When
winter starts and the weather gets colder, as parents we are often
afraid of our kids getting sick. Our concern is completely
understandable because we know that a mild cold can grow and develop
into the flu. In order for our children not to catch a cold during the
winter season, we tend to be careful when it comes to them, however, at
the same time, we don’t really know how to prevent it; In addition,
there are various myths surrounding the common cold and most of us think
that we have all the information necessary to get through the winter
safely. So even if you’re sure that you have the answers to how to get
your children through the coming winter with no unnecessary colds, you
should know everything there is to know about this topic.
5 strategies for preventing colds
1. Washing hands
The
simplest and most well-known strategy for preventing colds and other
illnesses is washing your hands with soap and water. This easy action
can protect your children and prevent disease. One of the reasons why
children get sick is contact with dirty eyes or hands full of viruses.
To reinforce this claim, researchers
found that children in the study group who didn’t keep their hands
clean were absent from school twice as often as children who were
consistent hand washers. Therefore, it is important to make it clear to
your children that all they have to do is wash their hands with soap and
water for half a minute, and this can prevent them from catching a cold
in the coming winter.
2. Cover your nose when sneezing and your mouth when coughing
Another
strategy that should be obvious to every parent is covering the mouth
and nose when coughing and sneezing. With every sneeze and coughing
millions of bacteria are released into the open air at a very high
speed, they may pass on to others and cause them to catch a cold;
However, the bacteria that spread in the air are dangerous only if the
sneezing/coughing is done in the face of another person, even though the
bacteria can reach surfaces which people and children come in contact.
Either way, this obvious and polite strategy can prevent your children
from getting a cold this winter or infecting others if you only know how
to sneeze and cough into your elbow or a handkerchief
3. Disinfecting surfaces
In
order to prevent your children from catching a cold this winter, you
can use the simple but slightly pedantic strategy of disinfecting
surfaces. Various bacteria that can cause colds can live on different
surfaces for hours, so the simplest solution is to clean them with
human-friendly cleaning materials. From the dining table to the remote
control to toys - all these surfaces are covered in bacteria that can be
killed through cleaning. However, always be reasonable and avoid over
cleaning your home, because there is no way to keep your home so sterile
that no harm will ever come to your children.
4. Don’t share
It’s
very important to explain to your children that sharing is a wonderful
thing, but if they or the children they’re playing with have a cold,
it’s the last thing they should do. As noted above, many bacteria live
on different surfaces, including toys, so it’s best to keep those toys
from direct contact with the nose, eyes, and mouth of children and in
general. It is recommended to clean those playing surfaces thoroughly
before use, and if these toys or things are used on a daily basis, you
should simply not share them with other children.
5. Correct and immunizing eating
There are two vitamins that can help prevent colds - vitamin C and vitamin D. A study found that a high intake of foods rich in vitamin C can prevent
colds, especially among people who physically exert themselves in short
time periods and those living in very cold environments.
As
for all other people, vitamin C has long been thought to be an ideal
contraceptive for colds, and eating fruits and vegetables rich in it can
prevent the next cold. Vitamin D is an important nutrient for the
body’s overall health and studies have shown that people with low levels of vitamin D are more susceptible to infection and diseases, including colds. Everyone knows that the sun is an excellent source of vitamin D ,
but in its absence in the gray winter months, your child should be
getting it from various food sources such as salmon, eggs, and
mushrooms.
3 myths about colds you have to stop believing
1. Leaving the house with wet hair can cause a cold
Wet
hair may make us feel cold, but it can’t cause a cold. We get sick by
catching one of the 200 viruses that are in the air looking for their
way into our upper respiratory tract; If our immune system isn’t strong
enough to ward off the virus, we get infected. The viruses spread
through tiny droplets that release when a person is sick, through
sneezing, nose blowing, or touching the eyes, nose, or mouth after
touching an object, such as a door handle or a keyboard that is
contaminated with small bacteria.
2. Weather changes can cause a cold
Like
the false belief that treading outside with wet hair can make us sick,
even a temperature fluctuation or a transition from hot to cold weather
can’t cause a cold. The only way to catch a virus is by just touching or
staying close to sick people. However, there is some truth to the
belief that colds occur more often in winter - this is because when the
temperature drops, people tend to stay indoors in less ventilated areas,
creating a density that prevents the circulation of air and facilitates
the passage of viruses from one person to another.
3. Antibiotics help to overcome the common cold
It
is important to know that antibiotics fight bacteria rather than
viruses, so taking them unnecessarily may actually harm your health and
weaken your immune system. In addition, taking unnecessary antibiotics
may also cause stomach problems and fungal infections. Please note that
colds don’t require antibiotics, instead, you can take natural
painkillers or supplements that will relieve the symptoms and allow the
body to recover on its own.
Symptoms of the common cold
You
should know that when you talk about a cold, many parents think it’s an
easy illness that passes after a few short days, but in fact, a cold
can last between 6 and 14 days. Dr. David Jaffe, director of the
Department of Emergency Medicine at St. Louis Children's Hospital in
Missouri, explains that children are most infectious during the first
three days of a cold but can still infect someone two weeks after the
onset of the disease. Therefore, it is very important that you know the
symptoms of the common cold and how long they last, so that you know
what stage your child is in:
- A sore throat - the first sign of a cold, lasts from 5 to 9 days.
- A runny nose - starts to appear on the second or third day of the disease and lasts for 10-14 days.
- A cough - appears on day 5-6 of the disease and may last up to three weeks.
- Fever -
In half of the children their temperature will climb to 100-102 degrees
F by the second to third day of the disease. If it remains high even
after that, consult a doctor.
A few closing words
After
learning about prevention methods, myths and symptoms of colds, you can
be sure that your children will get through this coming winter cold
free because you now have all the tools and information you need to
know.
Simple Home remedy- at the first sign of cold or fever, cut a big onion into chunks and keep near you, let it be there for 5 days, then throw in the bin without touching it.
In case you still get cold, then take 15-20 tulsi leaves, boil in 2 glass of water with 1" ginger and 2 peppercorns crushed. Simmer this for 5-7 minutes, then strain the juice, make 3 equal parts, drink one at that time as hot as you can, drink another portion by warming it in the afternoon and last one at night. This will surely reduce the heaviness in your head, make you feel better.
THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE
HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.
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