After reading Tig's last entry, I decided to search the net to see if I could find some new cold remedy for him to try. Most of what I found involved herbs that are not to be found in either one of our small towns. But I did find some interesting facts about the common cold. One was a definition of the scientific name "snot" found in the "Howstuffworks" website.
rhinorrhoea, n.: This is the fanciest way of describing your babbling, bubbling stream of snot. You probably recognize the last part of that word, and the first half, rhin, is Greek for nose. (A rhinoceros is literally a horn-nose.)So if you're reading this, Tig, see if you agree with author Hannah Holmes about the way you're feelin'--
It feels like it sounds: A rhinovirus is a good indication of how it would be to have a rhinoceros stuck up your nose. Your throat hurts. Later you begin to sneeze. Then, a babbling stream of snot bursts from your nose. In the end, you cough. Maybe your colds don't take this exact route, but you can probably predict the path they'll hack through your head.
Ms. Holmes tried to find out more about the common cold from Owen Hendley, who has spent a long time studying on the subject. He explains that
A cold virus gets into your nose when you touch your germy fingers to your nose or eyes. ("You gotta do something pretty stupid to get it in you, I'm sorry to say," says Hendley, who admitted having just caught a cold from his kids.) The virus, be it rhino, corona or some other cold-causing breed, infects cells and multiplies, its numbers concentrating at the back of your nose. The infected cells send out an SOS, and it's your very own response to that plea that makes you wish you hadn't bothered. Among the possible culprits are leaky blood vessels. As a normal part of fighting disease, your vessels leak special portions. If these leak into your throat, Hendley says, they may irritate the tissues there. Leakage, plus swelling of blood vessels, goes on to cause congestion in your head.
Well, Tig, hope you're feelin' better. In the mean time, get something to eat. This one's a myth, but it doesn't seem to hurt anything either.
Myth 6: You should feed a cold (and starve a fever).Posted by Susan R at January 6, 2005 06:19 PM
Facts: 1. The origin of this old saying is obscure. There is no scientific evidence that excess eating will cure a cold.2. On the other hand, eating tasty food will not make a cold worse and may help the cold victim feel better. Commoncold.org features tasty recipes for the cold sufferer.
Whisky and honey.
Whisky and lemon.
Some people go for honey and lemon but it doesn't have the same effect when you leave the alcohol out...
Don't know if Tig could handle that remedy, as his stomach already burns. He fills it with more Pepcid™ than with food. View image