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champ
pudding pop
Registered: 06/27/01
Posts: 787
Loc: unknown trashscape
Last seen: 3 years, 9 months
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I have a cold, should I take medicine?
#4763830 - 10/06/05 12:17 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Or let the illness take its own course? I'm thinking that at night I will take medicine so that I can sleep somewhat comfortably, but in the day time I will just suffer through the "natural" course of my cold, drinking lots of tea and water, and perhaps the cold will go away faster.
Do you guys think this is dumb? Should I take symptom-supressing cold medicine in the day, too? I can't decide if this will make the cold last longer or not.
I feel like shit, by the way.
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OneMoreRobot3021
Registered: 06/06/03
Posts: 61,024
Loc: the sky
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Re: I have a cold, should I take medicine? [Re: champ]
#4763836 - 10/06/05 12:18 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Maybe my mom has worked the placebo effect into me since I was a toddler, but I take Tylenol Cold right when I start getting a cold and it almost always works.
-------------------- Acid doesn't give you truths; it builds machines that push the envelope of perception. Whatever revelations came to me then have dissolved like skywriting. All I really know is that those few years saddled me with a faith in the redemptive potential of the imagination which, however flat, stale and unprofitable the world seems to me now, I cannot for the life of me shake. -Erik Davis
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Fade_To_Black
Fire It Up
Registered: 12/26/03
Posts: 1,406
Last seen: 3 years, 6 months
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Re: I have a cold, should I take medicine? [Re: champ]
#4763846 - 10/06/05 12:20 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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i dislike dextromethorphan due to it drying out my lungs, that shit can get rough, especially when you cant cough all that nasty lung butter up. dry coughs are a bitch.
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debianlinux
Myconerd - DBK
Registered: 12/09/02
Posts: 8,334
Loc: Over There
Last seen: 8 months, 20 days
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Re: I have a cold, should I take medicine? [Re: Fade_To_Black]
#4763853 - 10/06/05 12:22 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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echinacea, zinc and vitamin c are the only things i know to ward off the impending cold. once you have the cold all you can do is drink water and take drugs to relieve the symptoms. nothing is going to make it "hurry along"
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Blek
Stranger
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 983
Loc: The universe
Last seen: 14 years, 3 months
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Re: I have a cold, should I take medicine? [Re: Fade_To_Black]
#4763861 - 10/06/05 12:22 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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I really dislike the feeling I get from cold medicines, such as tylenol, nyquil, etc. If I have trouble sleeping, I smoke a bowl out of an icewater bong. Nice and smooth.
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champ
pudding pop
Registered: 06/27/01
Posts: 787
Loc: unknown trashscape
Last seen: 3 years, 9 months
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Re: I have a cold, should I take medicine? [Re: Blek]
#4763880 - 10/06/05 12:26 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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I don't believe that supressing symptoms is good for something like a cold or stomach complaints.
I usually operate on the "better out than in" principle of medicine and I'm usually in pretty good health. Still, this time I feel so bad that I'm thinkin' something has to be done. Maybe I'll just take some advil for the crippling headache and leave the cough and runny nose alone.
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Fade_To_Black
Fire It Up
Registered: 12/26/03
Posts: 1,406
Last seen: 3 years, 6 months
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Re: I have a cold, should I take medicine? [Re: champ]
#4763882 - 10/06/05 12:27 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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water is key
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Shroomism
Space Travellin
Registered: 02/13/00
Posts: 66,015
Loc: 9th Dimension
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Re: I have a cold, should I take medicine? [Re: Fade_To_Black]
#4763916 - 10/06/05 12:38 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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fuck the medicine. why weaken your immune system? treat symptoms? You attack the source.
Quote:
debianlinux said: echinacea, zinc and vitamin c are the only things i know to ward off the impending cold. once you have the cold all you can do is drink water and take drugs to relieve the symptoms. nothing is going to make it "hurry along"
Quote:
Fade_To_Black said: water is key
Quote:
Shroomism said: fresh fruits and vegetables is also key
Water is life. Water is key. Water is 70% of your body, and the main constituent of all your bodily fluids and secretions. Water cleanses the system. Water flushes toxins from the body. Drink more water.
And of course prevention is always the best medicine. I don't think I've had a cold in about... 5-6 years. Eat healthy. Exercise. Fresh Air. Sunshine. Don't take medicine unless your life depends on it.. and even then as a last resort
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debianlinux
Myconerd - DBK
Registered: 12/09/02
Posts: 8,334
Loc: Over There
Last seen: 8 months, 20 days
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Re: I have a cold, should I take medicine? [Re: Shroomism]
#4763941 - 10/06/05 12:46 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
Shroomism said: Don't take medicine unless your life depends on it.. and even then as a last resort
unless you really like the way they make you feel...
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Redstorm
Prince of Bugs
Registered: 10/08/02
Posts: 44,175
Last seen: 4 months, 30 days
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Re: I have a cold, should I take medicine? [Re: Shroomism]
#4763948 - 10/06/05 12:49 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
Despite the popular belief that vitamin C can cure the common cold, the scientific evidence for this is limited. A few studies suggest that taking vitamin C supplements at the beginning of cold symptoms, or just after possible exposure, can shorten a cold or ward it off altogether.
