Can Taking Zinc Help To Cure A Cold?

What Is A Common Cold?

Are you suffering from a cold at the moment?  If you are, then you are definitely not alone, and you are probably looking at up to seven days of feeling ill and miserable. These viral infections are known as the common cold for a reason, as on average adults catch two to four of them a year, and young children can catch as many as ten, probably because their immune system’s are not as well developed as an adult’s.  You are more likely to catch a cold during the chilly winter months, and women are more likely to develop a cold than men.  The common cold is a minor virus infection, and as there are over 200 viruses that can trigger a cold, you are unlikely to build up immunity to them all. So what symptoms can you look forward to when you develop a cold? Typically the symptoms of a cold are coughing, sneezing, sore throat, streaming eyes and nose, and a general feeling of being unwell. If your cold is more severe you may experience a high temperature, aching limbs and headaches.  Common colds are self-limiting infections and your symptoms will more than likely subside within a week, but you may be surprised to know that for all the medical expertise and knowledge we now have in the world, there is not yet a cure for the common cold or anything to really prevent them developing.

Is Zinc an Effective Cold Remedy?

The cold virus is easily spread by coughing and sneezing, and you can also pick up a cold by touching surfaces that have been contaminated with the virus.  So one way to help ward off a cold is to wash your hands frequently, and try and avoid putting your hands near your mouth and eyes.  There are also some supplements that are supposed to boost your immune system and help you to resist catching cold such as Vitamin C and echinacea, but their benefits have not been proven and they will not cure your cold.  However, experts have now announced that they believe that taking the essential mineral zinc, in the form of zinc tablets, lozenges or syrup, within a day of your cold symptoms starting may help you to recover more swiftly from your symptoms and even help you resist catching the cold in the first place.  The Cochrane Systemic Review collated data from 15 different trials that involved 1360 people and compared the efficacy of zinc against a placebo for treating the common cold.  The trials found that more of the patients who had been given zinc to take every couple of hours during the course of their cold were symptom free after seven days than the cold sufferers who had taken a placebo. It was also found that the children who had been given zinc lozenges or zinc syrup to take daily for at least five months had contracted colds less frequently and had also missed less days of school.  However, all the trials were based on different criteria, the length of the trials were different as were the dosages of zinc given, so the experts have found it difficult to reach a conclusive view of exactly how successful zinc is in combating the symptoms of the common cold.

 How Does Zinc Work Against Colds?

So how do the health experts think that the zinc works against the cold virus? It is thought that zinc works on the cold virus by coating it and stopping it from getting into the body through the delicate lining of the nose.  Tests in the laboratory also showed that that zinc helped by stopping the cold virus replicating itself, which would mean that it could not spread through the body and cause infection. The results from the trials also suggested that taking zinc could help to boost the immune system, and also lessen the severity of the cold symptoms being experienced. These trials show that taking zinc could be a very beneficial addition to the fight against the common cold, as although there are currently lots of OTC cold remedies on the market, most of them do not put a stop to the symptoms of the cold or diminish their severity.  So should we all rush out and start taking zinc supplements so that we can recover from our colds more quickly and even prevent them altogether? The researchers who amassed the data for the Cochrane Systemic Review and the health experts have been cautious about making any recommendations about the use of zinc, as they came to no firm conclusions regarding the optimal dosage, formulation or length of time that the zinc should be taken. Some of the patients who took the zinc during the trials experienced some unpleasant side effects, such as nausea, diarrhoea and an unpleasant aftertaste, that were not felt by those taking the placebo. So before zinc can be universally regarded as a common cold remedy by medical professionals, further research needs to be done on the dosage, treatment length and possible adverse side effects.

However, if you would like to see if you could help to ward off colds or reduce the severity of your cold symptoms by taking zinc, you will find that there are already many different zinc supplements on the market.  You can buy zinc syrup, tablets, sprays and lozenges, although allowing zinc lozenges to dissolve slowly in your mouth is one of the best ways to absorb the mineral.  You can also buy supplements that combine zinc with Vitamin C, other minerals or echinacea, most of which are designed to boost your immune system and fight off infections, such as colds.  If you have any underlying chronic health conditions or are at all concerned about starting to take zinc supplements, you should consult your medical practitioner.  Of course, the most natural way to get enough zinc is to ensure that your diet contains adequate supplies of zinc rich foods.  Oysters are a very good source of zinc, as is red meat, crab, lobster, turkey, the brown meat of chicken, nuts, some beans and dairy products.

Hopefully further medical trials will go on to prove that zinc can help to ward off the common cold and alleviate the symptoms, and that we can then say that we are a bit further forward in finding a cure for the common cold.

Why Use a Herbal Toothpaste? – Meswak Toothpaste

Do you ever think of using natural products when you are thinking of your oral hygiene? Have you thought about what type of toothpaste you use when you brush your teeth in the mornings?  For years I have used the branded toothpastes that you can buy in the supermarkets, but somehow, whatever the promises on the side of the tube, my mouth never felt as fresh as I would like it to be.  However, one day my friend told me about a herbal toothpaste that she had started to use regularly and how much it had improved her bleeding gums.

The name of the toothpaste that she showed me was Meswak toothpaste, sometimes called Miswak toothpaste, and could be found in my local Asian shop.  I have started to use it every time I brush and already my mouth is feeling better and fresher.  So what is Meswak toothpaste?  Meswak toothpaste is a herbal paste that is derived from a shrub found throughout India, Asia, Africa and the Middle East called Salvadora persica.

Salvadora persica is also known as the toothbrush tree and local people would break off a small twig from the shrub to clean their teeth on a daily basis, and it was noticed that although many of these people had poor diets they still had excellent teeth and healthy gums.  Scientific research was undertaken and it was found that Salvadora persica had great natural antiseptic properties. Miswak was also recommended for use to promote oral health by the World Health Organisation in 1996.

