Cold Not Going Away

Everybody around may be sneezing and coughing all over you, and you may think you could dodge it. Well, yes; for a bit you might; but sooner or later, if you're on a train, on a bus or in a room full of people and feel more like you're in a hospital with the most entirety of people sputtering and coughing, the only thing you're going to get for free is a dreadful cold. Sniffly nose, constant sneezes every few hours with those funny ticklish twitches, throbbing headaches, stinging watery red eyes and an acute loss of smell due to the nostrils being quite, quite blocked, sleepless hours in the night where you can't breathe and get up and switch your position time and again are all the magnificently irksome symptoms of having a cold. You might wait for some days and have your bowls of hot chicken soups and might still watch the crumpled tissues go on piling up, and then after the cold being more persistent and clingy than you thought, you may resort to taking some medications.

A lot of times, a seasonal change is felt first in the nose and throat; and you know that slowly summer's approaching or winter's about to cast its cold blanket soon. This kind of cold hasn't much to do with bacteria and viruses. The body takes a while to adjust to seasonal and atmospheric energy changes. The kidneys control the water functions of the body. Hence, it is essential to drink water and fluids when it gets warmer. In the fall season, it is the lungs that are affected as dry air causing an increase in coughs, due to which you can get a cold.

One of the most common reasons you might be having that persistent cold is due to sinusitis:

A bit about Sinusitis

The sinuses are air-filled spaces in our skull lined with mucus membranes, and hoard no bacteria or any other germs when healthy. These spaces are:

• Two sinuses behind the forehead (frontal sinuses)
• Two at either side of the bridge of your nose (ethmoid sinuses)
• Two behind the cheekbones (maxillary sinuses)
• Two behind your eyes (sphenoid sinuses)

All the sinuses open up into the cavity of your nose and very meticulously help control the temperature and water content from the air reaching your lungs.

Usually, the mucous which is naturally produced by your sinuses drains into your nose through little channels. But when your sinuses get infected and thus inflamed, these little channels get blocked. The maxillary sinuses are the largest ones behind the cheekbones and are most commonly affected.

Types of Sinusitis

How long does a cold last? A prolonged one may suggest you having either one of the kinds of sinusitis:

1. Acute: This kind develops rather quickly (over a few days time), followed by a dreadful cold or flu and clears up within 12 weeks and not longer.
2. Chronic: This is when the symptoms of your cold are lasting for more than 12 long weeks.

Its Symptoms

The symptoms of sinusitis are:

• A horribly blocked or runny nose (where you may feel the undying need to call a plumber); and if your nose is producing amber (yellow) or emerald (green) colored variety of mucous, you may have vicious little invaders in there that have been the root cause of a bacterial infection.
• Pain and sensitivity in parts of your face (near the affected sinuses). You may be reminded of a head, and not in a nice way by a throbbing pain that is worse when you move your head. You may wonder if you need a dentist as you eat and have toothache whilst you do it or even pain in the jaw.
• A high temperature, and perhaps you will believe that you can finally boil your chicken soup on your body without having to go to the kitchen

Other symptoms include:

• tiredness
• cough
• bad breath (halitosis)
• pressure in your ears
• loss of taste and smell
• a discomforting feeling of being generally unwell

Little children have a tedious time of sinusitis and have difficulty breathing and feeding. They may breathe through their mouths and look more like goldfish at feeding time and get horribly irritable due to not being able to breathe properly. They may sound nasal when they talk, as though they have a stuffy cold, as their sinuses are blocked. Best to take them to your family doctor.

Its Causes

There are many causes due to which your sinuses get inflamed and blocked.

• The most common cause of sinusitis is a viral infection, which we know as an exterior form of symptoms coming together and whose collectivity we call the common cold or influenza (flu). This virus spreads to the sinuses from the upper airways.
• There are secondary bacterial infections that can lead to swelling inside the sinuses.
• Sometimes, sinuses can get infected because you may have avoided going to a dentist for a while, letting a tooth sit there, getting infected.
• There can be various man-made substances that can irritate the sinuses like air pollution, smoke, chemicals (like pesticides), disinfectants and detergents.
• Allergies, such as allergic rhinitis, asthma and hay fever, can also be a cause of sinusitis.
• Narrowing of the nasal passages due to facial injury, nasal polyp (growth) inside the nose can lead to mucous build up behind the narrowed areas, leading to sinus infection.
• Cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition that causes thick, sticky mucous to build up within the body, making you prone to infections.

If your sinusitis is quite severe or keeps coming back, you may like to see an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist who will test you and determine the exact underlying cause, so you understand what treatment you require.

Getting Rid of It

The ways to get rid of sinusitis are:

• Antibiotics: If the symptoms are severe and your sinusitis hasn't cleared within 7 days (about a 1/3 of people with sinusitis have a bacterial infection that requires to be combated with antibiotics
• Steroid sprays or drops
• Surgery (if every other treatment has failed and upon your doctor's advice)

Make it Easier on Yourself

Here are some other measures to reduce the congestion in your sinuses to make you feel more at ease:

• Applying a warm, moist towel, subtly dabbed with eucalyptus drops
• Drinking plenty of fluids, especially warm ones, to thin the mucous
• Inhaling steam (preferably with eucalyptus drops) 2 to 4 times daily
• Avoiding smoking
• Spraying with nasal saline several times per day (be careful with over-the-counter spray nasal decongestants as they may temporarily seem effective and later worsen your condition)
• Using a humidifier

To avoid sinus pain or pressure:

• Avoid flying when you feel congested
• Avoid extremities in temperatures and bending forward with your head down
• Try acetaminophen or ibuprofen

Sublime Saline Solution

Saline solution can be made at home to break down the build up in your sinuses. Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water. Use a bulb syringe and drop in three to four drops of the solution in each of your nostrils. Breathe in very gently and slowly. Avoid blowing your nose for at least the next half a minute. It will slowly break down the build up. If you repeat this several times in a day, the nasal passages will clear eventually. Salt inhalation has been known since the Greeks, when Hippocrates recommended it for respiratory problems.

Speed Up Your Recovery

Speed up your recovery with the following things:

• Generous amounts of vitamin C, zinc and Echinacea - they prevent a bad cold from developing if taken in the first stage and can also shorten the duration of it.
• Keeping your body hydrated, as lack of fluids prevents your body from healing and is more receptive toward infections. Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day, avoiding cold water at any rate.
• Detoxify, as a cold weakens your immune system and causes build up of toxins.
• Boost up your immune system by crushing fresh garlic into your food. Eat two cups of fruits a day and two cups of vegetables that are dark green and orange. Take a multivitamin regularly.

Other rare and extreme cases for your cold not going away may be pneumonia or bronchitis.

For very young children over-the-counter medicine for cold can be harmful in too high a dose. There are some medicines and tonics which are especially meant for little children. And it is always best to read the instructions on the labels or follow your doctor's advice. The best way to deal with a cold is a lot of rest, hot herbal teas and eating the right nutritious foods. These together are, undoubtedly, one of the best treatments for cold. Colds are passed on from one individual to another directly by sneezing, coughing or hand-to-hand contact. If you touch your eyes or nose with contaminated hands, you catch a cold. This virus can live for several hours on various surfaces such as door-knobs and tables. Wash your hands regularly during the cold and flu season. Get enough sleep and let your immune system restore its faculties of functioning well. And, all that should knock your cold quite, quite cold!