Boosting Resistance to Colds:
No Appointment Necessary

Aired on Superstation WGN
Saturday, January 22 and March 5, 2005
Show 203

Dr. Lisa Thornton:

Children typically have between five and nine colds a year.  So how can you boost your child's resistance to colds?  Let's find out. 

Jill Walker, PharmD, R.Ph.:

A child can get anywhere from five to nine colds per year. Colds are caused by viruses which infect our upper respiratory tracks. There are over 200 different viruses that can cause a cold, so there is no affective vaccine.  Some of the best things we can do to keep our children healthy are to make sure they're getting plenty of rest and they're eating nutritious meals.  One thing we can do as parents is to teach them to wash their hands thoroughly and often. And also teach them to cover their mouth or their nose when they cough or sneeze, in the crook of the elbow rather than in the hand—that's going to help prevent the spread of germs. When your child has a cold, my best advice to parents is to just be patient and wait it out. The cold will generally resolve itself in seven to fourteen days. And in the meantime, we can make our children comfortable by using cold and cough medications, and maybe a humidifier to relief cough and congestion. But just keep your child comfortable and remain patient and wait it out.