Page 4A
EASTERN OREGON MARKETPLACE
East Oregonian
Tuesday, November, 13, 2018
Fighting the Common Cold
M
ost adults have as many as three colds a year and children have them a lot more, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention says. Cold are caused by a virus, the most common being rhinovirus. Other cold-causing critters include
respiratory syncytial virus, human parainfluenza virus, adenovirus, human coronavirus and human metapneumovirus.
SYMPTOMS
Though colds can occur
any time of year, most people
get them in the winter and
spring. Symptoms include:
• Sore throat;
• Runny nose;
• Coughing;
• Sneezing;
• Headaches; and
• Body aches.
These should resolve in
seven to 10 days, but a cold
can develop into a more seri-
ous illness like bronchitis or
pneumonia.
PREVENTION
Wash your hands often
with warm water and soap for
20 seconds. Teach your chil-
dren to do this, also. If there’s
no soap, use a hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your eyes,
nose and mouth with
unwashed hands and stay
away from people who are
sick. If you’re sick, stay home
and don’t spread your germs
to others.
TREATMENT
There’s no cure, but over-
the-counter medicines can
treat your symptoms. For
children, talk to a doctor
before administering cold
medications.
Rest and get plenty of flu-
ids, and run a clean humidifi-
er or cool-mist humidifier.
Take acetaminophen, ibupro-
© ADOBE STOCK
fen or naproxen to relieve
pain and fever.
For a sore throat: Soothe it
with ice chips, popsicles, loz-
enges or a spray; gargle with
salt water and drink warm
beverages.
For ear pain: Put a warm,
moist compress on the affect-
ed ear.
For a runny nose: Increase
your fluid intake and use a
decongestant or saline nasal
spray.
For sinus pain and conges-
tion: Put a warm compress
over the nose and forehead;
use a decongestant or saline
nasal spray; breathe in steam
from hot water or a shower.
For cough: Breathe in
steam from a hot water or
shower; use lozenges or
honey.
Quick
Holiday
Workouts
© ADOBE STOCK
ime is short during
the holiday seasonc
but that’s no excuse to
skip out on working out.
Try some of these tips to
squeeze in some exercise.
T
USE INTERVALS
Interval training alternates between
different exercises, usually with vary-
ing degrees of effort, speed or
strength. This alternation between
more-intense and less-intense work-
outs can bring big benefits. The Mayo
Clinic says interval training can burn
more calories, improve your aerobic
capacity and can be done without
special equipment. As with any work-
out, make sure to warm up and
stretch before and after you exercise.
BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES
Bodyweight exercises are much
what they sound like. They use the
body’s natural weight to build
strength in muscle groups. No special
equipment or extra weights are need-
ed. An example of a bodyweight exer-
cise is a chin-up, sit-up or a push-up.
However, you can also do twists,
squats and balance exercises. Start
out with two sets of 10 reps and only
increase the sets or reps when it
becomes easy.
GOING FOR A WALK
Look at your holiday errands and
see if you can walk to any shops or
stores you plan to visit. If you have to
drive, park as far from the store as
possible. Skip the elevators and take
the stairs. When you have a break at
work, take a stroll around the neigh-
borhood, to a different floor, or maybe
even just around the parking lot.
Anything to get your step count (and
your energy levels) up.
DON’T IGNORE THE CORE
Getting your arms and legs moving
is easy, but keep a care for your core
muscles, too. Your core muscles are in
your torso and help with balance,
posture and strength. Some exercises
to help your core are planks (balance
your weight on your toes and fore-
arms and hold the position), kneeling
extensions (on your hands and knees,
extend one leg and the opposite arm
out and hold for a count of 10), and
chair crunches (on your back, place
your lower legs on a chair and your
hands behind your head, then slowly
curl upwards).
If you’re not used to exercising,
build up slowly. In time, you may find
that regular exercise not only gets you
in better shape, but helps you deal
with holiday stress.
