Standing next to a “sneezer who coughs” on the subway and then having a completely cold colleague waiting in the office – no wonder you get infected. “When you sneeze, viruses and bacteria are thrown through the air at around 150 kilometers per hour,” warns Robert Rauch, a family doctor and member of the professional association of internists. The pathogens fly up to four meters.
Anyone who inhales it or moves it from handles and handles to their face and thus to the mucous membranes of their eyes, nose and mouth can expect a cold two to seven days later. This is how long the infection period lasts – depending on how well your immune system works. There are 4 simple everyday factors you can use to prevent colds:
1. Wear gloves on buses and subways
This is why it is important for everyone who uses public transport: “Keep your distance from people who are visibly ill, wear gloves – and wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and soap several times a day, then dry yourself with a fresh towel.” are the recommendations of the conventional doctor. Over 90 percent of pathogens can be removed with intensive hand washing! A routine that goes without saying for him: cleaning his hands thoroughly after each patient and, if in doubt, protecting himself from infection with disposable gloves. So the viruses have no chance.
2. Reduce stress as a risk factor
A cold is usually not a dangerous illness. But it can torment those affected for up to three weeks – stuffy nose, sore throat, headache and a feeling of cotton wool in the head. It is therefore best not to get the infection in the first place.
The most important risk factor for colds, according to Robert Rauch, is stress: “Stress drives up the ‘interior minister’ of our fighting system, the body’s own hormone cortisone. And a high cortisone level dampens our own immune defenses.” Therefore, he personally tries to consciously reduce stress and go to bed earlier than usual in times when the risk of infection is high. In addition to reducing stress, getting enough sleep also plays an important role in warding off infections. “When you sleep, the cortisone level automatically drops and the immune system is unburdened and can effectively fight pathogens.
4. Use immune boosters right at the beginning
But you can do even more to ensure a strong defense. Several methods work as immune boosters. “It is particularly useful to drink a lot and be warm,” says Renate Schleker, chairwoman of the professional association of doctors for naturopathy in Germany. She herself swears by freshly squeezed, hot juice from three to four lemons to ward off the common cold. The vitamin C it contains strengthens the immune system. Herbal tea with honey, preferably plantain and marshmallow, is also good for the mucous membranes and is also one of the doctor’s tips that she gives to her family.
5. Sweating and drinking a lot protects against infections
“Drinking a lot is important so that the mucous membranes can produce enough mucus. “It transports the pathogens sitting on the mucous membranes with barbs outside,” explains the doctor about the cleaning mechanism.
The second factor is sweating. The formation of sweat not only stimulates the immune system, but the body also excretes viruses and bacteria through the skin with the fluid. Wrapping up thickly and drinking something hot are measures that Renate Schleker carries out herself and also advises her family to take. However, alcohol should be taboo, as the poison affects the liver so intensively that it hardly has any capacity left to produce antibodies. You should also avoid the sauna, it’s too strenuous when you have a cold.
6. Warm foot bath for colds
Foot baths that rise up are particularly effective when it comes to heat. A little hotter water is gradually added to the initially lukewarm water until the feet are thoroughly warmed. “The sole of the foot is connected to the mucous membranes of the bladder and nose via reflex networking – if the feet are warm, the blood flow to the mucous membranes is also good and therefore their immune system is also good,” explains the naturopath. This connection also explains why cold feet often result in a bladder infection or a runny nose.
7. Eat little when the cold hits
The doctor gets her immune system going by drinking a lot, sweating and eating fresh, vitamin-rich fruit. But what else does the topic of nutrition look like? “Little sweets and just a light meal, such as vegetable or chicken broth,” recommends Renate Schleker. Because something that is difficult to digest would put a lot of strain on the organism, the stomach and intestines then have to work a lot – everyone knows how weak a hearty meal can make you. The immune system then has too little energy available to fight the pathogens.
Do something for your immune system before you get a cold
If you have a strong immune system, you won’t even notice the defenses going on in your body, you might just feel a little weak. The technical term for this is silent celebration. It ensures that the body is immune to the defeated pathogen in the future – comparable to the effect of a vaccination. However, there are at least 300 different cold viruses, which can constantly change. The chance of encountering the same ones is low, but the risk of encountering new ones every year is high. Then only help
Reduce stress, get enough sleep, eat lots of fresh fruit, do a drinking and sweating regimen and use natural immune boosters
to stay healthy and not catch a cold – even if everyone around you is coughing and sniffling.