Can you fight the common cold with a natural remedy?Written by Kevin Sheldon
Colds appear superficially similar to 'flu, but are generally less severe. Common in colder seasons, respiratory passage inflammation, irritation of nose and throat, runny eyes, and of course fevers, chills and muscle aches are typical symptoms of common cold. In extreme cases, a bad cold may even cause sinusitis or congestion of chest, which can be particularly distressing for very young and very old. The differences between a cold and flu are fairly easy to spot - flu usually causes a headache, fever, heavy fatigue and general aches - these are rare in true colds. On other hand, a cold usually involves a runny nose and a sore throat - both rare in flu. Whatever you do, symptoms will last between 7 and 14 days (including an incubation period of between 1 and 3 days). Men tend to say they have flu, rather than a 'cold', because it sounds so much more serious! Common colds, however, are far more 'common' if you will excuse pun.The common cold is caused by a fast mutating virus, which tends to strike when one's immune system is depressed. Extreme coldness, tiredness, stress brought on by overwork, or overindulgence - all of these can 'bring on' a cold. The symptoms of common cold are actually your body attempting to kill virus and re-establish normal conditions - a raised body temperature kills virus eventually. Unfortunately, fast mutation characteristics of common cold make it impossible to produce a vaccine, leaving only natural remedies in arsenal of anti-cold techniques. At first signs of a cold (sore throat, runny nose) go to bed - don't wait for virus to 'kick in'. Remember that first line of attack against cold virus will be plenty of fluids, and especially vitamin C drinks, such as hot lemon. In fact, you can take large amounts of vitamin C in many forms - tablets, drinks etc. Garlic will also help - both of these are good germ fighters. Other vitamins that will help include vitamin A, B6, vitamin E, and vitamin F. It is also reported that a little extra zinc can help shorten duration of colds.
| | Benefits of Green TeaWritten by Robert Rogers
Tea and Cancer Prevention Tea drinking is an ancient tradition dating back 5,000 years in China and India. Long regarded in those cultures as an aid to good health, researchers now are studying tea for possible use in prevention and treatment of a variety of cancers. Investigators are especially interested in antioxidants-called catechins-found in tea. 1. What are antioxidants? The human body constantly produces unstable molecules called oxidants, also commonly referred to as free radicals. To become stable, oxidants steal electrons from other molecules and, in process, damage cell proteins and genetic material. This damage may leave cell vulnerable to cancer. Antioxidants are substances that allow human body to scavenge and seize oxidants. Like other antioxidants, catechins found in tea selectively inhibit specific enzyme activities that lead to cancer. They may also target and repair DNA aberrations caused by oxidants (1). 2. What is level of antioxidants found in tea? All varieties of tea come from leaves of a single evergreen plant, Camellia sinensis. All tea leaves are picked, rolled, dried, and heated. With additional process of allowing leaves to ferment and oxidize, black tea is produced. Possibly because it is less processed, green tea contains higher levels of antioxidants than black tea. Although tea is consumed in a variety of ways and varies in its chemical makeup, one study showed steeping either green or black tea for about five minutes released over 80 percent of its catechins. Instant iced tea, on other hand, contains negligible amounts of catechins (1). 3. What are laboratory findings? In laboratory, studies have shown tea catechins act as powerful inhibitors of cancer growth in several ways: They scavenge oxidants before cell injuries occur, reduce incidence and size of chemically induced tumors, and inhibit growth of tumor cells. In studies of liver, skin and stomach cancer, chemically induced tumors were shown to decrease in size in mice that were fed green and black tea (1, 2).
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