Common Cold Spread

Concern over common cold spread, as well as the spread of other viruses in schools, hospitals and other public places, should lead to increased focus on good health habits. There are over 200 viruses that cause common colds and washing with soap and warm water kills them. One of the best habits to remember in order to avoid coming down with a cold is to wash your hands before you touch your face, particularly your nose or mouth.
The rhinovirus, the virus that is most easily grown in a laboratory setting and the subject of most studies, can live for up to three hours on skin and surfaces. Once the rhinovirus enters the nose, it grows easily and infects the lining of the nose, causing sneezing, congestion, coughing and often a low grade fever. Scientists estimate that rhinoviruses cause approximately 30-35 percent of adult common colds. For unknown reasons, some people become infected with rhinoviruses and never develop symptoms, but may still be responsible for common cold spread, since the virus can still be found in nasal secretions.
Common colds are one of the leading causes of missed school days and doctor visits, even though that doctor visit may be unnecessary. Studies indicate that viruses and common cold spread in the waiting rooms of hospitals and doctor's offices. These viruses become airborne when a person sneezes or coughs. So, another good health habit to remember, when you have a cold, is to cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.
According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), children have about six to ten common colds per year. Adults typically have less, with the average around three, but the range varies widely. Those who work with the public and in hospitals have more than those who work at home or in small offices. People who have asthma are more susceptible to common colds than the average person. Recent studies have shown that asthmatics produce less anti-viral proteins, a function of the immune system, than normal. Supporting the belief that efforts to maintain a healthy immune system can reduce the number of colds a person has per year and thus reduce common cold spread.
Experts believe that children have more common colds than adults because daycare and school settings lead to close contact with other children. Children often forget to cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing and washing hands is not a priority for them. Many elementary schools now request that parents supply tissues and waterless alcohol-based hand washing products in an effort to reduce common cold spread in schools. Additionally, since the rhinoviruses can live for several hours on surfaces, recommendations for preventing common cold spread include cleaning phones, stair rails, door knobs and other areas that people touch frequently with a disinfectant.
Expert opinions vary about the effectiveness of vitamins, minerals, herbs and other plant products for preventing and/or treating the common cold. Thousands of clinical studies have been performed, but results are not always reproducible. For example, two recent studies support the use of zinc nasal gels to reduce the duration of common cold symptoms, but one contradicts those findings and suggests that it is unethical to recommend a product that can cause permanent loss of the sense of smell to treat a temporary condition like the common cold. All of the studies were performed by reputable researchers, with no motive other than to help and inform the public, but when scientists cannot agree on an appropriate treatment, it leaves the general public more confused.
Health supplements that are safe and can help prevent common colds by supporting normal immune system function include; vitamin C (which works best when taken with calcium and magnesium), zinc supplements (which at normal dosages and taken in tablet form do not cause adverse side effects), green tea (a subject of numerous studies), Andrographis paniculata (which reduces flu symptoms and the likelihood of developing complications from viral infections), and many other natural substances.

Article Source: Health Guidance

About Author : Patsy Hamilton was a health care professional for over twenty years before becoming a health writer. Currently she is writing a series of articles about type II diabetes, a subject of personal interest. Read more at http://www.diabetes-type-two-info-guide.com.

