Want to prevent a cold? Wash those hands

Got the sniffles? Feeling congested? Well, there are several ways to get some relief from the common cold and to avoid getting one in the first place.

The common cold, according to WebMD, is a group of symptoms in the upper respiratory tract caused by any of a number of different viruses that can enter the body through the nose and the mouth. Cold viruses are easily spread when you touch someone or something, such as a doorknob or a keyboard, that has been infected with the virus.

The first signs of a cold can vary but usually include sneezing, a scratchy throat, a runny nose or a stuffed-up nose. According to WebMD, colds come on gradually and last about a week.

Megan Doughty, a pharmacist at USave Pharmacy in Grand Island, said there are a variety of over-the-counter medications to treat the symptoms of a cold.

For someone who has a runny nose or watery eyes, there are medications with an antihistamine. Those with congested nasal passages need a decongestant and people with mucus in their chest should go with an expectorant such as Mucinex. Cough drops are also good for people who have sore, itchy throats, she said.

There are medications available that can treat one or all of these symptoms.

In the last month, Doughty said, there have been a lot of colds going around and customers at the pharmecy have complained of sore throats and congestion.

The No. 1 preventive measure when it comes to avoiding a cold is hand washing. Doughty said antibacterial gels are also good for killing cold germs.

Covering your mouth when you cough or your nose when you sneeze also helps prevent the spread of viruses, she said.

Taking Vitamin C and zinc supplements hasn't been proven as a way to prevent colds, but it doesn't hurt either, she said.

Cold symptoms are often confused with flu symptoms. The flu usually hangs around for two to five days and includes a sore throat, fever, headache, muscle aches and congestion. Influenza is an extremely contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus. Complications from colds are relatively minor, but a severe case of flu can be life-threatening, according to WebMD.

Doughty said she hasn't seen many flu cases this year, but hand-washing is also a good way to prevent the spread of flu viruses.

Judy Ruzicka, co-owner of Natural Food Products in Grand Island, said there are a number of homeopathic ways to treat cold symptoms as well.

Vitamin C and immune booster supplements can help target symptoms and organic fruit juices can also boost the immune system, Ruzicka said. Aronia berry juice has a high orac value, which can help kill free radicals that collect in the body. The darker the juice, the higher orac value it contains, she said.

For people with sinus problems, Ruzicka suggests the Neti pot to naturally cleanse the sinuses and help with decongestion. The pots are to be used with warm purified water that can be combined with sea salt or oregano oil to help kill bacteria and viruses, she said.

Xylitol natural sugar comes in a nasal spray and Colloidol silver, which comes in a spray as well, and can be used to help kill germs. Both are natural alternatives to over-the-counter medications, Ruzicka said.

"Of course, there are the old standbys of washing your hands and staying away from places where people are sick," she said.

Packers tailgater Timothy Merry patrols Lambeau in ape costume

Bigfoot wears a size 12 shoe, isn't camera shy and has been spotted this season at Green Bay Packers home games.

That's right, the mystique of Lambeau Field gets turned up a few notches whenever Timothy Merry steps inside his massive ape-like costume to patrol the parking lot.

"It's very warm," said Merry, who is a lean 6 foot 2 inches tall but stands nearly 7 feet when he puts on the hairy creature getup. "The head is a little top heavy, so your neck gets a little sore after a while. But other than that, it's perfect to wear to games in the cold."

Merry, a 27-year-old delivery service driver and middle school ice hockey coach from Hartland, first stepped into the suit for the Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings game Nov. 14 at the suggestion of a friend — the same friend who had scored the costume from a film studio.

"He said he'll buy my tickets for the Packers game if I wore that costume," Merry said.

On game days, fans sometimes mistake Merry for Chewbacca from "Star Wars,'' but they have no fear of getting close to him.

"Girls sometimes want to be picked up off the ground. They ask me if that's my real height, because I'm actually looking out my neck," he said.

Loads of people snap photos nonstop to document their close encounter.

Some people even told Merry they planned to use it as their Christmas photo.

