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What to Do About Early Symptoms of Winter Infections

by — Last updated: 2018-04-14 in Healthy Living

Table of Contents

Winter weather brings colds and flu, as air temperatures fall to levels supporting survival of heat-sensitive viruses in the air and on household surfaces.
Prompt action greatly reduces the severity of common winter infections. A study at the University of Helsinki in Finland found that taking zinc can reduce the amount of time needed to recover from a cold by an average of 42%. A study at Justus-Liebig University in Germany found that elderberry extract kills both influenza A and influenza B as well as the staph and strep bacteria that can cause sinusitis. Using a humidifier and drinking more fluids help relieve symptoms of all the common upper respiratory illnesses.
 
There are right ways and wrong ways, however, of using common wintertime colds and flu remedies.

  • Zinc only helps stop a cold if it is mixed with saliva.

Sucking on a zinc lozenge will help relieve a cold, but swallowing a zinc supplement will not . The mixture of saliva and zinc reaches the back of the mouth and is wicked into the nose, where it coats the linings of the nasal passages so that the virus cannot continue infecting healthy cells. More zinc is not necessary better. Taking 75 mg of zinc acetate or less does more to relieve colds symptoms than taking 75 mg or more.

  • Elderberry extract works by interfering with the ability of influenza viruses to lock onto cells in the lining of the mouth, throat, and lungs.

Molecules of complex carbohydrates in elderberry have the same configuration as the part of the flu virus that attaches to the outer membrane of a cell. They in essence lock it out of the cell. Elderberry is effective against type A, type B, and H1N1 strains of influenza . It's best to start taking elderberry extract every day as soon as weather begins to cool and to continue taking it every day until weather stays warm. H1N1 is transmitted at the beginning and end of winter when temperatures are too warm to transmit other strains of the flu.

  • HealthCanada (the Canadian Ministry of Health) officially recommends vitamin C for treating colds.

Taking a maintenance dose of just 200 mg of vitamin C a day results in half as many colds during the long Canadian winter. Taking a single dose of 8,000 grams of vitamin C at the first notice of symptoms usually helps people get over colds in just one day. Canadian scientists note, however, that people who live in warmer climates make get different results.

  • Echinacea does not prevent colds, but it helps people get over them faster.

It's important to use products made with Echinacea purpurea, not Echinacea angustifolia, and the flowers and leaves are better than the stems and roots. (This will be noted on the label of the product.) If you have never taken echinacea before, take the smallest dose possible (usually a 500 mg tablet or 1/4 teaspoon/1 ml of extract), just to make sure you are not allergic to the plant. Then take 2000 to 3000 mg of pills or capsules of 3 teaspoons/15 ml of extract every day until you are well. Echinacea usually cuts the time to recovery in half.

READ Is It a Cold, or Is It Flu? When Are You Too Sick to Work Out?

And what about that favorite colds remedy, chicken soup? Scientists at the University of Nebraska found that slowly simmering herbs in chicken stock makes unique compounds that reduce the amount of inflammation generated by white blood cells known as neutrophils. Chicken soup makes you feel better by modulating your immune system, but only slowly simmered chicken soup has this effect.

If you prefer a vegan alternative, miso with shallots will also open up your nose and sinuses and relieve pressure. Just be prepared to blow your nose before you drink the miso soup.