Lee Labrada Talks About Beating The Common Cold

The National Institute of Health reports that Americans suffer an estimated one billion colds each year. The common cold is responsible for 22 million lost school days and 15 million lost workdays every year in the U.S. according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC in Atlanta.

Colds are no fun and can bring your training to a grinding halt. If you’re like me, you do not like being sick and you want to get back on track as soon as possible.

Difference Between Cold and Flu

Colds and flus are different illnesses. The common cold is caused by one of more than 200 different types of viruses called rhinoviruses and coronaviruses. On the other hand, viruses known as Influenza A and Influenza B, cause flu or influenza.

The fall and winter months are typically the worst months for flu epidemics. Which brings us to the question, “Does the advent of cold weather actually cause colds, or are colds caused by other factors?” The latest thinking in the scientific community is that cold weather of itself does not cause colds. Colds are caused by exposure to viruses that cause colds.

What Causes Colds?

At one time, it was thought that cold weather caused upper respiratory infections, but that is not the case. No one yet knows why colds and the advent of cold weather go hand in hand, but a number of theories exist. Some researchers say that the cold weather results in lower humidity which, in turn, dries up the mucous membranes of the sinuses and can cause susceptibility to infection by cold viruses.

Another line of thinking is that people spend more time indoors when it gets cold and tend to be around each other more and, hence, spread cold viruses amongst each other.

If you ask me, I believe in the latter theory. And I also believe that if your immune system is suppressed through overtraining, not enough rest, improper nutrition, or a number of other lifestyle factors, you are setting yourself up to contracting a cold from someone else.

Symptoms of a Cold

When you do catch a cold, it may be accompanied by body aches and fever. These are caused by the body’s own immune system which, in response to attack by the virus, releases a number of chemicals including citokines, histamines, and kinins. These chemicals are the body’s way of fighting off invaders but they do make us miserable in the meantime.

The blood vessels of the nasal passages become dilated and there is increased mucous production accompanied by headaches, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, and a generally achy feeling.

As I mentioned before, lifestyle factors play an important part in determining how resistant you are to attack by cold viruses. Keep in mind that cold viruses are spread by human contact. They can remain active up to three hours on anything that a person who has the virus touches, including dumbbells or exercise machines.