The Best Remedies for the Common Cold

1. THE BEST REMEDIES FOR
THE COMMON COLD
UNIT 4 ASSIGNMENT: VITAMINS, HERBS, AND NUTRITIONAL
SUPPLEMENTS
THERESA UGOCHUCKWU
KAPLAN UNIVERSITY
HW499: BACHELORS CAPSTONE IN HEALTH AND WELLNESS

2. Disclaimer
The advice and strategies in this
presentation are not medical. You
must consult your doctor before
trying it out.

3. WHAT IS THE COMMON
COLD?
COLDS ARE CAUSED BY ANY OF MORE THAN
TWO HUNDRED VIRUSES THAT INFECT THE
UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT. THE SYMPTOMS
ARE : RUNNY NOSE, SNEEZING, CONGESTION,
COUGH, SORE THROAT, SWOLLEN LYMPH
GLANDS, FATIGUE, LOSS OF APPETITE AND
MILD FEVER (BALCH & STENGLER, 2004).

4. REMEDY #1 ECHINACEA
ECHINACEA (ECHINACEA PURPUREA) IS A
HERB THAT HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN
USED FOR COLDS, FLU AND OTHER
INFECTIONS, BASED ON THE IDEA THAT IT
MIGHT ENHANCE IMMUNE FUNCTION,
AND IT HAS ANTIVIRAL PROPERTIES
(NATIONAL CENTER FOR
COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE
HEALTH, 2016).

5. ECHINACEA’S SIDE EFFECTS
AND CAUTIONS
THERE ARE MIXED STUDY RESULTS FROM
SCIENTISTS ON WHETHER ECHINACEA
CAN PREVENT OR TREAT COLDS. THE SIDE
EFFECTS ARE: RASHES, INCREASED
ASTHMA, ANAPHYLAXIS (A LIFE-
THREATENING ALLERGIC REACTION AND
GASTROINTESTINAL SIDE EFFECTS
(NATIONAL CENTER FOR
COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE
HEALTH, 2016).

6. REMEDY #2 VITAMIN C
VITAMIN C (ASCORBIC ACID) IS AN
ANTIOXIDANT. IT SUPPORTS IMMUNE
SYSTEM FUNCTION THROUGH
INCREASED WHITE BLOOD ACTIVITY.
VITAMIN C COMES FROM FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES. ALSO, A PERSON CAN
TAKE IT AS A SUPPLEMENT FORM
(MEDLINE PLUS, 2016).

7. VITAMIN C’S SIDE EFFECTS
AND CAUTIONS
RESEARCHERS SAID THAT VITAMIN C
DOES NOT PREVENT COLDS BUT,
SLIGHTLY REDUCES THEIR LENGTH,
SEVERITY AND SMALL IMPROVEMENTS IN
COLD SYMPTOMS. TAKING VITAMIN C IS
SAFE BUT HIGH DOSES CAN CAUSE
DIGESTIVE DISTURBANCES SUCH AS
DIARRHEA AND NAUSEA (NATIONAL
CENTER FOR COMPLEMENTARY AND
INTEGRATIVE HEALTH, 2015).

8. REMEDY #3 ZINC
ZINC (ZINC GLUCONATE OR ACETATE)
IS A MINERAL. IT SUPPORTS IMMUNE
FUNCTION AND MAY HAVE ANTIVIRAL
EFFECTS (BALCH & STENGLER, 2004).

9. ZINC’S SIDE EFFECTS AND
CAUTIONS
RESEARCHERS SAID THAT TAKING ZINC
ORALLY MAY HELP TO TREAT COLDS, BUT
IT CAN CAUSE SIDE EFFECTS AND
INTERACT WITH MEDICINES. THE SIDE
EFFECTS ARE: IRREVERSIBLE LOSS OF
SENSE OF SMELL, NAUSEA, AND COOPER
DEFICIENCY (NATIONAL CENTER FOR
COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE
HEALTH, 2015).

10. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TOPIC,
PLEASE CHECK OUT THESE WEBSITES:
NATIONAL CENTER FOR COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE
HEALTH
https://nccih.nih.gov/
MEDLINEPLUS
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/complementaryandint
egrativemedicine.html
THE JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY
MEDICINE
http://www.liebertpub.com/overview/journal-of-alternative-

11. REFERENCES
Balch, J. & Stengler, M. (2004). Prescription for Natural Cures. Hoboken,
NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Medline Plus. (2016). Vitamin C. U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Retrieved from https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vitaminc.html
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2016). 5
Tips: Natural Products for the Flu and Colds: What Does the Science say?
Retrieved from https://nccih.nih.gov/health/tips/flucold.htm
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2016).
Echinacea. Retrieved from
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/echinacea/ataglance.htm