquids all year round to wash out toxins.
• 4) I wash my hands after using keyboards, working with children, etc. and before preparing and eating meals, taking out the trash, and doing laundry.
• 5) When I wash dishes, I use hot water, put a small amount of bleach in the dishwater as a germ killer, and dry the dishes in the open air in a clean dish drainer. Kitchen sponges and scrubbers are washed and placed in the microwave for about 30 seconds to sanitize them as well. These are also replaced often.
• 6) I wash my bathroom down with a bleach solution monthly.
• 7) I vacuum the furniture and mattress as well as the carpeting, to get rid of more dust and dust mites (they case allergies).
• 8) I keep a positive, proactive attitude, which boosts the immune system.
• 9) When I find myself in stressful conditions or relationships that are unreasonable, I extricate myself from them. Stress can lead to illness.
• 10) I learned a variety of relaxation tips while doing counseling and therapy, and they work. Relaxation boosts the immune system.
• 11) In December 2003 through January 2004, our large church prayed for abundant good health in 2004, and I have not caught a cold since that time. This is a combination of mutual support and prayer that accomplishes this, by boosting the immune system.

Of course, perhaps I caught every cold virus when I was a child. I certainly felt that I had a cold all the time!

If you have children or work with children, you will likely have more colds per year those people who do not. More frequent hand washing may help.

A fever of over 100 degrees F

High fever with body aches or headache and fatigue

High fever with sweating, chills, coughing, and yellow or green phlegm

Symptoms that longer than 10 days or that steadily get worse over 3-5 days