Common Cold

For the purposes of this blog, we will only be presenting the common cold.
Flu will be another blog, another time…

So what is the common cold?
Do we know the facts?
Are we aware how we get a cold?

WHY are colds so common?
WHY are colds more common in winter?
WHY are we getting a cold straight after the festive season?
WHY are young children at greater risk of colds? (1)

WHY are the drug store ‘symptom relief’ medicines not cutting it?
WHY are billions spent on antibiotic prescriptions for cold sufferers?

WHY is it that antibiotics have no effect on a viral illness?

WHY is it called the common cold?
WHY is a cold the most common infectious disease?
WHY is it the most commonly occurring illness in humans?

WHY do colds occur all year round?
WHY do young children suffer from 6 – 8 colds per year? (2)
WHY do symptoms last longer in smokers?

WHY are there endless solutions to treat a cold?
WHY are we told there is no cure for the common cold?
WHY are we told to avoid coffee, tea and drinks that contain caffeine? (2)

WHY are we told to avoid any drinks that contain alcohol? (2)
WHY are websites telling us to get more ‘rest’?
WHY are our statistics on the common cold so out of date? (3)

What are the real figures and the true global cost to the economy for common cold?

What does our Concise Oxford English dictionary tell us about these two words?

Common – Occurring found or done often, not rare.

Cold – Relatively low temperature. Lacking affection or warmth or feeling. (4)
Google tells us – relatively low temperature, especially when compared with the human body.
Lacking affection or warmth of feeling.

So we now know that the common cold occurs in the majority of human beings.
Is there a clue here about us lacking affection or warmth of feeling towards ourselves?

In the course of a year, people in the USA suffer 1,000,000,000 colds. (5)

By the time we reach 75, we have probably had approx. 200 colds and spent about 2 years of our lives, coughing and sneezing. (6)

The world famous The Common Cold Centre is saying that the Common Cold is the most common disease.

Common cold infections are so widespread that there can be very few humans who escape infection each year and most will suffer multiple infections. The Common Cold Centre estimates that adults suffer 2 to 5 colds per year and school children may suffer 7 to 10 colds per year. (7)

The common cold is an upper respiratory tract infection where the mucous membrane in our nose and throat becomes inflamed and we end up with some of the following symptoms:

Sore throat
Scratchy throat
Sneezing
Stuffy nose
Watery nose
Runny nose
Congestion
Cough
Generally feeling unwell
Mild headache
Excessive tiredness
Weakened senses of taste and smell
Coloured nasal discharge

There are many types of viruses that can cause a common cold.

The American Lung Association tells us on their website that the common cold are minor infections of the nose and throat caused by more than 200 different viruses.

Rhinovirus is the most common cause, accounting for 10 – 40% of colds. (2)

A cold may last a week or longer especially in children, the elderly and those in poor health.

In the United States, colds account for more visits to the doctor than any other condition. (2)

A cold virus enters our body through the mouth, nose or eyes.
The virus can be spread through droplets in the air if we are close to someone who talks, coughs or sneezes.
It can also spread by hand-to-hand contact with someone who has a cold or by sharing contaminated objects like towels, toys, telephones and utensils.

Does this mean we can blame the telephone and the toys for giving us a cold?
Does this mean we better stop touching our kids and everyone else?
Does this mean we are just victims of this awefull common illness?
Does this mean we just have to suck it up and accept we will get colds every year?
Does this mean our common cold is just a bad luck thing?

What exactly is Rhinovirus infections?
Rhino comes from the Greek word for “nose”.
For the in depth detail of what this small virus, is check out this link –
http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Rhinovirus.aspx

This medical news article also states that children can suffer from as many as twelve colds a year.

How serious is that?
WHY are our kids getting sick so often?
Is it anything to do with how we are raising them?

Are we happy blaming the weather and other kids at school?
Are we missing something here?
Are we just accepting it is part of growing up?
Are we ever thinking it maybe something else?

Are we aware that they may have a poor immune system?
Are we asking, if our children are at risk how are our children living?
Are we placing expectations on our children, which takes them away from their natural state?

Are we pushing them too much during school term with all the extra activities?
Are we driving them during weekends with more extracurricular sports?
Are we planning any true rest as part of the weekend break?

Are we too exhausted to even consider that they may be exhausted?
Are we giving them copious amounts of sugar which is attacking their immune system?
Are we just accepting that every kid gets the common cold so why bother to change?

Are we joining the dots and seeing that their sleep rhythm may have something to do with why they get so many colds?

Are we open to discussing that all the above maybe contributing to ill health?

