Can You Shorten The Length of Your Illness or Does It Need To Run Its Course?

I have been sick for the past two weeks and cannot seem to shake this horrific spell of constant coughing, sneezing, and headaches. Granted, I have not taken the necessary steps in order to get rid of my illness, such as getting to bed before 2 a.m. (all of this course work isn’t going to do itself!) This is my first time being sick away from home, and I’m not exactly sure which type of medicine to take. Getting enough sleep, drinking water, taking vitamins, washing your hands, and not over-stressing are good ways to attempt to keep yourself healthy. But for being in tight quarters with a lot of people for the first time, it is almost inevitable to get sick at least once this fall. So can I cut my recovery time in half by doing certain things, or do I need to wait until this illness takes its course? Many illnesses such as the “24 hour stomach bug” you can’t really do much for, and you need to let your body get rid of it itself. But how about the common cold (Symptoms including sore throat, coughing, sneezing, headaches and body aches)? I read that there is still no cure for the common cold, but can I reduce the time it takes me to feel well again? 27305088

 

There are always ways to calm the symptoms of the common cold, such as taking anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and aspirin, other decongestant medicines like NyQuil and Mucinex, (some people swear by chicken noodle soup), and hot liquids like tea. But can you physically shorten the length of a common cold? Science Based Medicine argues, “The common cold remains a difficult syndrome to treat effectively. In most cases it is best to just let the cold run its course.” I have had many different types of common colds in my lifetime. Some colds last three days while others can last ten days up to two weeks. I need to know how to make a ten-day cold turn into a three-day one. As I continue my research, I only happen upon health articles claiming that the cold needs to run its course, and a list of over-the-counter medications one can take to relieve symptoms. Many of these medications are able to suppress fevers, if that is the type of cold you are dealing with. WebMD claims, “Sports drinks that contain electrolytes are also an option. For most people, plain water is usually best or a broth type of soup. It’s likely you won’t feel like doing much activity, so staying in bed and getting rest is fine.” There is are disputes about whether or not mild physical activity is beneficial or hurtful for someone who is under the weather. There is way of telling if your type of cold is a cold that won’t get worse if you go to the gym. Edward R. Laskowski, M.D. argues the “above the neck/ below the neck” approach to telling if you have the type of common cold that will allow you to “sweat it out” without getting any worse. i-hate-to-waste-sick-days-being-sick-funny-poster

After conducting this research, I found that Vitamin C does not actually cure a common cold. “After reviewing 60 years of clinical research, they found that when taken after a cold starts, vitamin C supplements do not make a cold shorter or less severe. When taken daily, vitamin C very slightly shorted cold duration — by 8% in adults and by 14% in children” (David T. Derrer, MD). So I haven’t been getting the appropriate amount of Vitamin C in my diet the past couple of months. This is something I’ll take note of and start doing daily, but won’t help my situation as of now. Donald W. Novey, MD claims there are five ways to shorten a cold duration by “revving up your own immune system.” The number one way to shorten a cold duration instead of passively letting it take its course is rest. The rest of the advice involves working out, eating right, de-stressing, and trying Zinc tablets. I have yet to try Zinc- tablets, so that will be my next attempt to shorten this cold.

4 thoughts on “Can You Shorten The Length of Your Illness or Does It Need To Run Its Course?

  1. Nicholas Andrew Goussetis

    Most everyone I know has gotten sick thus far into the semester, even my roommate. Luckily, I haven’t caught anything yet, possibly because of my strong immune system. I can;t imagine how it’ll be come December and January but for now I wish everyone the best of luck in preventing infections and staying healthy! I would also be interested in finding potential scientific ways to shorten the duration of a cold.

  2. Julian Eisenberg

    I have been sick from about since the minute I walked onto campus. I have taken vitamin c supplements, homeopathic remedies, and liters of water on end each day. To be somewhat honest, outside forces such as lack of sleep and improper nutrition may have to do with that. At this point, I have come to the conclusion that I must accept that I am sick, and that I must let boost my immune system while also letting the sickness run its course. I do believe preventative medicine is key in the case of a common sickness.

  3. Hannah Rose Papa

    I cannot stand when I have a cold. They make me very unproductive and it is so hard to just sit in class feeling so gross. As a freshman, I am shocked that I have not gotten sick yet and somehow I believe that it has to do with me taking Airborne everyday. Airborne is known to be a blast of Vitamin C to help boost your immune system. Although it is not a medicine to directly cure colds, it helps to make your immune system stronger so you do not get sick. Experiments were done in order to show that the old packaging was wrong saying that it cured colds and now changed to “Helps Support Your Immune System”.

  4. Stephen Connelly

    I’ve caught the Penn State plague already too. I only had the symptoms of a common cold for three or four days. I feel like taking vitamin c tablets helped me, but truthfully I have no clue if what I did shortened the cold or if it just ran its course.

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