Common cold

mucociliary transport system

There are three small mucosal covered the nasal bones. These are called turbinates. They increase the filtering, warming surface of each nasal cavity. Residing to the side of the nose, underneath the eyes and up into the forehead are large air pockets in the facial bones. These connect with the nasal cavity. They are called sinuses or more correctly paranasal sinuses. They are named the maxillary, ethmoid, frontal and sphenoid sinuses. The nose and the paranasal sinuses are lined with tissue which is called mucosa. The mucosa has little hairs called cilia and floating over these hairs is a layer of fluid.
 On top of the fluid layer floats a layer of mucus. The cilia beat back and forth in the fluid layer and they move or propel the mucus blanket along, out of the sinuses into the nose. The mucus blanket is then transported to the back of the throat. Under normal circumstances the mucus is swallowed. In a normal functioning nose a quart or more of fluid is generated daily, carried to the back of the nose and swallowed. materials such as dust, or bacteria become trapped in the mucus blanket and the cilia carry these to the back of the nose where they are swallowed and killed or digested when they reach the stomach. This whole system is called the mucociliary transport system
 If the mucociliary system becomes impaired, then nasal and sinus secretions stagnate. They become infected by the bacteria which are always present within the nose and infection develops, be it in the nose or the sinuses.



THE COMMON COLD

Children in day school may get as many as ten or twelve colds a year. These colds are caused by viruses. They begin with infection in the back of your nose. This is perceived as a sore throat. As a sore throat resolves, you become aware of nasal congestion. At first you have clear secretions and then as they become infected by bacteria, the secretions turn green or yellow and are blown out the front of the nose or drip down the back of the nose and throat.

Treatment of comon cold

There are hundreds of home remedies; few have been scientifically substantiated.
.  Somewhere there is a scientific paper that alleges benefit to chicken soup. 
.  There are some suggestions that vitamin C may be useful.
.  Aspirin and Motrin reduce the symptoms of being sick but may reduce the immune system's ability to fight the cold.
. The best defense system we have is the immune system. The immune system does not work when the human body is tired or stressed. In fact, in the first signs of a cold you would be well advised to go home, curl up in bed, drink lots of water and try to sleep and relax.  The intensity and duration of the cold will be reduced.
. If  nose becomes horribly stuffed, decongestants such as SudafedR are available.  Nose drops such as Afrin and NeosynephrineR,  are addictive, so they are not a good advice.
.  Antihistamines are recommended by some. Certainly, if an individual has allergic rhinitis and that is making the cold even worse, the antihistamines may be useful.
Unfortunately, antihistamines thicken your secretions and therefore impair the mucociliary transport system and so they are potentially harmful in treating the common cold. For those who are not allergic, antihistamines can only thicken secretions and will probably do little to benefit you.
. Nasal irrigation  is very useful for the common cold. You can keep the bowl filled and whenever your nose becomes impossibly congested, irrigate both sides to wash out the thick secretions. This will provide you relief and improvement for an hour or two. This may have to be repeated four to ten times a day. You will have to make your own adjustments for salt concentration, temperature and volume.
. Zinc can be an 'effective treatment' for common colds Health reporter. Taking zinc syrup, tablets or lozenges can lessen the severity and duration of the common cold.
 
 Remember that the common cold is highly contagious and if the irrigator is being shared for nasal or dental purposes, be careful not to contaminate or use others' irrigating handles.



Home Remedies For Common Cold

1. Stay away from the following food items:
- If your child is frequently down due to common cold and cough it is best you avoid the following mentioned items. Banana and milk are a strict no.
 We all know that  if children are asked to stay away from milk it worries parents to no extent. So It is a good suggestion for parents to put their children on Soy Milk; doing so, you would be giving your child the best of both worlds.
- Give grapes only in the month of February and March. Reduce the intake of tomatoes, black eyed beans, peanuts, any items made from chic pea flour.
-Another important take away for all parents is to remember "No Water for 20 minutes after consuming any fruit".
-Avoid nasty chocolates: Those nasty, sweet things are known to yield nothing but cavities, cold and cough and add unwanted calories. Chocolates are some of the worst culprits with centers consisting almost exclusively of flavored Fondant and Praline, fondant is virtually 100% sugar and pralines are just as bad.

 2.Garlic treatment:
Most of us are aware by now about garlic's usefulness as a blood thinner, antioxidant, and cancer preventive. In addition to the said garlic also does a wonder against common cold. De-skin about 5 to 6 cloves of garlic. Prepare a necklace of the 6 cloves of garlic using a normal thread and needle. Put the same around your child's neck when he/she is sleeping. The pungent garlic will do the rest.
3. One teaspoon of magic:
 A magic potion that can be made a routine is that of ginger and tea. 1 teaspoon of regular tea with 3 to 4 drops of ginger juice first thing in the morning will keep your child away from common cold.


Warning: You should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the you and not with the site or the writer.