A cold, the most common infectious disease in the world, can make you feel ill for about a week with symptoms that can include a tickle in the throat, a running or stuffy nose, cough, headache, mild fever, fatigue, muscle aches, loss of appetite and nasal discharge. Exercise may reduce your chances of catching a cold, but science doesn't support milk as a preventive measure.
Causes
The common cold is caused by more than 100 different kinds of viruses, including the rhinoviruses, coranoviruses and RSV -- respiratory synctical virus. The viruses form invisible droplets in the air, and you catch colds by breathing the droplets or touching places or persons infected with the virus. Central heating, which dries the mucous membranes of your nose, makes you more susceptible to catching a cold. Sudden changes in weather temperature also make you more likely to catch colds, as your immune system may struggle to adapt to changed conditions, Kids Health says.
Prevention
The best way to avoid catching a cold is to avoid contact with people who carry the virus. You can further protect yourself by frequently washing your hands. You should also keep kitchen and bathroom countertops clean. Be especially vigilant about this if someone in your household has a cold. Don't share drinking glasses and utensils with others. Cold-prevention remedies such as zinc and echinacea show promise, although evidence from clinical trials remains inconclusive, according to MayoClinic.com. Vitamin C does not prevent colds but may shorten their duration.
Exercise
Staying active may reduce your chances of catching a cold and lessen the severity of symptoms if you do. A study of 1,000 people published in the November 2010 issue of the "British Journal of Sports Medicine" found that staying fit protected people against colds. Lead researcher David Neiman, a professor at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, said exercise temporarily increases your immune system. The study also found that, among participants who caught colds, those who felt the fittest decreased the severity of their symptoms by 41 percent and those who were most active enjoyed a 31 percent decrease in symptoms.
Drinking Milk
No clinical evidence supports milk as a cold-prevention remedy, but it remains a popular home treatment supported by logic. Although you can't catch a cold by being cold, your immune system may suffer if you're cold and wet. Consuming hot milk can make you comfortable and warm, benefiting your immune system. Stirring cinnamon or ginger into the hot milk can further warm you. You don't need to give up drinking milk if you catch a cold. Milk, digested like all proteins, doesn't specifically produce nasal mucus. Milk may, however, may make phlegm thicker and irritate your throat.
