FRIDAY, Nov. 26 (HealthDayNews) -- Holiday season is cold season, too. But experts at the Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center are offering some tips on how to avoid catching a cold:

  • Wash your hands after every handshake, and be sure to wash your hands frequently at other times, too. Running lots of water over your hands dilutes and removes any cold viruses that might be clinging to them.
  • Don't touch your eyes or nose. These are the main entry points for cold germs as they enter the body.
  • Get plenty of sleep -- at least eight to 10 hours a night. If you're tired, your body isn't as effective at fighting off colds and other bugs.
  • Don't smoke. Smoking destroys cilia, tiny hair-like fibers inside your nose and lung. Cilia keep mucus from clogging the lining of the nasal passages, airways and lungs.
  • Make a detour around double-dippers. When at parties, don't eat from the buffet if you see other guests sticking their carrot, crackers or other snacks into the dip two or three times. They could be infecting the dip with a cold virus.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has more about the common cold.



-- Robert Preidt



SOURCE: Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center, news release, Nov. 3, 2004

Last Updated: Nov-26-2004