The Hidden Truth of the Common Cold

The Hidden Truth of the Common Cold

Everybody has had a cold before.   Do you know what is really happening in your body when you have a cold? The cold is actually caused by different viruses grouped together called the rhino viruses. The reason why it is called a cold is because of an old wives tale of it always happening in the winter time.

No medications or herbal remedies have been conclusively demonstrated to shorten the duration of infection. Treatment thus comprises symptomatic relief. Getting plenty of rest, drinking fluids to maintain hydration, and gargling with warm salt water, are reasonable conservative measures. Much of the benefit from treatment is however attributed to the placebo effect.

Antibiotics have no effect against viral infections and therefore have no effect against the viruses that cause the common cold. Due to their side effects antibiotics cause overall harm, but are still frequently prescribed. Some of the reasons that antibiotics are so commonly prescribed include people’s expectations for them, physicians’ desire to help, and the difficulty in excluding complications that may be amenable to antibiotics. There are no effective antiviral drugs for the common cold even though some preliminary research has shown benefits.

What is actually happening to your body when you are having a cold? Most people don’t realize it, but a cold is actually an adaptation to the changing temperature of the air outside. That is why colds usually happen between seasons. People will most likely get colds when the air gets colder from Fall to Winter and vice versa when air is getting warmer from Winter to Spring. The reason this is happening is because your body has an innate intelligence to adapt to the changing environment. Colds are actually a natural process that our bodies go through to help us breathe better. When you get a cold the inner lining of the lungs are changing to adjust to the changing temperatures. Our bodies are a lot smarter than we will ever know. The runny nose is actually the old inner lining of the lungs coming out. Then the body makes a new lining for the lungs to better handle the change in temperature.  It is like the process that women go through every month called menstruation. Menstruation is the periodic discharge of the mucosal tissue from the inner lining of the uterus and vagina.

You have probably heard the old adage that when you treat a cold it lasts up to 7 days, but if you leave it untreated it will only  last  one week. It is better to leave it untreated because research shows that if you treat a cold the lungs will not fully clear out the old lining of the lungs. This is important because these little pieces of tissue that are left in the lungs are free radicals that can turn into cancer. People that treat their colds have a higher chance of having cancer because of these little pieces of tissue.

Healing Journeys Book Cover