Common cold recurrence in UK has mostly been associated with the cold season. Though the total numbers of the affected people has been varying depending with the length of the season and the urgency given to seek medical assistance, about 50% of the people in the country get the disease every year. Notably, about 75% of this population seek medical attention with urgency while the remaining 25% observe the traditional system or purchase their medication privately. However, specialists have indicated that this number might be much higher as more people get healed naturally through their body immune systems.
One fifth of the total working adults will experience a cold every year in Britain which has been estimated to sum to about 20 million annual missed working days annually. According to Clifford and Clifford (2008, pp. 102-105) economic cost of loss is about US $ 25 billion annually. Notably, this reduction in production has been cumulative and interlinked especially with most of the adults being unable to work effectively when their children and family members are suffering from the disease. 5. Pathophysiology of common cold ? Symptoms
Many of the symptoms are generally as a result of the body reaction to the virus presence in its operating systems. The response by the body is especially prompt due to the fact that it is air passed through the respiratory section that forms the core operation system for other systems to get oxygen. After infection the, researchers indicate that the cold manifests itself after 8-10 hours with overall symptoms being explicit after 2-5 days. Since discovery, researchers have indicated that the disease is transmitted mostly transmitted though aerosols released to the atmosphere and that have with them the cold causing virus.
It also results from body contact and the eyes (Eccles, 2005, pp. 718- 725). The first main symptom for the complication is indicated by sore or scratchy throat. As indicated earlier, the virus gets entry into the human body through the nose. However, the virus has the ability to get into the human system through the eyes. The direct entry to the upper respiratory system is therefore the first to be affected as the virus progresses to the rest of the respiratory system (Bruce et al, 2007, 6-10). Running nose results as viruses’ progress to the remaining part of the respiratory system and the body’s response.
Notably, the body responds by raising the total number of white blood cells as a counter measure to reduce the effect of the virus in it. Excess of the viruses and the tissues used by the white blood cells that assist to fight the virus are removed as mucus in form of running nose (Heikkinen, 2003, pp. 51-58. In addition, this mucus makes the upper systems to be clogged resulting to congestion. Occasionally the congestion in the upper respiratory system invokes sneezing that comes as a reflex action to clear it off.
Though mostly considered as the main symptoms for the cold, muscle aches, fatigue and malaise usually accompany the disease at an advanced stage. Besides, other symptoms like loss of appetite, weakness and headache should be taken as part of the overall symptoms especially when they occur during the cold season. Notably, about 25% of the people who get cold do not develop the systems due to their body’s ability to respond promptly to the virus (Clifford and Clifford, 2009, 154-155. ? Stages of the diseases and progress with time
Common cold usually passes through three major states after infection. While these stages are used as a mark of progress by the virus in colonizing the upper respiratory system, they also depict the ability of the body to respond and counter the invasion. Notably use of drugs and other counter measures may reduce or alter the occurrence of the stages. Stage one is referred as the slight ill feeling stage. At this stage, most of the people are not able to differentiate the symptoms as they are not fully developed.
A mild cough and scratchy throat is evident especially to the very sensitive people. This takes place after about 10 hours of infection by the virus. Patients should seek early medication to reduce the overall spread of the disease to the other unaffected people. Care should also be taken to ensure that the correct symptoms are observed for clear diagnosis. The second stage involves the whiny stage that categorizes the fully blown symptoms including but not limited to mild sneezing, coughing, sore throat, tiredness and general ill feeling.
Going to work or to school should be avoided at this stage to reduce the fast spread capacity from fully developed and vastly multiplied virus in the affected person. The third and the last stage is referred as the liquid stage and mark the epic of the disease in the body. Notably, the virus has particularly multiplied itself and the whole body reacts to it and there is more concentration to the upper respiratory system as opposed to even distribution of the body guarding system.
Previously active people are unable to perform their ordinary activities as the oxygen to supply energy has been partially curtailed and therefore energy production vastly curtailed. At this stage, people are encouraged to keep out of public places and take lots of fluids that can assist them to return the fast declining ones in the lymphatic system. 6. Management of the common cold and use of echinacea ? Using echinacea Various species of echinacea are widely used to suppress the viral progress in the body globally.
Echinacea pallida, Echinacea purpurea and Echinocea angustifolia are the three main species that are used for the disease treatment (Charrois et al, 2006, pp. 385-387). Roots, seeds, leaves and flowers are processed and packed for use by the patients. The plant is mostly applied for treatment of cough, sore throat, and tonsillitis as a natural option. However, lack scientific support procedures have led to numerous later researches in trial to determine the effectiveness of the plant (Barrett and Calabrese, 1999, 628-635). In his research, Vermont (2005, p.