Are we ready to feel that extra screen time is not supporting their true well-being? (8)

Risk Factors (9)

  • Children younger than six are at greatest risk of colds especially if they spend time in child-care settings.
  • Having a chronic illness or otherwise weakened immune system increases our risk.
  • Children and adults are more susceptible to colds in autumn and winter.
  • Smokers are more likely to have severe colds.
  • Exposure to general public places like school, and being on an airplane, we are more likely to get viruses that cause colds.
  • There are other complications such as a cold can trigger an asthma attack.
  • If a common cold does not resolve it can lead to inflammation and infection of the sinuses.
  • Bronchitis symptoms may be worsened for many weeks after a cold has gone. (2)

Hello

Just reading the above can tell us to not go on public transport, send our kids to school or hang out with anyone and if we do, we are more than likely to get the horrible symptoms of a common cold.

To top it all we get told by the medics that –

There is no cure for the common cold.

Antibiotics are of no use against cold viruses. (2)

There are no antiviral medications available for treating the common cold. (2)

Over the counter medicines do not kill the virus and in most circumstances, do not help with the symptoms. (10)

Scientists claim that cough medicines are actually useless stating ‘There is very little evidence that cough syrup is effective at treating coughs and carefully proofed clinical trials show that these medications are generally no better than placebo’. (11)

It’s important to remember that cough medicines will not “cure” a cough.
John Smith, Chief Executive of the Proprietary Association of Great Britain (11)

The worldwide known Common Cold Centre, in a university, was set up to conduct clinical trials on new treatments for the common cold and flu.
One of their most important findings has been that the ‘active ingredients’ used in standard cough medications are no more effective than placebo treatments for coughs associated with common cold. (12)

So here we have science telling us it is in the mind because glugging that cough remedy is not really doing anything for us to get rid of it.

 Although tremendous academic effort has been made to determine sign-and-symptom combinations that will help to firm up the diagnosis of conditions like otitis media, streptococcal sore throat, bacterial sinusitis and community acquired pneumonia, no such literature exists for the diagnosis of the common cold.
Graham Worrall MB BS MsC FCFP
Retrieved from Official Publication of The College of Family Physicians of Canada (13)

Here is the confirmation that we have no cure and no remedy for the common cold.
Is our body trying to teach us something here?
Is this why science has yet to come up with a cure for the common cold?
WHY are our governments’ supporting the pharmaceutical industry to find cures and not putting resources into finding out WHY we get a common cold in the first place?

If we do not address the root cause of this everyday common cold illness who wins?
Are we getting the benefit here or do our drug companies really profit from our ill choices?

What is not making sense is WHY do we keep on buying more and more of this stuff at the drug store and WHY are the pharmaceuticals happy to continue selling it to us?

How serious is this business when the cough, cold and sore throat medicines market is worth more than £400,000,000 in one year? (11)

So what do we do when we feel ‘under the weather’ with the common cold that the world and its brothers have all got when the clocks go back or when Christmas, New Year party season is over and school term starts again?

Do we just accept it and expect this at this time of the year?
Do we do what we always do, run our body to the ground and then take the time out?
Do we ignore it and soldier on with a box of man size tissues?
Do we use this as an excuse to take time off work but not really rest?
Do we head on down to the drug store to buy the latest best knock out pharmaceutical drug that will allow us to function and make our symptoms disappear?
Do we think it’s much more than a cold so we try and see our GP who is not available for a month as we are not classed as an emergency patient?
Do we get stressed as it is the wrong time and very inconvenient as we have a big ‘to do’ list?

Our media is telling us that every autumn season we fall (pun intended) for this cold and flu stuff that everyone seems to be catching. (14)

Then come the recommendation of products to look after ourselves like some magic potion, lotion, pill, cream, mask, spray, drops and balms – ranging from the el cheapo to the expensive stuff which tells us it works and is the solution and cure to our cold.

Then in come our thoughts like –

Is this stuff really going to help me?
So much to choose from?
Is the cheap stuff going to cut it?
Is the expensive stuff going to be the best?
What is it that we are paying for?
Just because it says it works, does it?
Who do we believe?
All the ads are saying use different products?
Would common sense medicine work?
Would it be wise to just get some deep rest?
Would it be of more benefit to listen to the GP advice?
What would the pharmacist have to say?
Can I take advice from others who are suffering with a cold?
What is the truth here for me?
What does my body actually want?
WHY am I so confused?
WHY are things so complicated?
WHY is it so hard to make a choice?

So just because a pot of cream costs more than a day’s pay, or it has words that make it sound like God sent it just for you from heaven to help your cold, may not mean it works.

We have a tendency to fall for the words without feeling the truth in words.
Words seem to have a way of losing their true meaning and are flashed around and our marketing and advertising industry rely on these with of course the eye candy pictures that go with it.

We go with that light fluffy feeling as we get hooked into buying something that we know deep down we will probably use once, as it just doesn’t seem to offer us what it says on the writing.

We want the quick fix, give it to me now, anything to get rid of the symptoms.

