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Show j Cold Scoreboard: Thermostats Down-Colds Up Last year's cold crop cost more than 250 million man-days man-days of restricted activity, a loss of 50 million work days and 60 million school days. The best way to avoid colds is to maintain a well-balanced well-balanced diet, get sufficient rest, and dress warmly. It's important to keep your strength up to offer resistance resis-tance to cold viruses, especially espe-cially if you live in a densely populated city. When you catch a cold virus, it's a good idea to go to bed, drink liquids, and take aspirin. There's no cure for the cold, but its uncomfortable uncom-fortable symptoms can be alleviated. Your pharmacist can be a valuable ally by suggesting effective " medications. He can recommend a nasal decongestant de-congestant that will relieve your discomfort. The number num-ber one nasal decongestant recommended by pharmacists pharma-cists is Afrin . It is the longest-lasting nasal spray and nose drops and it quickly quick-ly shrinks swollen nasal and sinus passages, opening them within minutes to restore normal breathing. Twice a day usage can usually provide relief for up to 24 hours. Here are some more tips to help you combat your cold: rest as much as possible; avoid chills, overheating, over-heating, and dampness. Temperature and humidity extremes lower the body's ability to fight off infection. Gargle three or four times a day for sore throat; and use a vaporizer or humidifier to provide additional moisture to the nose and throat. But the best medicine is prevention. So this winter, when you turn your thermostat ther-mostat down, be sure you turn your resistance up! With the Presidential mandate to set office thermostats ther-mostats at a chilly 65, Americans will face their first "European" style winter this year. While we have taken central cen-tral heating and plentiful energy for granted for many years, our European cousins have not had such comforts. When winter sets in "Over There," people dress in multilayers to be ready-for-anything the hot seat by , the fire or the icy drafts on the other side of the room! Not that our situation is that drastic. But we are faced with new temperature conditions that may allow the 100 or so viruses known as the common cold to play havoc, if we don't take precautions. Office workers are wearing wear-ing heavier clothing, and the dangers of overdressing both . indoors and outdoors can make us more susceptible to cold viruses. Chilling quarters, even sub-zero temperatures, alone, do not cause colds. But cold germs do love crowds. Cold viruses are highly communicable, and areas where people congregate congre-gate offices, schools, and mass transportation are natural trading grounds where people pass their germs on to others. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases forecasts that Americans will catch one-half one-half billion colds this year. In addition to the discomfort discom-fort caused by colds, they're expensive! |