Detox To Lose Weight

Detoxification programs have been promoted as the remedy to today's unhealthy lifestyles for years. Proponents of detoxification note that a good detox can help increase energy, slow the aging process, aid the digestive system and help relieve the symptoms of diabetes and asthma. One of the greatest benefits of a good detoxification program is weight loss.
Our bodies are equipped with several systems to help it naturally detox. However, today's stressful lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits often overburden our natural systems. As our body struggles to keep up with the toxic matter flowing through our systems it often falls behind. Toxic waste begins to back up and the balance of our body is disrupted.
A good detox will help restore the body's balance, eliminate the waste building up and make our systems run much more efficiently. During autopsies, coroners often find colons that are more than 75% clogged with waste matter. This causes the systems that clean our blood and intestinal tracts to back up. Nutrients can't be absorbed as efficiently and we gain weight, become tired and irritable. Health issues often follow.
Cleaning the colon and the liver often completely relieves these clogs and allows our bodies to return to optimum functioning. Nutrients are used efficiently and many find that the detox program has such great results that they simply don't crave sugar and fried foods after the detoxification. Many report feeling so good after detoxifying that they are motivated to eat more carefully.
With the toxins being flushed out of the body, many report a dramatic increase in energy level, encouraging many to exercise and further assist their detox in reducing weight.
Researchers have found that as the level of toxins in the body rises, more fat is manufactured to protect the body. Weight gain is a natural by-product of toxin buildup. Removing the toxins from the body allows the body to release the excess fat, resulting in a natural weight loss.
There are many detoxification programs on the market. Choose a gentle, well researched program that includes a parasite remover as well. You'll be pleasantly surprised at your increased energy and amount of weight loss!

About Author :Sandra Kim Leong publishes information on detoxification and cleansing. Her site includes information on colon cleansing, liver cleansing, kidney cleansing, detox diets and juice fasting. Please visit http://www.Detox-Cleansing. com.

What is the Best Overall Exercise?

Do not get hung up on fad exercises - be a stickler for consistency instead! When it comes to exercise, you have many options. However, it all starts with finding an activity that YOU enjoy. This article gives some tips for making exercise enjoyable.By Machelle Lee
Guess what? There really is no 'best exercise.' Fad exercises will always come and go, but the best thing for your body is that you are consistently active. Work out regularly and remember that you must challenge your body in order to reach your desired goals. Do not get hung up on fad exercises - be a stickler for consistency instead! When it comes to exercise, you have many options. However, it all starts with finding an activity that YOU enjoy. Will you find the time for a workout today, or will the busyness of the day leave you exhausted on the couch? If you are like most people, exercise does not top your list of favorite things to do. Most of us would rather immerse ourselves in a piece of chocolate cake, enjoy a favorite TV show, or dine out with friends instead of sweating in the gym. However, our favorite things are often those that expand our waistlines, and by now we all know that larger waistlines mean an increase in a plethora of health problems, not to mention an overall decrease in your quality of life. So maybe exercise is not such a bad idea after all... It is just that you hate to exercise. It may be time to change your attitude toward exercise. If you start exercising by telling yourself how much you hate it, and how you wish that you were doing something else instead, chances are you will not enjoy it. Most people avoid doing things that are not enjoyable. It is time to open your mind to the possibility that you can enjoy exercise. In fact, when done correctly, exercise is a pleasant experience. Take a minute to ponder the following: Have you written off exercise based on a particular type of routine? Maybe you would enjoy something different. No one can deny how great it feels to accomplish a challenging workout. It is rewarding, invigorating, and feels great. You simply need to find the right form of exercise for you. Try to pinpoint the main reason that you dislike exercise. Is it the uncomfortable workout clothes that you own? Maybe it is time for a new style. Is it trying to decide what machine to use at the gym? Maybe it is time for a personal trainer. Is it the pain that you feel in your shoulder when swimming? Maybe it is time to find a new form of cardiovascular exercise - one that will not aggravate your injury. There are many different forms of exercise that will give you the results you want. Don't like the gym? There is a program for you. Don't like running? There is an alternative. Don't have the time? There are time-friendly exercise routines that will give you incredible results in under an hour.


About the Author: Machelle Lee owns and operates The Invisible Gym in Santa Cruz, CA. Her mission is to inspire people to become physically active and enjoy the benefits of a balanced, healthy lifestyle. For more information and answers to your questions, visit her website: www.the-invisible-gym.com.

Quick Weight Loss!

