Getting Chilled May Bring on a Cold

Getting chilly may bring on a cold, contrary to conventional medical orthodoxy, which says that there is no connection between developing viral infections and a drop in your body temperature. Paid to Sit With Their Feet in Cold Water Ninetystudents were paid to sit for 20 minutes with their bare feet in buckets of cold water. A few days later, 13 of the students reported cold symptoms, such as a runny nose or sore throat, compared to five in a separate control group of 90 students who kept their feet dry. Constricts the Blood Vessels of the Nose Placing your feet into cold water causes a pronounced constriction to the blood vessels in the nose. This could aid the virus by lowering the defenses within the nose, triggering the symptomatic infection. "Common Cold Constitution" The study also found that the trial students developing cold symptoms reported significantly more colds each year than those who remained symptom-free. This indicates that there may be some who are more susceptible and have a "common cold constitution." Family Practice November 14, 2005Yahoo News November 14, 2005 Dr. Mercola's Comment:Based on these results, the chances are good you'll be exposed to someone at work or home fighting a cold this winter. That said, there's no need to go into hibernation until next spring. Most people, including nearly all physicians, believe that these nasty viruses are the culprit. Well folks, nothing could be further from the truth. All the viruses and infectious agents do is trigger the illness. The real cause of your illness is a weakened immune system. That is why following the Total Health Program is one of the most potent proactive steps you can take to remain healthy. You won't have to worry about colds or bird flu hoaxes. Prevention is the key to lessen your chances safely and naturally and without resorting to over-the-counter drugs. Here's some proven effective ways to do just that:

• Retooling your diet based on your body's unique metabolic type, all the while paying close attention to reduce (with the plan of eliminating) your intake of grains and sugars.
• Treating the stress that invariably happens when the holiday season collides with work by learning an energy psychology tool like the Emotional Freedom Technique.
• Getting the right amount of sleep.

If, for whatever reason, you have come down with a cold, my personal recommendation would be to use zinc lozenges. I have been using zinc in my practice for over20 years, far before it was popular. When using zinc lozenges it is important to recognize that they need to be sucked on, NOT swallowed, and smaller doses more frequently seem to work better. I usually advise patients to suck on a quarter lozenge every 30 minutes. If started early, this approach seems to work well for the clear majority of patients. Onecaution should be heeded though; if the lozenges make one nauseous they should be stopped immediately, as that is a sign of zinc toxicity.