Not once do we want a complete stop to ask, WHY on earth are we feeling so crap every single year with this cold business that bungs us up and blocks our ears and nose and our throat feels like sandpaper, even to swallow water.

Could it be possible that we tend to ignore our body and not wrap up warm throughout the year?

Could it be possible that we eat dairy products which cause mucus and this may have something to do with sinus issues?

Could it be possible that our late nights everyday, play a part in why we get ill?
Could it be possible that our stress levels have something to do with this cold?
Could it be possible that our immune system cannot cope with our self-neglect?
Could it be possible that we ignored the first signs of feeling run down and tired?

Could it be possible that the common cold is our body’s way of adjusting the harm we have caused it and now it is re-balancing? In other words, discarding that which is not needed – a sort of cleaning and clearing out.

Could it be possible that the reason why we keep getting colds is because we keep living in dis-regarding ways since the last cold we had?

Do we take a sensible common sense approach and support our body to rest with appropriate medication and use the time off to ask how have we been actually living that led to this point?

Could it be possible that our daily choices may have contributed to WHY we have a common cold?

Could it be possible that our body is communicating when we get the common cold and it is saying –

“Listen up, enough of your nonsense way of living. I am exhausted with your food choices, lack of my sleep every day, TV on at midnight, social media chit chat and pushing me to do more and more.
I need a stop, and a real break from this ill living right now, so I am shutting down and demanding rest and sleep”?

Could our body be telling us it wants a holiday from trashy living and the only way is to bring on an ugly cold that bugs us and stops us doing our ‘business as usual’ behaviour?

Could it be possible that the pharmaceutical industry is supplying because we are demanding more and more drugs to support our dis-regarding way of living everyday?

We call ourselves the most intelligent species on earth with all the modern advancements and yet we have no answers for the most common infectious dis-ease to our body.

If we want to go the alternative route, “the scientific jury is still out on common alternative cold remedies” like vitamin C and Zinc. (15)

Garlic, Echinacea, honey, lemon or eucalyptus are claims that are not solidly supported by scientific studies. In other words, we are to only go with what science claims, not what we feel may work for us? (2)

Could it be possible that science may not have all the answers?
Could it be possible that our body has a real intelligence?
Could it be possible our body innately has ALL the answers?
Could it be possible that our body has a natural sensible approach?
Could it be possible that if we truly connected to our body we can get answers?
Could it be possible that how we are choosing to live gives us the answers?
Could it be possible that how we are running our body is the answer?

Could it be possible that when government websites tell us that science is the only way, it somehow does not make sense when the same website tells us to cut back on smoking, only whilst we have a cold, when we all KNOW smoking is killing us?

We have cigarette packet warnings from the government telling us that smoking kills?

Is any of this making any sense?
Can we join the dots here?

WHY has science not yet come up with the answer for our common cold?

WHY are we so miserable and putting up with this cold stuff every single year?
WHY do we trot down to the drug store and get the medication but not ever question WHY we got another cold yet again?

Have we ever asked why we are still aiming at providing a better understanding of common cold symptoms?
WHY has no one worked it out?
Could there be a simple answer?
Could common sense help us out here?

Do we need all this measuring with subjective and objective methods?
Are research studies truly offering us evolution?

WHY have we simply not got rid of this common cold?
WHY do we rely on evidence from animal experiments?
WHY are we seeking and researching more and more drugs to relieve symptoms?
WHY are we not any closer to finding out the root cause of WHY we get a cold?
WHY are we asking for more clinical trials?
WHO is funding this all?
WHO really benefits?

Is paying volunteers to participate the answer?
Is it giving out a message to us to say that we no longer have to take individual responsibility for how we are choosing to live?

Are animals really going to give us the answers for our human issues?
Are animals getting the common cold 6 times a year?
Are animals exposed to the life we are living?
Are animals used in these experiments behaving like us?
Are animals actually making ill lifestyle choices every day?

Would it be true to say that testing drugs on animals is not really offering us any true evolution?

Dear World

Could it be possible that there is another way?
Could it be possible to not ‘catch’ a cold?
Could it be possible to not be a common cold statistic ever again?
Could it be possible to live a life where we don’t get colds every year?

Could it be possible that our body is communicating something to us all of the time?
Could it be possible we need to get real and honest about how we are choosing to live?

Could it be possible to be around others in public places and not fear getting a cold?
Could it be possible to not get a cold after touching others who have a cold?
Could it be possible that being in close contact with someone sneezing on a train will not guarantee we get a cold?

Could it be possible that all the intelligence and science in this world is never going to give us the answer for the common cold?

Could it be possible that we each have the answers to WHY our body gets sick inside us?
Could it be possible that building a foundation that truly supports us can be a start?

Could it be possible that keeping things simple is a true way of living?

Could it be possible that Expression is Everything, so we need to pay attention to what this means?