However, most studies conclude that vitamin C does not prevent or treat the common cold. Vitamin C may only be useful in case of a cold if you have low levels of this nutrient to begin with. The likelihood of success may be very individual -- some people improve, while others do not.
People with kidney disease should avoid vitamin C supplements. Most experts advise that you meet your daily vitamin and mineral requirements by eating a balanced diet.
http://health.allrefer.com/health/vitamins-and-colds-info.html
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Shroomism
Space Travellin
Registered: 02/13/00
Posts: 66,015
Loc: 9th Dimension
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Re: I have a cold, should I take medicine? [Re: Redstorm]
#4763977 - 10/06/05 12:58 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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blah blah blah.. most people don't eat a balanced diet in the first place.. and vitamin C is the shit for a hundred different reasons. I prefer it from oranges. It does help the common cold though.. as does zinc and echinacea. Besides, overdosing on vitamin C is not bad... and most people are deficient in it in the first place. Being deficient in basic vitamins and minerals and having a weak immune system is how you get sick most of the time.
http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?ID=2134
Quote:
One important function of vitamin C is in the formation and maintenance of collagen, the basis of connective tissue, which is found in skin, ligaments, cartilage, vertebral discs, joint linings, capillary walls, and the bones and teeth. Collagen, and thus vitamin C, is needed to give support and shape to the body, to help wounds heal, and to maintain healthy blood vessels. Specifically, ascorbic acid works as a coenzyme to convert proline and lysine to hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine, both important to the collagen structure.
Vitamin C also aids the metabolism of tyrosine, folic acid, and tryptophan. Tryptophan is converted in the presence of ascorbic acid to 5-hydroxytryptophan, which forms serotonin, an important brain chemical. Vitamin C also helps folic acid convert to its active form, tetrahydrofolic acid, and tyrosine needs ascorbic acid to form the neurotransmitter substances dopamine and epinephrine. Vitamin C stimulates adrenal function and the release of norepinephrine and epinephrine (adrenaline), our stress hormones; however, prolonged stress depletes vitamin C in the adrenals and decreases the blood levels. Ascorbic acid also helps thyroid hormone production, and it aids in cholesterol metabolism, increasing its elimination and thereby assisting in lowering blood cholesterol.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant vitamin. By this function, it helps prevent oxidation of water-soluble molecules that could otherwise create free radicals, which may generate cellular injury and disease. Vitamin C also indirectly protects the fat-soluble vitamins A and E as well as some of the B vitamins, such as riboflavin, thiamine, folic acid, and pantothenic acid, from oxidation. Ascorbic acid acts as a detoxifier and may reduce the side effects of drugs such as cortisone, aspirin, and insulin; it may also reduce the toxicity of the heavy metals lead, mercury, and arsenic.
Vitamin C is being shown through continued research to stimulate the immune system; through this function, along with its antioxidant function, it may help in the prevention and treatment of infections and other diseases. Ascorbic acid may activate neutrophils, the most prevalent white blood cells that work on the frontline defense in more hand-to-hand combat than other white blood cells. It also seems to increase production of lymphocytes, the white cells important in antibody production and in coordinating the cellular immune functions. In this way also, C may be helpful against bacterial, viral, and fungal diseases. In higher amounts, ascorbic acid may actually increase interferon production and thus activate the immune response to viruses; it may also decrease the production of histamine, thereby reducing immediate allergy potential. Further research must be done for more definitive knowledge about vitamin C?s actions in the prevention and treatment of disease.
Uses: There are a great many clinical and nutritional uses for ascorbic acid in its variety of available supplements. C for the common cold is indeed used very widely; its use in the treatment of cancer is more controversial, probably because of the seriousness of the disease and the political environment within the medical system?anything nutritional or alternative in regard to cancer therapy is looked upon with skepticism by orthodox physicians. For the prevention of cancer, there is reason for more optimism about the usefulness of vitamin C (as well as the other antioxidant nutrients?vitamin E, selenium, beta-carotene, and zinc) because of its effect in preventing the formation of free radicals (caused mainly by the oxidation of fats), which play a role in the genesis of disease.
Given the functions of vitamin C alone, it has a wide range of clinical uses. For the prevention and treatment of the common cold and flu syndrome, vitamin C produces a positive immunological response to help fight bacteria and viruses. Its support of the adrenal function and role in the production of adrenal hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine can help the body handle infections and stress of all kinds. Because of this adrenal-augmenting response, as well as thyroid support provided by stimulating production of thyroxine (T4) hormone, vitamin C may help with problems of fatigue and slow metabolism. It also helps counteract the side effects of cortisone drug therapy and may counteract the decreased cellular immunity experienced during the course of treatment with these commonly used immune-suppressive drugs.
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mantis
Registered: 01/26/03
Posts: 5,235
Loc: Bunker Alpha, GMC
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Re: I have a cold, should I take medicine? [Re: champ]
#4763990 - 10/06/05 01:02 PM (18 years, 5 months ago) |
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If you want you alleviate your symptoms then take some medicine. It will help your cold symptoms but you won't heal any faster.
Medication is great but it can make you feel like you're better when you're actually not> You're fine so long as you take it easy. Just don't take some medicine, think "wow, my symptoms are gone! I guess I can resume my normal routine" because you may relapse.
Get a lot of rest, drink water and gatorade, eat healthy but don't overeat. Soup is always a safe bet.
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