"Every step I took, I was turning around and taking pictures with somebody," he said of his second outing as Bigfoot in an XXL green Clay Matthews No. 52 jersey at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game Nov. 20. "Girls loved it. Guys loved it. Even fans from the other team loved it."

And the interest didn't exactly slow down once he was in his seat inside the stadium.

"Pretty much every person that passed me tried to get a picture. It was kind of hard to catch the game," he said.

Merry has been a Packers fan since the mid-1990s, when the team became a playoff contender with quarterback Brett Favre at the helm.

"I'm a Packers fan,'' Merry said. "I'm not a Brett Favre fan.''

Merry usually takes in about two games a season, but now that he's crossed over into Bigfoot territory, he plans on attending more.

"I'm pretty much going to wear it every time I go to the Packers game, and now that I have it and know how much fun it is, I'm going to go to as many Packers games as I can,'' he said.

Cold shooting continues to be a sore spot for Utes

The Utah basketball team has had myriad issues this year, from too many turnovers to poor shooting to poor defense

to lack of effort.

The latter two issues improved greatly in the last game against BYU, and turnovers, while still noticeable, have

decreased as the season has progressed.

However, shooting has remained a problem and was certainly not very good against BYU, when the Utes shot 26.9

percent from the field and 17.6 percent from 3-point range.

Going into Friday's home game against Idaho State, the Utes rank near the bottom of the NCAA statistics in all three

shooting categories.

In field goal percentage, the Utes rank No. 255 at 40.8 percent, while in free throw percentage they are 253rd at

64.5 percent.

And 3-point percentage? The Utes don't even merit an NCAA ranking because they haven't made the minimum of five per

game. However, if they were making enough treys per game, their 30.1 percentage would put them at No. 237.

Ute coaches are very aware they don't have a lot of great shooters on the team. But coach Larry Krystkowiak

acknowledges that he hasn't been able to spend as much time on shooting as he'd like because there are so many other

things to work on.

"I've always liked to spend a lot of time in practice shooting, but it just seems like we have so many other things

to do, that we haven't been doing enough of it," he said this week. "You've only got so much time in a week, and

we've asked our guys to come in and do a lot of shooting on their own. But when you're on as steep a learning curve

as we've been on with the newness and the defense we were breaking down, you have to kind of pick your poison."

The top two shooters on the team are inside players, Jason Washburn and Blake Wilkinson, who are shooting 56.9

percent and 54.2 percent from the field, respectively. Among the guards, Josh Watkins is the best at 45.5 percent.

"When one person misses a shot, it kind of batters your confidence," said Cedric Martin, who is shooting just 30.4

percent. "I think we just need to get in the gym and put up more game-like shots and come back with more

confidence."

FOSTER COULD REDSHIRT: Earlier in the month, Krystkowiak said he thought David Foster would be unlikely to redshirt

this year and play in 2012-13 because he had already graduated from college and because he had a baby on the way.

This week, however, Foster said he hasn't made up his mind what he'll do and said he was "open" to coming back and

playing next year.

Foster's broken foot is still in a cast and will be until at least early January, he said. Then once it comes off,

he'll need time to rehab, perhaps a few weeks, leaving him perhaps a month or less to actually play in some games.

Cold Or Flu? You Decide

A new leaflet from the NHS - Handy Advice about Flu and Colds can help you decide whether you have a cold or flu as well as help you understand and manage your symptoms this Self Care Week.

On average, adults can expect two colds a year and children as many as ten, until they develop immunity. Sometimes bad colds can be mistaken for flu, but how do you tell the difference?

Flu's biggest symptom is a sudden high temperature of over 38 degrees Celsius and a sudden cough. Other symptoms include headache, chills, aching muscles, limb or joint pain, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, loss of appetite and diarrhoea or stomach upset.

A cold on the other hand may present some of the same symptoms but these will appear at different stages. Usually, with a cold adults will not run a high temperature, but children might.

If you have flu this is the time when you will have a high temperature and symptoms that come on quickly. You will be shivering with a headache, muscle aches in the back and legs and you may feel dizzy. The high temperature should go down within 48 hours.