Could it be possible to end the cold hands and cold feet way of living?
Could it be possible what we are choosing to eat has an effect on our immune system?

Could it be possible that coffee is artificially keeping us going and it is high time we looked at why we are drinking it and not just giving it up whilst we got the cold, as the doc told us to?

Could it be possible that excess mucus is related to our dairy intake?

Could it be possible that the dairy in the chocolate we love so much is not helping us and our body needs to clear it by way of excess mucus during a common cold spell?

Could it be possible that we are more susceptible to catching the cold because we are tired, exhausted or have chronic fatigue, but are not even aware of it?

Could it be possible that things can only change if we start asking WHY are we sick?

What choices have we been making that led to this point?

As a regular sufferer of the common cold, with my asthma pump I just bopped along in life and took it as a gross inconvenience. It would always turn into bronchitis for about three months and I was told that it was family genetics and it was there for the rest of my life.

Inspired by the life and work of Serge Benhayon, Universal Medicine, it is worth noting that I have not suffered from the common cold, had a sore throat or any signs of asthma or bronchitis in the past 10 years.

Is the author of this blog one of the ‘very few humans’ who are escaping the dreaded common cold OR are the Responsible lifestyle choices the reason for not getting a cold in over a decade the real true answer?

Could it be possible that Benhayon presents a simple way of living that works and makes sense?

Next – in answer to the above ‘could it be possible’ questions, the answers from lived experience are YES.

As the author of this blog, I can claim and speak with authority that there is another way.

We do not need to catch colds several times a year.
We can be open and connected with anyone and everyone with no holding back.
We do not need to subscribe to any beliefs and stories about common colds.
We can live a life that is about TRUE RESPONSIBILITY for all the choices we are making.
We can end the suffering of this dreaded common cold illness.
We can make a start by cutting out obvious poisons like gluten, dairy and sugar.
We can make sensible lifestyle choices every single day.
We can build a true foundation that feels strong and steady.
We can make life simple and no longer have stress filled days.
We can have a nap to support us with a deeper rest.
We can choose early bedtime as our new normal way of living.

We can give ourselves permission to say No to

  • Alcohol
  • Caffeine
  • TV
  • Social Media
  • Shopping
  • Night Clubs
  • Drugs

And all other distractions that alter our natural state of being.
We can further support with sensible food choices that respect our body.
We can take stop moments during our day to check in with how we truly feel.
We can begin to honour what we feel even if at first it feels uncomfortable.
We can choose to express our truth all the time.
We can make common sense a new approach to our everyday life.
We can make a start by being real and honest about everything that is not working.

As a human being, I am a living science and that is enough proof that there is another way.

However, it does require that word RESPONSIBILITY in every area of our lives.

That means – a commitment to life and seeing all components of life as equal and the same.

References

(1) Mayo Clinic Staff. (2016, April 9). Common Cold. Retrieved January 18, 2017 from
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/home/ovc-20199807

(2) (2017). Facts About the Common Cold. Retrieved January 18, 2017 from
http://www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/influenza/facts-about-the-common-cold.html

(3) Davis, J.L. (2003, February 24). Cost of the Common Cold: $40 Billion. Retrieved January 18, 2017 from
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20030224/cost-of-common-cold-40-billion#1

(4) Concise Oxford English Dictionary – Twelfth Edition. Oxford University Press. 2011

(5) (2017, January 3). Common Cold. Retrieved January 19, 2017 from https://medlineplus.gov/commoncold.html

(6) Coleman, N. (n.d). Four More Surprising Facts About the Common Cold. Retrieved January 21, 2017 from
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-141121/Four-surprising-facts-common-cold.html

(7) The Common Cold. The Common Cold Centre. Retrieved January 21, 2017 from
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/common-cold-centre/the-common-cold

(8) Weale, S. (2016, December 25). Experts Call for Official Guidelines on Child Screen Use. Retrieved January 19, 2017 from
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/25/experts-call-for-official-guidelines-on-child-screen-use

(9) Mayo Clinic Staff. (2016, April 9). Common Cold – Symptoms & Causes. Retrieved January 18, 2017 from
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/symptoms-causes/dxc-20199808  

(10) (2015, November 21). Rhinovirus Infections. Retrieved January 18, 2017 from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/ear-nose-throat/Pages/Rhinovirus-Infections.aspx

(11) Allen, V. (2017, January 7). Great Cough Syrup Con. Daily Mail

(12) (n.d). About Us. The Common Cold Centre. Retrieved January 21, 2017 from
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/common-cold-centre/about-us

(13) Worrall, G. (2011, November). Common Cold. Retrieved January 18, 2017 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3215607/

(14) Hall, V. (2016, October 18). The 6 Beauty Essentials to Help Fend off Colds and Flu This Winter. Retrieved January 21, 2017 from
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/body/the-best-cold-and-flu-beauty-remedies/

(15) Mayo Clinic Staff. (2016, April 9). Common Cold – Treatment. Retrieved January 19, 2017 from
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/diagnosis-treatment/treatment/txc-20199829

 

 

 

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Comments 20

  1. This is absolutely my experience. All my life I have got a cold when I pushed it too hard, usually on the study or exam or work front. My parents used to joke about it that it was my body saying ‘enough’. And it makes sense that if your body can’t take any more of what you are doing to it then it will find a way to stop you. Mine certainly does.