2) found out that there is very little evidence of of echinacea having any effects in treating the common cold. Following earlier clinical researches that had indicated similar negative effects, it became clear that very large doses of echinacea would be required to effect any substantial results. However, the widespread use of the plant especially in North America has brooded new considerations of the plant effectiveness. To add to that, prior research that gave nod to the plant use were deficient of calculation sample sizes and did not have correct validated cases.
Besides, they lacked vital information regarding the main methods that were used to establish similarities between groups. This has made the plant to be dismissed for excessive bias with placebo effect. Vermont (2005, pp. 16-17) continues to say that the rising cost of treatment for various ailments has resulted to the present proliferation of the herbal drugs in the shop shelves. Use of the plant is attached to the modern connotation of the “new natural system” a marketing term that is mostly applied in a market oriented model aimed at maximizing the overall returns (Barrett and Calabrese, 199, pp.
628-635). ? Use of Nutrition to manage the problem As indicated earlier, common cold is a viral disease that manifests itself in the respiratory system after infection. With the body being able to actively react to the virus presence, appropriate support systems that enhance the antibodies efficiency assist in reducing the overall effects on the patient. Notably, patients are advised to take enough rest that encourages the body to concentrate its energies in countering the virus (Jackson, Dowling, & Muldoon, 2005, pp. 940-945).
Therefore, measures that can assist the body in boosting this initial energy are generally effective in suppressing the disease. Water should be taken in large quantities to aid production of antibodies in the lymphatic system. Researches also indicate that when the tissues of the body especially the respiratory tract are dehydrated, viruses are able to replicate themselves faster. Patients suffering from common cold are advised to take less sugar in their body as it inhibits the white blood cell function through decreasing the amount of vitamins C which can be transported to the white blood cells.
Nutrition therapy therefore includes the diet that has lots of fluids and minimal sugars. To add top that, the food taken during this period should have vast amounts of vitamin C providing nutrients (Arroll, 2005, pp. 1477-1484). Through enhancement of the blood cells ability to propagate and counter external attacks by the virus, vitamins availability and uptake has been indicated to be directly proportional to severity of the cold. Using nutrition has been indicated to be highly effective as it do not have negative body impacts that result from consumption of other drugs to treat the condition.
It is also considered to be superior in that empowering the body’s system prevents it from getting other opportunistic infections that take advantage of the period when the body is much weaker (Guyatt, Wyrwich, and Norman, 2002, 371-385). Notably, with a strong and healthy immune system, the common cold only lasts a few days. Therefore the patients should ensure that they get the correct diet and supplement it with the physician’s medication to further suppress the virus. Conclusion and recommendation
Over the year, common cold has remained one of the major infections that have greatest extended effects globally. As indicated in the assay, the condition has a long history and methods to counter it are equally ancient. Traditionally, the applied systems were less scientific and occurred spontaneously and were dependent on the regions that people lived in. However, the advent of antibiotics saw the great loss of popularity for the earlier methods. Later still, research has proven some of the methods like use of echinacea to be ineffective in addressing the common cold infection.
However, the plants still have an element of reducing the severity of the disease but with use of very large quantities. Notably, the much popularised use of the plant has failed to account for the direct methodology that is applied to establish precise quantities to be used by the patients. Therefore, patients should endeavour to seek better and more effective methods that can guarantee them the required protection from the virus. Therefore, use of nutrition therapy should be encouraged due to its compounded advantages and increased efficiency.
To add to that, patients should seek medical attention after they are infected and ensure that they are very observant on their bodies to assist in establishing the progress of the condition. Due to the vast use of natural methods especially in North America, more research should be established to come up with better and lower cost of treating common cold.
Reference list
Arroll, B. 2005. Non-antibiotic treatments for upper-respiratory tract infections (common cold). Respiratory Journal of Med. 99(12):1477-1484. Barrett, B. & Calabrese, C. 1999. Echinacea for upper respiratory infection. J Fam Pract 48:628–35.
Bruce, B. , Brian, H. , David, B. , Zhengjun, Z. & Roger, B. 2007. Sufficiently Important Difference for Common Cold: Severity Reduction, University of Wisconsin: Department of family medicine. Charrois, T. , Hrudey, J. , Vohra, S. 2006. Echinacea. Pediatrics in Review. 27:10, 385-387 Clifford, P. & Clifford, G. 2009. The common cold: Analytical review of historical progress in treatment and control. Sage: Brussels. Eccles, R (November 2005). “Understanding the symptoms of the common cold and influenza”. Lancet Infect Dis 5 (11): 718–25. Guyatt, G. , Wyrwich, K. , & Norman, G. 2002. Methods