If you have a cold, this is the incubation stage, and there are no symptoms to tell you that you have been infected.

If you have flu, your temperature should be dropping now and from here on your symptoms will be similar to those you get with colds.

If you have a cold, the first signs appear on day two with a tickle or soreness in the nose and/or throat and sometimes in the eyes. The sore throat gets worse and a dry cough might start. You start sneezing and your nose starts to run.

From day three the symptoms for both flu and colds are very similar. The discharge from the nose may change from clear and watery to thicker and yellowish in colour. Your nose starts to feel very stuffy and blocked up, and you might get pain in the forehead and around and behind the eyes. If the infection is a really nasty one, adults may still have a slight fever.

Try not to attend A&E as there's nothing the healthcare professionals can do for colds and flu and you run the risk of spreading the virus to other patients.

The best thing you can do is rest, drink plenty of fluids and help ease sore throats with cough lozenges, mixtures or sprays. Make sure you check with your pharmacist whether any cold or flu remedies can be used with medication you're already taking.

Water, pills and bed

Find somewhere quiet, guzzle plenty of water, take a couple of painkillers - and sleep it off.

Sadly, this is the best modern medical science has to offer against the age-old problem of the hangover, which is bound to cause widespread agony and moaning on the mother of all mornings-after, following the final.

However, the internet is awash with advice for dealing with the headache and nausea caused by too much alcohol. It ranges from eating banana, peanut butter and honey sandwiches, to cold pizza, to Marmite on toast. Some swear by brisk exercise.

Appropriately for a tournament sponsored by a Dutch brand of lager, the Dutch believe, according to a National Geographic survey, that a cold beer or two is the best remedy.

Retired Auckland drug and alcohol doctor Ian Scott recommended starting early on the only treatment that offered some hope of mitigating the misery.

"As soon as you get home and go to bed, drink a whole lot of water and take two paracetamol ...or two ibuprofen," he said.

What about a big cooked breakfast the morning after? No help.

Vitamin C? No.

An addictions specialist, who asked not to be named, said the body used up water in processing alcohol and he agreed with Dr Scott's prescription.

"You're dehydrated and your brain has got less water in it than it would like. Therefore there is constriction of blood vessels. That's what gives you a headache."

ProCare Health clinical director Dr John Cameron said eating while you drank could slow down the absorption of alcohol. But his best advice was: "Tell the neighbours not to mow the lawn, and have a sleep-in."

Flu Arsenal – Build Yours Now!

It is time for me to stock my personal flu season arsenal – I was reminded of that by a child who came home early Sunday morning with a sore throat and a very stuffy nose. I like to have certain things at home (even though the store is 3 minutes from my house) because they come in handy in the middle of the night.

Every cold and flu season is a little bit different – something that worked really well last year may be just so-so this year. My first line of defense is something called Defense Plus – it is grapefruit seed extract combined with echinacea, astragalus, goldenseal, vitamin C, zinc and several immune building mushrooms. I take 2 of these every 3-4 hours. I usually know on the first dose if it is working.

If that isn’t quite taking care of my symptoms so that I can go to work and help all of you, I add oregano oil. Oregano oil kills lots of viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungus. It is really strong stuff – especially the kind that is at least 70 percent carvacrol. I like this in liquid veggie caps because the oil is just awful tasting – with the capsules, you get to swallow it without the nasty taste.

Occasionally, this doesn’t work as well as I would like it to. Then I usually resort to olive leaf. Olive leaf is one of my favorite immune builders – I know several people who take it daily and stay well year after year. Good olive leaf does some great things in addition to building immunity – studies show it lowers cholesterol and blood pressure. Quality is key on olive – it has to be at least 18 percent oleuropin, or it will not work well enough to justify spending your money on it.

These 3 things are in my first aid cabinet during the fall/winter for colds and flus. I then like to add something to help break up coughs and congestion. I have 2 favorites – fenugreek and thyme (in combination so it counts as 1 thing) and a herbal blend with osha in a liquid gel cap that really seems to work well on the pesky middle of the night coughs.