    And if I’m really honest, this line jumped out at me ‘Do we use this as an excuse to take time off work but not really rest?’ – I am getting so much better at this, but I still struggle to let myself DEEPLY rest. I will judge how much I can rest based on how much there is to do and whether I feel ‘able’, rather than letting my body completely surrender and decide when IT is ready to re-start.

    1. I Love your honesty JS.
      In this world where there is so much push to over ride our bodies messages I too have discovered that I have mis-used many a ‘sick-day’ and much needed ‘rest’ days have not really been rest-full and I still struggle to make myself stop & rest deeply even when I have heard the message loud and clear that this is what is in loving order…

      It is this kind of honesty we need to pull ourselves out of all this unnecessary illness and disease.

      Imagine if we raised children with a deep reverence for the wisdom that comes through our bodies instead of caving in and allowing them to spend a day skiing when they are home sick as I have often known parents to do? Things would be very different…

  2. I used to get colds many times per year.
    When I was especially neglecting and abusing myself, (staying in unhappy life situations, not resting or caring for myself) it would turn into pneumonia.

    One time got so bad my doctor said I could die if I kept working as the infection was effecting my heart; I was so week I could barely stand up for 2 weeks…

    Due to the wisdom of Serge Benhayon and the support of Simple Living Global I have learned to be warm, caring and supportive of myself and I have not been sick at all for over 4 years.

  3. I have always been interested in how I get colds. Why do I sometimes get a cold but other times I can totally be in close contact with someone who has a cold and not get it? Their is more to this cold thing then the experts know.

    I usually got a cold once or twice a year, and I just accepted it. However I did understand that how I lived had an effect on the severity and frequency of getting sick.

    I found Simple Living Global and the Back to Basics program because I was totally exhausted and did not know why, and I asked for the truth. It has transformed my life, basically by doing some intensive self care and re-learning to listen to my body.

    A simple confirmation that it works is that I have had a cold every year for 61 years of my life,but I have not had a cold in the last 4 years!

  4. When I lived in the UK I was a habitual sufferer of colds, I’d suffer anything up to 3-4 colds a year. I was living in a way that wasn’t supporting my body. I was exercising six days a week, doing shift work, being on call and sometimes working 14 hours a day, eating gluten, dairy (and I wondered why I was full of mucus) processed sugar, drinking alcohol, coffee (to keep me ticking) and I thought I was healthy.

    My poor body was worn out and I didn’t stop to listen to the loud signals. Every symptoms described by the author is what I experienced and was awful to feel. And every time I visited the GP, I was prescribed antibiotics which seldom assisted.

    I continued to suffer colds when I moved to Australia- something wasn’t right. It was only when my health stopped me in my tracks, I slowly omitted the above foods I indulged in (as well listening to my body more) and I haven’t had a cold for two years now.

    This blog needs to be read by all patients waiting at the GP surgery waiting to be seen for the common cold symptoms.

  5. Brilliant blog about something seemingly so normal and not very interesting yet what is written here is eye-popingly interesting. I have colleagues who say ‘This is my 5th cold in a row’ – or ‘I’ve had this cold for 3 weeks’ and often the conversations is around who they caught it from blaming others. I know for myself and my own experience I get colds when I am not taking care of myself, when I am in disregard e.g. even not wrapping up enough in the cold weather, or not getting enough rest or sleep, or not ensuring I have nourishing food. Getting a cold for me is a marker of the way I am living and an opportunity to review how I have been living and make more nurturing changes.

  6. Another observation based on this blog is how many cold, flu remedies are advertised as ‘pick me up’ and ‘keep going’ medicines so I don’t need to stop I can pop pills and keep going, yet all the while my immune system is getting weaker and weaker. I saw an advert for indigestion medicine the other day – it said ‘food on the run… indigestion… take this medicine and you will feel better’ – I thought rather than take the medicine why not sit for a moment and eat the food, take a moment to digest it and maybe that would not create the indigestion … thus saving the need for the pills…

  7. Such an important topic – one of the things in our world is an increasing reliance on antibiotics – even for things like colds … “Antibiotic resistance presents one of the biggest threats to global health and development today – and the threat is growing”
    http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/antimicrobial-resistance/news/news/2016/11/world-antibiotic-awareness-week-2016-encouraging-health-care-workers-and-the-public-to-become-antibiotic-guardians

  8. It is interesting to me that the way many people deal with colds is to take drugs that suppress the symptoms so you can ignore the fact that your body is telling you to stop.