Because of these wonderful healthy benefits it was decided to create toothpaste from the toothpaste tree and this paste is now call Meswak toothpaste.  Commercial brands contain many harsh chemicals, such as fluoride, artificial colours and sweeteners and sodium laurel sulphate that can have detrimental effects on our health when we ingest them into our bodies.  Meswak is a completely natural way to clean your tooth, and contains only natural ingredients.  It is also a suitable paste to be used by vegetarians, vegans and even the kids!  It does not have the minty taste that we generally associate with cleaning our teeth and freshening our breath, but I find that Meswak toothpaste has a fairly mild flavour with a hint of liquorice.

So if you want to move away from manufactured products, full to the brim of nasty chemicals, and start using more natural oral hygiene products, why not try out some herbal toothpaste?  If they do not stock Meswak toothpaste in your local supermarket or you do not have a local Asian shop, then have a look online.  You can find it easily on Amazon and will soon be able to clean your teeth and keep your teeth and gums healthy naturally and also be able to rest in the comfort that you are not putting any more harsh chemicals into your body.

Why You Should Eat That Tuna Sandwich?

Age-related macular degeneration or AMD is the most common cause of blindness in the old. Although there are currently around 200,000 sufferers in the UK alone, a suprisingly large number of adults have never heard of this devastating eye condition which impairs people's central vision. However, there is a bit of good news, as study undertaken at Harvard has revealed that if you eat oily fish, such as tuna, on a regular basis you will be lowering your risk of developing AMD by about 42%.

So what is so special about oily fish like tuna in helping to prevent age-related macular degeneration? Well, oily fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are also known to help protect you against heart attacks, help lower cholesterol, improve mental agility, reduce the symptoms of PMS and  help soothe the pain of arthritis. To gain this 42% protection from developing AMD, you would need to eat 1-2 portions of tuna or other oily fish every week.

If you are one of those people, however, who do not like fish, omega 3 is found in several other foods and you can also now buy omega-3 fish oil supplements.  So next time that you go out for lunch, make sure that you order that tuna sandwich or maybe make yourself some sardines on toast?

Benefits of Paraben Free Toiletries and Cosmetics.

So why is it a good idea to use paraben free cosmetics and toiletries? And what are parabens anyway? Well, parabens are chemicals used in cosmetics and foods as a preservative.  Parabens are derived from a chemical called benzoic acid  that are found in plants.  Because parabens are preservatives they are put into cosmetics and toiletries to improve their shelf life, which is a great benefit to the manufacturers and retailers. 

So what is the problem with parabens?  Parabens have been used for many years and been regarded as reasonably safe, but in recent years it has been suggested that parabens can be one of the contributing factors in the development of the disease cancer, especially parabens in anti-perspirant raising the risks of breast cancer.

To find out more about why parabens could be a danger in skin care products, read this informative article on the benefits of paraben free cosmetics and whether there are any natural alternatives to use as preservatives in cosmetics.

Eating Cherries and Drinking Cherry Juice - The Health Benefits

There are so many health supplements and articles on healthy eating available today, that it is no wonder that we get confused and wonder what are really the best things to eat to stay healthy.  Well research has shown that drinking tart cherry juice and eating cherries, provides you with powerful anitoxidants, vitamins and minerals.

The deep red colour of the cherry is provided courtesy of very powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins, that help to protect our bodies from disease and infections, and can all help to slow down ageing. Anthocyanins are also strong, natural anti-inflammatories, so drinking tart cherry juice or eating cherries can also help to ease the pain of arthritis.

All cherries contain anthocyanins, but they are present in a much greater concentration in tart or Montmorency cherries, along with vitamin C, folates, magnesium and fibre.  Because this cherry juice is not sweet, it is drunk diluted with water, and is taken by athletes to help reduce muscle soreness after playing sport and to help keep their joints healthy.

Drinking cherry juice can also help with insomnia, help to protect you from heart disease, improve your immune system, help to protect you from developing gout.

So read the full Hub on the health benefits of cherry juice and cherries, to find out more vital information

How to Treat Corns and Foot Calluses

Our feet are very important to us, but do we really give our feet the pampering and attention that they need?  Corns and foot calluses are some of the very common problems that we experience with our feet and it is great to know how to go about treating corns and foot calluses at home.

Both corns and calluses are areas of skin on our feet that have thickened and hardened, with calluses typically being larger areas of hardened foot skin. You can also develop soft corns between the toes, where the thickened skin of the corn is kept soft by the sweating between the toes. Corns and foot calluses are unsightly and can become painful if not dealt with.  Corns and calluses can be caused by several things, like ill-fitting footwear and anything else that can cause friction on the skin of the foot.

There are various methods of removing corns and calluses at home, ranging from electric callus removers, pumice stones, rasps, liquid callus removers and corn pads.

So read all of the interesting Hub to find out which would be the best method of treating your corn or foot calluses at home

What Are The Symptoms of Strokes

Strokes are one of the common causes of death and can also leave survivors with major ongoing health problems.  But how many of us would recognise the symptoms of a stroke and know what to do?

Alison Graham has written a very informative Hub that outlines all the major symptoms of stokes and what the best course of action is.  Some of the major symptoms are problems with speech, sudden vision problems, weakness in the arms, severe headaches, dizziness, confusion and a drooping mouth or eye on the face.  Getting treatment quickly is imperative, so if you experience any of these symptoms of stroke, or recognise them in a friend or colleague, you need to seek medical treatment urgently.

Read on to find out more about recognising the symptoms of strokes