How to Avoid a Cold

Series Summary

Influenza, commonly known as "the flu," is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses. In humans, common symptoms of the disease are chills and fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort. Although it is sometimes confused with the common cold, influenza is a much more severe disease and is caused by a different type of virus. Acute viral nasopharyngitis, usually known as the common cold, is a highly-contagious, viral-infectious disease of the upper respiratory system. Common symptoms are sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing and coughing. In this free video series, a family practice physician provides information on preventing, caring for and fighting the common cold and flu. Discover how the flu and colds differ, how to prevent colds and the flu, how to fight a flu and how to relieve pain from colds and the flu. Additionally, learn how to fight a flu naturally, how to take care of a stomach flu and how to get over the flu faster with these health care tips.

Video Transcript

"It's that time of season again. Everyone around you is sick. What are you ever going to do to prevent getting sick like everyone else? I'm Doctor Savage. I'm an osteopathic family practice physician in Tampa, and I'm here to tell you things that you can do to give yourself the best chances of preventing catching the common cold. That is actually two-fold. Number one, avoid things that could potentially harbor the viruses which cause the common cold. Hence, try to get your family and friends to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze. It may be a little difficult if someone next to you in a restaurant who you don't know, sneezes right on you. You might be out of luck in that situation. However, co-workers, families, friends, I think they might be okay with it. Especially if they're a cold, too. It would be responsible of them to clean up after themselves. The second part is to maintain a clean environment. You know, any time that you touch an object that can potentially harbor a virus, you have to actually be concerned about touching that and touching your face, where you can contract the virus. If you clean that area, that lessens your chances of actually contracting something. The second aspect of preventing the common cold is allowing your immune system to be as strong as possible to fight off any potential infections. To do that, you'd live a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise, a reasonable diet, and avoiding things that could weaken the immune system, such as excessive alcohol, excessive sunlight, tobacco, or sleep deprivation. If you do all those things, that will give you your best chances to make it through this cold season. I'm Doctor Savage, and I wish you the best of health."