    This is very similar to how humanity is dealing with the issues that face us on a global level. And like our bodies if we ignore the messages that the earth is sending us then we will get stronger messages that eventually will wake us up. I feel that is what is happening with all the illness and disease, and the natural disasters.

    Our bodies and mother earth are these amazing things with incredible patience, that are there to support us.
    Why do we ignore all this wisdom that is there for us?

    I feel it is time for the most intelligent species on earth to step up and take responsibility for our own lives and what effect we our having on our planet and the rest of humanity.

  9. This was a surprising read, the statistics for the common cold are way higher than I had realised.

    One of your points is young children suffer 6-8 colds a year. That’s heavy going for young, growing, developing, learning children to go through. This must affect their ability to concentrate and learn significantly.

    Could the high consumption of sugar be a contributor to this, with all the cakes, sweets, sugary drinks, and ready made meals/fast foods so readily available and easy to hand ?

    babyfooddoctor.com says ‘one teaspoon can weaken the immune system for up to four hours’

    ‘a sweet tooth is created, it is not something a baby is born with’ yet it is ‘in popular processed baby food, cereals and fruit juices’.

    If children have sugar at each meal and in their drinks, could this mean that their immune systems are constantly in a weakened state ?

    Are we setting our children up to be susceptible to colds and viruses with sugary treats and meals ?

  10. Top blog, Simple Living Global, on a subject that is so easily dismissed.

    Because the ‘common cold’ is so pervasive, frequent and accepted as the norm, it seems that society has just stopped questioning ‘WHY’ it is still so easy to succumb to it.

    We have such a carefree attitude to this illness that we treat the cold as something that is going to happen to us regardless of how we choose to live our everyday lives.

    At no time do we stop and think that what we eat, drink, our lack of sleep or how we live has any effect on whether we catch the cold or not.

    Talking as someone who, just like the majority of us, caught the cold 2 or 3 times a year,
    I can say that because of my lifestyle changes, I haven’t had a cold in over 9 years.

    The lifestyle changes I made were:

    Cutting out dairy, alcohol, caffeine, sugar and gluten.
    Changing my sleeping patterns by going to bed early and also having a nap in the day which led to a better quality of sleep.
    Looking and dealing with any issues that I had.
    Taking responsibility for all my choices.

    By making the above changes, I no longer get any colds.

    Is it possible then, that the changes I have made will also help to reduce the possibility of me getting any other illness or disease?

    The phrase ‘common cold’ doesn’t seem right.

    If the cold is so ‘common’, why haven’t we found a cure for it?

  11. https://consumer.healthday.com/mental-health-information-25/child-psychology-news-125/when-a-divorce-turns-bitter-kids-immune-systems-may-pay-a-price-723304.html

    A new research study found that children whose parents separate and don’t speak are at increased risk for colds as adults.

    “Our results target the immune system as an important carrier of the long-term negative impact of early family conflict”
    Sheldon Cohen, Professor of Psychology – Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg.

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-sleep-day/
    Our blog on sleep talks about sleep affecting our immune system which most of us know. When we are not getting the quality of sleep our body needs, then it starts to break down and the common cold is sure on the list.

    Any child who goes through the separation of their parents is going to have their sleep more than likely affected. This means a poor immune system and behaviour patterns that may not address the sleep or taking care of oneself over the long-term.

    So do we really need a research study or can we use our common sense once again and state the obvious, why this goes on in the first place?

    We have become a world that is constantly seeking more and more research about this and that and what if we did start to bring things back to basics. Stuff like our ancestors done without pharmacy drugs and sleep aids and everything else we keep demanding.

    Would this Simple Living give the parents the space to address what the children are feeling and start the communication first in their relationship and then with the kids?

    Are we missing something here when the research tells us it is where the parents don’t speak?

    Imagine what is unspoken that is going on in the air.

    Surely common sense would say this has to be addressed as the whole family end up suffering and it’s more than a common cold if we are being honest here.

  12. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-40800941
    BBC news story – 2 August 2017

    The headlines say “Exciting Discovery” in common cold cure search.
    Scientists believe they may have made a breakthrough in the search for a cure for the common cold but this is very early stages.
    As we do not have a cure and no vaccine it is an urgent requirement this article is saying.

    Is cure the answer or do we need research to tell us WHY we get a cold in the first place?

    Should we be asking those who do not get colds, how are they living, what lifestyle choices they are making and what is supporting their immune system as surely that is WHY they don’t get the common cold? Do these people have the answers as they are the living sciences and they need to be studied?

    I for one can claim that I have not had a sore throat or cold in over 10 years. Surely that itself is worth studying. I also know others who choose to live as I do and they also do not suffer with the dreaded common cold. ADD to that, I do not take any vitamins or supplements or remedies to boost my immune system.

