1. Colds are viruses that make you feel miserable. They are commonly caused by rhinoviruses, not bacteria. Over 200 different viruses can cause cold symptoms. Antibiotics do not help, because they target bacteria, not viruses.
2. Adults average 2–3 colds per year, while kids can get 6–8. Kids are little snot factories, aren't they?
3. Colds spread through droplets, contaminated surfaces, and close contact. Please cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough and wear a mask when you're out if you're within the first three days of your cold. You can always pretend you're an ICE agent if you don't like masks.
4. Symptoms usually start one to three days after exposure, which is the incubation period. Mine started about three days after my husband's started. We don't know where his came from, but obviously the domino effect began somewhere.
5. You’re most contagious in the first two or three days of symptoms. Since I live with my husband and he touches everything, there's not much I can do to keep from catching a cold when he gets one.
6. A cold typically lasts seven to ten days, though some symptoms (like cough) can linger longer.
7. Fever is uncommon in adults, but more common in children with colds.
8. Nasal congestion happens because blood vessels in the nose swell, not because of mucus alone. Post‑nasal drip is a classic cold symptom, often causing cough or throat irritation.
9. Handwashing reduces your risk more than any supplement or home remedy. Vitamin C doesn’t prevent colds but may shorten duration for some people. Zinc may help if taken within 24 hours of symptom onset but can cause nausea. I take zinc every day and have since Covid. Maybe I need to add Vitamin C.
10. Rest actually matters, because your immune system works better when you’re not stressed or exhausted. I don't know anyone who isn't stressed or exhausted right now.
11. A cold can trigger asthma symptoms, making breathing feel heavier or tighter. I am experiencing that a lot with this particular cold.
12. Green or yellow mucus doesn’t automatically mean infection, just immune cells doing their job. The teledoc told me that when my husband was pointing out to her that my excretions were multi-colored.
13. There is no cure, only symptom management. The body clears the virus on its own.
Generally speaking, when you get a cold, expect 10 days of blah, and then you'll feel better unless the cold created a secondary infection. Then you may need to see your doctor.
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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 962nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.
I just had one. I get about 1 a year. This one had a sore thoat component. I take C and also beta glucan to speed up the recovery or sometimes nip it in the bud. Beta Glucan is what is in mushrooms that make them so healthy. Lotes of research on it.
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