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Show Common Sense Will Kill Common Cold the nose feel clear in seconds. Because Be-cause of cooling menthol, they do make the nose feel clearer, but that's all. Actually, they irritate the nasal membrane and are of no medicinal value whatsoever. The common cold must run its course. But its course can be shortened short-ened and its potential dangers can be minimized, and here's how: Make the first sign of a cold a slow down signal. If you can't spend a day or so in bed, get extra sleep. Keep warm and dry. Don't over-indulge. If the air in your house is too dry, a copious jet of steam flowing from the kitchen kettle will help moisten the dry mucous membrane. Only when the later symptoms are In evidence has the time come for medication. Then it is important to get the right medication. It's easy to telephone your doctor for advice. "It takes a week to cure a cold, but it cures Itself In seven days," runs an old saw. Though medical research re-search Is finding effective anti-cold drugs, a cold is self-limiting and unless un-less complications set In, the sufferer suf-ferer gets well anyway. We know that the cause of the common cold is a filtrable virus, and that the virus is highly contagious. Theoretically, the fellow with a cold should isolate himself during the acute two-day incubation period. But most cold carriers consider themselves too "indispensable" to stay home, and consequently the rest of us are doomed to inherit the virus and catch cold. Specialists say thslt during the first stage of an acute cold local nasal treatment is of no value and may produce uncomfortable secondary sec-ondary reaction. The medical profession profes-sion is anxious to help the layman choose proper medication; because of the hundreds available, most do more harm than good. It Is unfortunate unfor-tunate that the alkalinity of certain nasal preparations has been so extolled ex-tolled over the radio. It is now known that nosedrops should be slightly acid. Of the available liquid nasal preparations, antiseptics and silvers are often more irritating than helpful, while gargles are usually ineffective in killing or even inhibiting inhibit-ing bacteria, according to an article In Coronet magazine. Sulfa Drugs Useless. While the sulfas have little or no effect on the common cold virus, they are effective against many types of bacteria and consequently may when sprayed or dropped into the nose serve a useful purpose pur-pose in preventing the spread and shortening the duration of infection after the first acute stage of the cold. But there's danger as well as miracle in the sulfas and even these preparations should be used by the layman only on the advice of a physician. There are also a great many nasal inhalers on sale. Yet, only three of them contain a therapeutic ingredient which actually shrinks the nasal mucous membrane and promotes ventilation and drainage. Those Inhalers which are advertised to the public often claim to make |