    What I do use is a daily dose of common sense medicine and apply the teachings of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine in a very practical way, to the best of my ability and bingo here I am at the age of 55 feeling younger than ever with more vitality and no cold on the radar.

    Maybe not right now but one day someone may find this blog and this comment and note that back in the early 21st century people were living free of the dis-eases like the common cold.

  13. Last week, week ending 5th November, the National Institute for Care and Excellence (NICE) announced that there is little or no evidence that decongestants actually help with sinus infections and people would do better sticking with paracetamol. (The Week, 4th November 2017).

    If this is the case, we are wasting millions of pounds each year on these products that are not having any effect at all.

    How can we be spending tons of money on something that is useless?

    Is this another way that we look for solutions, whether they are effective or not, just so we do not have to deal with the root cause, take responsibility and change our lifestyle choices?

  14. An article in ‘MedlinePlus’, 8th November 2017, talks about whether cold and cough over the counter medicines actually make any difference.

    According to a new report from the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), nothing has been proven to work that well.

    https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_169595.html

    After reviewing clinical trials testing everything form cough syrups to zinc, an ACCP panel came to some less than positive conclusions – over the counter medicines, including cold and cough products and anti-inflammatory painkillers, cannot be recommended.

    Nor is there evidence supporting home-made remedies like Grandma’s chicken soup.

    Every season, most people probably battle at least one cold and a lot of money is paid for the relief of that cold.

    In 2015, American’s spent more than $9.5 billion on over the counter cold/cough remedies.

    A professor at Creighton University in Omaha says, “But if you look at the evidence, it really doesn’t support using these products. Unfortunately, there have been no big advances made since 2006, which was the last time the Chest Physician’s issued guidelines on treating cold-related coughs.”

    The team looked at trials of cold products that contain decongestants and antihistamines, or decongestants and painkillers. They found no evidence that any quash a cough.

    A pulmonologist at National Jewish Health, a Denver hospital that specialises in respiratory diseases pointed out, “It can affect your sleep and quality of life so people are looking for ways to make it more bearable. And while a quick fix might be tempting, simply slowing down could help. Sometimes you just need to take a day off and let yourself rest.”

    He also recommended people drink enough water to stay hydrated – which may help break up any thick mucus that is causing the cough.

    So what do we do when a hacking cough keeps you up all night?

    They have said that a couple of studies have found that honey may bring some relief to children age 1 and up, however they say that honey should not be given to babies under 1 year old.

    When it comes to home remedies, if our favourite tea or soup helps you feel better, use it.

    One doctor says, “It’s very frustrating that we haven’t found a good way to address this.”

    Is it possible that we will never find a way to ‘address this’ as long as we keep looking for ways to relive the symptoms rather than looking at the root cause of why we catch colds?

    On a personal note, I haven’t had a cold in over 10 years. I take responsibility for my choices, I take care of myself, I don’t eat foods that could contribute to me getting a cold, I drink plenty of water, for the most part I listen to what my body is telling me and I don’t override that and on most days I take time to rest, to shut my eyes for at least 20 minutes.

    Is this pulmonologist is onto something when he says that simply slowing down and resting may help?

    It makes sense that if we take care of ourselves and give our bodies sufficient rest, our immune system will be so much more healthier and make it harder for the cold virus to take hold.

  15. Evening Standard – 12 January 2018

    FLU rates doubled in London over Christmas.

    London has the highest rate of common colds rising from 119.4% to 158.2%.

    The Royal College of General Practitioners weekly survey figures confirmed 27 people in the UK died from flu in the first week of January.

    The true rates could be even higher as GP surgeries were only open on four weekdays at the start of the year.

    Public Health England said the rate of flu hospitalisations was 2.5 times higher than at the same time last year.

    This is a microcosm of what is going on and surely we need to start asking more questions and above all the main question – Is there another way?

    Is it time to join the dots, put our common sense hat on and ask questions that can lead to discussions, which could make sense, as the way things are going it is highly likely these figures will keep increasing?

    How are we living every day leading up to the Christmas season?

    Can this have a direct impact of what happens to us?

    In other words, if we have late nights and stress as part of our everyday life in the year, can the festive season just ADD to that and our body cops it even more?

    Is the common cold telling us we have no inbuilt true strong immune system that can combat the stuff going around in the air?

    Is the common cold getting even more common because we are not choosing to take deep care of our precious body?

    Could the common cold be a clear indication that something about the way we are choosing to live is not supporting our body?

    Could the Flu be a big strong message from our body who is saying “Stop mate, I take over now and you have to be stopped as things need a repair job inside”
    In other words, all systems have broken down and there is so much exhaustion that a big fat stop with all sorts of symptoms, to keep us in bed, is the only way the much needed work our body has to do can happen.

