Information on how to avoid colds
Want to avoid a cold over winter?
Your best chance to do so, is to practice good hygiene techniques rather than take preventive medicines, according to the National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS).
The executive manager of Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) Programs for NPS, Karen Kaye, said many people took vitamins, mineral supplements and other herbal remedies at this time of year to avoid a cold.
“The evidence currently at hand, seems to indicate that vitamin C supplements, zinc and echinacea do not assist in cold prevention,” she said.
“In the case of echinacea particularly, the quality of these medicines can differ greatly and most have not been tested in good quality clinical trials.”
For treating colds she says an expert review of clinical studies of Vitamin C supplements, taken after symptoms show, did not give reliable effects in decreasing the duration or severity of symptoms.
Zinc has not been shown to reduce the length or severity of a cold.
Ms Kaye suggests basic hygiene practices such as washing hands frequently with soap; keeping your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth; and not sharing crockery and cutlery, as providing the best chances to avoid the average two to four colds that adults catch every year.
And if you already have a cold?
Rest, stop smoking and treat the symptoms.
“Firstly, rest – give your immune system time to fight the cold,” Ms Kaye urged.
She says drinking something soothing, gargling warm salty water or sucking on ice or a throat lozenge may provide relief from a sore throat.
Saline (salt water) sprays or drops or inhaling steam from the shower will help clear mucus.
“Antibiotics won’t help your cold get better faster and won’t stop a cold from spreading to others, because they simply don’t work on the viruses which cause common colds,” Ms Kaye said.
The NPS’ ‘common colds need common sense, not antibiotics’ campaign is the only Australia wide strategy aimed at reducing the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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