Common Cold Essay, Research Paper

Common Cold

What is the common cold? A common cold is a contagious viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. The symptom of a common cold are stuffy nose, congestion, runny nose, fever, headache, cough, sore throat or fatigue in the body. A common cold could have one or a few of these symptoms. What are the causes of the common cold? Colds are caused by one of hundreds of common viruses that can easily be transmitted from person to person. In this essay we are going to emphasize on six of the possible causes of a common cold: Virus infection, lack of specific antibody, acute stress, chronic stress, increased human contact and a weaken immune system.

The most common cause of the common cold is the virus infection. The virus inflection includes the flu and influenza. The flu is cause by a smaller family of viruses compares to the more severity of influenza, which is caused by more than 200 virus. Virtually finding a vaccine for the flu is very simple, but finding a vaccine for influenza is virtually nil.

Another cause of the common cold is the Antibody for specific virus. Dr Stone thinks that the accumulation of stress tips the infected person over into illness. In his study of 72 married white men for a period of 12 weeks, in which they kept daily diaries of their stress. Researchers then measured the subjects’ saliva for a substance called secretary immunoglbulin-A antibody, the less they had of it, the more likely it was that the subject would come down with the cold. This may be true according with Dr. Stone, but an argument made by Dr. Gwaltney, “You see, you could have a ton of immunoglobulin-A and you could still get sick. If you don’t have a specific antibody for the cold virus that’s after you, you’re still a goner.”

Acute stress is one of the most forgotten way of how a person could catch a cold. Acute stress lasting maybe only a few minutes, can lead to colds. The important thing, said Dr. Stone, is that a number of little stresses accumulate to produce a big, cold-inducing whammy. Rarely people blame the cause of the cold on acute stress, but it could happen and people don’t know about it.

Similar to acute stress, chronic stress is also a cause of the common cold. According to Dr. Cohen, chronic factors like a fear of flunking out of college, repeated racial harassment, living in a high-crime neighborhood and the terminal illness of a spouse can cause a cold. They can also encompass less dramatic pressures, like caring for an elderly parent or a growing chill in a marriage. “The key is that it’s chronic, that it lasts for more than a month,” said Dr. Cohen. Chronic stress is not taken seriously as the virus inflection but it is a major cause of the common cold.

Most people know that contact is a cause of the common cold. Either contact between person to person or contact with unsanitary materials. Catching a cold is likely to happen in a large crowed area or with a person who have the flu. Touching unsanitary materials can aid a person in catching the common cold.

People who have weakened immune system are likely to catch a cold. People who sleep less than usual, letting the exercise regimen slip or have a high volume of alcohol in their system can weaken their immune system. Weakening the immune system will not allow the body to fight off the virus that it needs too. Thus getting the person sick.

There are six possible ways to catch the common cold, but the are plenty of ways of preventing the common cold. Wash hands frequently, especially after blowing your nose or handling food. Avoid crowded places when possible, especially during the winter. Eating a well-balanced, healthy diet that includes plenty of citrus fruits and other sources of vitamin C. To prevent spreading a cold to others, avoid unnecessary contact during the contagious phase (first 2 to 4 days).