    Could it be possible the Flu is communicating to us how we are choosing to live and this time off where we are so ill, is a reminder that we need to take a good look at life and make changes that truly support our health and well-being?

    We all hate being ill and sick, but what if it was in our hands and we don’t have to face this every year or even more than once a year?

  16. The Week – 11th November 2017, pp. 60 – 61

    Adults suffer an average of between two and four colds each year and children up to ten.

    “Winter remedy” sales in the UK reach £300 million each year, yet most have not actually been proven to work.

    More than 200 viruses provoke cold-like illness…

    In 2016, in the UK, coughs and colds accounted for almost a quarter of the total days lost to sickness, about 34 million. In the US, a survey carried out in 2002 calculated that the total cost of lost productivity caused by colds runs to almost $25 billion (£19 billion) each year.

    Taking Vitamin C in regular doses does little to ward off disease.

    Hot toddies, medicated tissues and immune system “boosts” of echinacea or ginger are ineffective.

    Antibiotics do nothing for colds.

    Although modern science has changed the way medicine is practised in almost every field, it has so far failed to produce any radically new treatments for colds.

    All of this I find very interesting.

    I used to be well known for taking time off work due to viruses especially sore throats. Only a few months would go by and I would feel run down again.

    Over the last 8 years the frequency of this has lessened. I know that the change in my lifestyle choices have made all the difference like –

    Going to bed early, consistently
    No longer eating gluten and dairy
    Speaking up
    Living a life that is Truthful and not a lie

    However, there have also been times when I have been going through a change in my life, with a sense of stepping up and going to the next chapter/phase of life. At those times my body has felt like it has had a virus and I have needed more rest.

    So is it possible that we also get these virus symptoms when we need to slow down and take stock and rest our bodies to prepare for the next stage that we are going to in life?

    Could viruses actually be a sign that our bodies are clearing whatever toxins we have been holding onto, so that we can move forward?

  17. In the office this week, it seems everyone is down with a cold.

    The discussion is about the horrible symptoms and how it has been ‘passed around’.

    But what if there is more to this? What if, as presented by this blog, whether or not we get a cold depends on how we are living?

    The way we talk about it, it is like we have no influence, but I know for myself that I only get sick when I am run down and not taking deep care of myself – is this the same for all of us?

    I wonder what would happen if we started to change the narrative so that we are super honest when we get a cold. If we simply started with an acknowledgement that we have played our part in the fact that we are sick and had a look at that – what choices have we made that have got us there? Where did we let it in?

    It feels like it is a message from the body that it needs to rest and clear. Were there earlier messages we ignored? Where were we with our food and sleep and social and other choices?

    If we quit the passive narrative, we might start to see our patterns more clearly, which gives us a chance to learn from and shift them.

  18. Daily Mail – 22 August 2020

    Research from the British Medical Journal found that honey was more effective in treating the symptoms of sore throats, tickly coughs and blocked noses than over the counter remedies from the pharmacy.

    What is this telling us and WHY is it not national news headlines and on the front page throughout the winter months when the nation stocks up on supplies for coughs and colds?

    For anyone who is interested, the total sales value of OTC – over the counter cough, cold and sore throat medicines was £493 million in 2017.

    Cold and flu decongestants generated the highest sales value in this category at £2.67 million and medicated confectionary were £124 million.
    https://www.statista.com/statistics/415982/over-the-counter-sales-for-cough-cold-sore-throat-in-great-britain/

    So these old stats tell us a lot of money is spent on the quick fix solutions when we get that cold or cough. We also like sweets that we think are medicine and this habit creates an industry of over a hundred million pounds. That is a lot of spending on something that is probably not working or is no different to a placebo effect. In other words, we take the sweets like it is somehow helping us, but in truth it is not doing much at all, other than probably putting sugar into our body.

    If we all went with the latest research about honey, which is probably what our grandmothers would recommend, we would put the pharmaceutical industry out of business or at least lower their profits.

    What if we went one step deeper and joined the dots – like we all know our immune system needs to be taken care of and a great way is getting enough quality sleep.

    What if we read every single blog and comment presented on this website in our sleep category and applied the practical elements and see what unfolds…

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/category/sleep/

    What if we then continue and commit with this sleep support for the next 2 years and see how many ailments we get in the common cold and cough department?

    What if our medicine industry is there and making billions because they simply supply to our demand and it is us, the individual who wants all of these medications as a solution, but never ask the questions WHY we get what we get and how on earth it got to that point?

    In other words, we know we are run down, overworking, not resting at all, sleep is way off and then we wonder why we rely so much on the OTC remedies to get us through the stress we have created, because of our own lack of focus on true self care?

    On that note, please visit our self care category and follow through with the rest of the articles on this website. There are now well over 200 and the author is presenting another way of living that is basic, simple and works.

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/category/self-care/

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/blog/

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