Perhaps you've heard the joke about the SHOCKING news headlines from the year 2050: "New study reveals that exercise and proper nutrition is the key to successful weight loss!"
It seems that we're always looking for a quick and easy way to lose fat, but those darn studies and that reputable research just keeps getting in the way of our dream!
There's always someone out there telling us we can lose fat without watching our diet and without any exercise. As much as we'd like to believe that's true, deep down inside we know better. The ads promising that we can 'get slim quick' remind us of the 'get rich quick' infomercials we see on late-night television. Still, there's no shortage of 'get slim quick' products out there.....
A YaHoo search of the term "Easy Weight Loss" yielded about 10,600,000 hits.
A Google search of the phrase "Quick Weight Loss" showed about 14,300,000 recommended sites to visit!
Looking up "Easy Fat Loss" on YaHoo revealed about 4,290,000 answers.
Finally, running a Google search for "I want to lose weight but I don't want to exercise because I don't have the time, money or will power" will bring up about 633,000 sites.....we're not kidding!
Compare that to the Google results for "Weight Loss Truth": only about 2,760,000.
+ PERMANENT FAT LOSS REQUIRES EFFORT Let's face it, there really is no good way to lose fat without any effort! Successful and permanent weight (fat) loss takes some time, it takes some effort, and it certainly requires some exercise! Consider what Dr. Gabe Mirkin had to say on the subject this week: "There are many products on the market today that promise to help you lose weight. None will help you unless they get you to exercise more and eat fewer calories." (Source: The Sportsmedicine Institute, Inc. - DrMirkin.com)
+ DON'T BE TEMPTED BY SHORTCUTS So is it possible to lose weight quickly? Sure, but weight loss achieved quickly and/or by 'cheating' will never be permanent and is usually not healthy.
Remember the phen-fen pills that were popular just a few years ago? While they certainly helped you lose weight, they were withdrawn from the market in September of 1997 after being linked to the occurrence of serious cardiac valvular disease, and primary pulmonary hypertension.
Ephedra, another weight loss pill, was pulled from shelves on April 12, 2004. After a careful review of the available evidence about the risks and benefits of ephedra in supplements, the FDA found that these supplements present an unreasonable risk of illness or injury to consumers. The data showed little evidence of ephedra's effectiveness, except for short-term weight loss, while confirming that the substance raises blood pressure and stresses the heart (Source: nccam.nih.gov).
Please note that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that ephedra was effective for ONLY short-term weight loss. Does that sound like a permanent solution?
There are lots of other 'shortcuts' out there, from laxatives to harsh stimulants. There are also some honestly good products that can help us lose fat IF they are used in conjunction with regular exercise and healthy nutrition. Green tea is a good example. Clinical studies conducted by Dr. Abdul Dulloo, of the University of Geneva in Switzerland brought the conclusion that green tea weight raises metabolic rates and speeds up fat oxidation (Source: green-tea.dminternational.biz).
+ THE TAKE-HOME MESSAGE So what's the take-home message? The bottom line is that there is no 'get slim quick' miracle out there. The only way to achieve permanent fat loss by following the same advice we've been hearing for years: exercise regularly and watch what we eat!
Let's watch out for products that claim we can achieve the body we've always wanted without diet or exercise. We know that's not true, so let's not be tempted by the empty promise.
Until next time, we'll see you at the gym!
* Copyright 2005 Pick Up The Pace. Permission is not required for the distribution of Pick Up The Pace articles as long as they are used in their entirety, are properly credited to Pick Up The Pace, and are accompanied by our website link: http://www.letspickupthepace.com/.
* The information in this article and on this site is for general reference purposes only and not intended to address specific medical conditions. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice or a medical exam. Prior to participating in any exercise program or activity, you should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional. No information in this article or on http://www.letspickupthepace.com/ should be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition.


About Author :Tracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, a 30-minute exercise studio for women, focusing on fitness, health and nutrition for maximum weight loss. Please visit http://www.letspickupthepace.com/ for more information.