In this video I discuss what is the common cold, and what is a virus, or viral infection. I discuss some common cold symptoms, and some common cold remedies.
Transcript
What is the common cold?
The common cold is brought on by a viral infection, over 200 types of virus can cause the problem. Some symptoms include runny nose, sneezing, headache, raised temperature, sore throat, cough and even reddened eyes. There is no cure for it, and antibiotics have no effect against the viruses.
Cold remedies do nothing to fight the virus, but they can sometimes provide some relief.
The common cold is spread in air, tiny mucus droplets coughed or sneezed by those infected, also from person to person through contact, such as shaking hands, or sharing objects like cups or silverware. Many viruses can survive up to 18 hours in the environment , and be picked up by peoples hands and carried to their eyes, nose or mouth.
What is a virus? How a virus works?
Now lets take a look at what happens once we catch the “cold”, or virus to be more exact. Typically virus particles from the air will land on cells in the nose or throat area. They then quickly multiply and kill the host cell. They continue to do this going from cell to cell.
Our immune system gets alerted of these invaders and sends in defender cells known as white blood cells. There are different types of white blood cells, with 2 of the most powerful being B cells, and T cells.
So, what happens is the white blood cells arrive at the scene of the crime and the B cells release antibodies, which immobilize the virus particles. The t cells may play a couple of different roles. They can help the b cells make more antibodies, giving more troops to fight the virus, or they can release chemicals that go into an infected cell and kill the cell and any virus inside it.
Then, other white blood cells called phagocytes come in and clean up, engulfing the virus particles, and damaged cells. Then the cold subsides.
Once the virus is wiped out, there are some specialist b and t cells that retain a memory of the virus. So, if the same virus returns, the immune system knows exactly how to attack it. This gives our body what is called acquired immunity.
So, what can we do to minimize the risk of getting the common cold?
Wash your hands often, especially after or when you are in a public place touching surfaces used by other people. Avoid touching your face in public areas, keep household items clean such as doorknobs and remotes, use paper towels as germs can live on cloth towels for several hours.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle by staying active, eating nutritious foods and getting enough sleep, as this will help keep your respiratory and immune systems in good condition. Keeping stress to a minimum will also help your immune system, and obviously, avoid, as best you can, anyone that has a cold.
Other sources…
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