《今日医学新闻》(medicalnewstoday.com)1月13日报道称，这个季节，感冒盛行。在2007年，很多人会患感冒2-4次，儿童则更严重，尤其是学龄前儿童，一年中患病有8－10次之多。
一月份的《梅奥诊所女性健康杂志》对如何预防感冒及如何减轻症状做了分析。结论：导致你患上的感冒是病毒而非气温。气温下降，很多人宁愿呆在室内，而这恰恰更增加了与感冒患者的接触机会。你可能因与感冒患者握手，接触了他们握过的门把手、键盘、电话而染上感冒病毒。而这时一旦你又摸了嘴、鼻子或者眼睛，就有可能患上感冒。
对策一：洗手要勤、要彻底，特别是与感冒患者有过接触之后。
对策二：鸡汤等汤水能够改善症状。多喝水、果汁、清汤或鸡汤有助于减少粘液预防充血和避免脱水。热饮还能减轻咽喉痛。
对策三：增加湿度可以缓解充血和咳嗽，你可以使用凉爽-喷雾式增湿器，在头部裹上毛巾靠近盛热水的碗或水池，或者吸入浴室的湿空气来做到。
对策四：去痛药能减轻发烧和头痛。对乙酰氨基酚缓解发烧及咽喉痛，也可以选用阿司匹林、布洛芬、萘普生等非甾体抗炎药，但可能引起胃部不适。
对策五：解充血药帮助缓解鼻塞，使内部肿胀组织收缩。但是，若使用喷剂或滴液剂在两到三天以上则会加重充血。当您有高血压、肾病、青光眼、甲状腺病或糖尿病，要在使用解充血药之前跟医生讲明。苦涩的滴剂或喷剂亦可缓解充血。
注意事项：
勿用抗组胺药。它通常用于过敏的治疗，因其干燥鼻黏膜、降低粘液流动而阻止细菌经鼻排出，不适合用来应对感冒。
镇咳药并不管用，虽说这类非处方药比较安全，但包括美国胸科医师学会在内的多数医生认为其作用不大。
维生素类、草药及矿物质对感冒无效。研究大多不支持使用维生素C、紫锥花、锌治疗感冒。而锌粒子止咳糖能缩短病程。
大多数感冒会持续一周。如果症状严重合并高烧、疼痛、食欲减退，就要去看医生。抗病毒处方药只有在出现症状的48小时内使用，才会减轻症状缩短病程。
Yes, Chicken Soup Can Help
Main Category: Flu / SARS News
Article Date: 13 Jan 2007 - 0:00 PST
Welcome to another cold season. If you're like most adults, you'll likely have two to four colds in 2007. Children, especially preschoolers, have it worse, getting as many as eight to 10 colds annually.
The January issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource offers insights on how you can avoid "catching" a cold and how to relieve symptoms:
It's a virus, not the temperature, that causes colds. When temperatures dip, most people spend more time indoors where they may have prolonged contact with others who may be sick. You "catch," or acquire the cold by having hand-to-hand contact with someone who has a cold or by using shared objects such as doorknobs, computer keyboards or telephones. Once you touch your mouth, nose or eyes after such exposure, you can acquire a cold. The lesson: wash your hands often and thoroughly, especially if you have been around someone who has a cold.
Chicken soup and other fluids can improve symptoms. Drinking plenty of liquids, such as water, juice, clear broth or chicken soup helps loosen mucus that can cause congestion and helps prevent dehydration. Warm liquids can help ease a sore throat.
Humidity helps. You can ease congestion and coughing by using a cool mist humidifier, leaning over a bowl or sink of hot water with a towel over your head, or breathing in steamy air created by a bathroom shower.
Pain relievers reduce fever and headaches. Acetaminophen will reduce a fever and ease sore throat pain. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) including aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen, also are an option but can cause stomach upset.
Decongestants help ease stuffiness. They shrink swollen tissue inside the noses. But decongestant sprays or drops can worsen congestion if used more than two or three days. Talk with your doctor before using a decongestant if you have high blood pressure, kidney disease, glaucoma, thyroid problems or diabetes. Saline nose drops or sprays also ease congestion.
Skip the antihistamines. Often used to treat allergies, antihistamines aren't the best for colds because they dry up nasal membranes and slow the mucus flow that helps rid your nasal passages of germs.
Cough medications might not help. Nonprescription cough medications are considered safe, but many doctors, including those with the American College of Chest Physicians, say cough medications don't help much.
There are no miracles with vitamins, herbs and minerals. Most studies don't support using vitamin C, echinacea or zinc as cold remedies. Ionized zinc lozenges, however, may shorten the duration of symptoms.
Hang in there for about a week. That's how long most colds last. If your symptoms seem severe and more flu-like high fever, body aches and loss of appetite see your doctor. Prescription antiviral drugs may reduce the severity and duration of influenza, but only if taken within the first 48 hours after the onset of symptoms.
Mayo Clinic
200 First St. SW
Rochester, MN 55902
United States
http://www.mayoclinic.com/
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=60612
编辑：蓝色幻想
