How much do you know about New Common Sense of A Cold? (3)

At home during the daytime
 
Q18. It is better to wash the clothes of a person who have a cold separately from others. True or False?
 
A18. False.
 
Viruses can be washed away mostly by water.
 
Q19. Ventilating the room by opening windows increases viruses in the room. True or False?
 
A19. False.
 
Opening windows doesn’t increase viruses in the room because outside is less people, that means there are less viruses than in the room.
 
Viruses usually become inactive within half a day to 2 days. “Inactive” means “not infectious”. Viruses can’t increase without infection to people.
 
However, if you don’t clean the room, viruses can float up in the air when you open the window. It is recommended to clean the room frequently.
 
Q20. A snack to prevent a cold is dried squid rather than Manju (steamed cake filled with a sweet red bean filling). True or False?
 
A20. True.
 
This is because when you chew dried squid, you secrete a lot of saliva, and you can wash away viruses with the saliva. People who don’t secrete saliva a lot tend to catch a cold, so it is important to wet the throat with water. Chewing a gum is also good for the same reason.
 
Q21. Taking a nap in Kotatsu (a low table covered with a heavy blanket and the inside is equipped with electric heat source.) causes you to catch a cold. True or False?
 
A21. True.
 
In Kotatsu, upper respiratory which is important for the prevention of a cold is hard to warm up. Kotatsu and electric blanket is not good to use when you sleep because they heat up forcibly. A hot-water bottle is good to sleep with because if you feel too warm, you can kick it out from your bed.
 
Q22. Muscular people hardly catch a cold. True or False?
 
A22. True.
 
Relationship between sleeping time and a cold
 
According to a research held by a research group in the United States, it was discovered that people who slept less than 6 hours caught a cold about 4 times as easily as people who slept more than 7 hours.
 
Q23. When you have a cold, to warm up the body, it is okay to drink a little hot Sake (Hot Japanese wine) or any kinds of alcohol. True or False?
 
A23. False.
 
When you drink alcohol, your body temperature goes up once but after that, your body temperature goes down sharply.
 
Q24. To warm up the body, it is better to eat hot spicy food. True or False?
 
A24. False.
 
When you eat hot spicy food, you sweat too much all at once and after that, you feel cold suddenly. It is important to sweat slowly to recover from a cold.
 
Q25. When you have a cold, it is better to eat meat rather than vegetables. True or False?
 
A25. True.
 
Meat contains less fibers than vegetables, so meat is digested more easily than vegetables. When you are coming down with a cold, eating meat is good to strengthen your energy as well.
 
Q26. If you cough only a little bit, it is better not to sop a coughing with the medicine. True or False?
 
A26. True.
 
Coughing is an action that the body is trying to discharge viruses in the body. If you stop coughing completely, you can’t discharge the viruses from the body. If the coughing makes you very tired, it is good to stop the coughing at a certain level.
 
Honey is effective for coughing, but please do not give it to children who are less than 1 year old because it is dangerous for them.
 
It is better not to stop runny nose completely with the medicine for the same reason.
 
Q27. It is okay to take Chinese herbs right before going to bed. True or False?
 
A27. True.
 
Taking Chinese herbs makes the body effectively, so it is okay to take it without caring about when to take. But in the case of western medicine, it is necessary to follow the prescription.
 
Q28. When you are coming down with a cold, soaking in the hot bath water for a short time is better than soaking in the tepid bath water for a long time. True or False?
 
A28. False.
 
You can’t warm the core of your body if you soak in the hot bath water for a short time, so it is better to soak in the bath water that you feel comfortable to stay in to warm the core of your body.
 
A cold usually gets better naturally. But if you experience symptoms you have never had or your condition is getting worse, it is better to go see a doctor.
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