Everything I mentioned above is tablet or capsule form now that my son is old enough to swallow pills. I still recommend liquid forms for those who need them. For the younger set, I have 2 favorites – colloidal silver and elderberry chewables. Both of these interfere with a virus or bacteria’s ability to reproduce and overrun your system. I particularly like silver for stomach viruses because it is very gentle, but usually very effective.

A couple of years ago, we added a really strong tasting liquid called Cold and Sinus Blaster – it does just that. I like it for breaking up congestion and speeding up recovery. There are many other supplements that work. Everyone is a little bit different – one customer uses astragalus and zinc. Another uses echinacea and vitamin C. Others swear by oscillo.

Natural supplements work best when taken at the first symptoms of cold or flu – I go with the early and often theory because it is bad for my business if I get sick.

I also need to mention my favorite immune builders – olive leaf as I described above and Elderberry Defense. I find that taking one of these on a regular basis keeps me from getting sick in the first place. It is when I run out that I get in trouble.

Researching the Sneeze and How to Handle It

THE paper products aisle generally is not seasonal, with consumers using about the same amount of toilet paper, napkins or paper towels every month. But not so with facial tissue: as cold and flu season rears its congested head, monthly sales increase as much as 65 percent over the summer months.

Generally that surge is good news for Kleenex, the Kimberly-Clark brand that invented facial tissue 87 years ago. But both Kleenex and Puffs, a Procter & Gamble brand, lost market share during the economic downturn to cheaper store brands.

In the 52 weeks that ended on June 13, 2010, for example, Kleenex sales dropped 5.5 percent from the previous year, and Puffs, a Procter & Gamble brand, dropped 3.2 percent, while store brands climbed 6.4 percent, according to SymphonyIRI Group data, which does not include Wal-Mart.

Now Kleenex has something it claims is a first: Along with lotion, Kleenex Cool Touch contains ingredients that promise cooling relief to sore noses. A Cool Touch commercial — by JWT New York, part of the WPP Group — is scheduled to be introduced Monday, and the campaign will include print and online advertising as well as social media marketing.

“This really is a game-changing innovation,” said Craig Smith, the brand director for Kleenex. “This is the only tissue that releases a cool sensation, and it takes soothing to a whole different level.”

Kleenex, which declined to reveal how much it will spend on the campaign, spent $51.9 million on advertising in 2010, compared with $29.5 million by Puffs, according to Kantar Media, a division of WPP.

Soon after being introduced in 1924 as a “sanitary cold cream remover” for women, who had tended to reuse towels for that purpose, a Kimberly-Clark researcher with hay fever began using Kleenex tissues for his sniffles, and advertising soon declared them “the handkerchief for health.”

Internal Kleenex research indicates that softness is the most important quality for 84 percent of facial tissue purchasers, but the company and its competitors still pursue other innovations to stand out on the shelf.

Puffs, for example, which began in 1960, introduced Puffs Plus with lotion in the United States in 1987, and Kleenex responded with its first lotion tissue in 1996.

In 2004, Kleenex introduced antiviral tissues, which promise to contain germs from sneezes better than conventional tissues.

And P&G in 2007 introduced Puffs Plus with the Scent of Vicks, a lotion-infused facial tissue that smells like menthol, with the selling point being not that Vicks helps comfort skin but rather that it has a comforting smell.

Kleenex Cool Touch, in contrast, is unscented. Among households that use facial tissue, 89 percent buy unscented varieties, while only 19 percent buy scented varieties, according to Mintel, a market research firm.

“We find that scent quite frankly is polarizing, with some who really enjoy it and some who don’t,” said Tracy Buelow, the Kleenex brand manager. “When consumers are doing excessive wiping, they get what they term a ‘hot, sore nose,’ and while cooling tissues counteract that hot and burning feeling, scent doesn’t address that need.”

What's going around?

This week, Grand Strand doctors are seeing a lot of upper respiratory illnesses going around.

At Beach Urgent Care, Dr. Ron Reynolds says he's seeing many patients suffering from an early start to cold season.

Symptoms include nasal drainage, low grade fever, sore throat and coughing.  He says it's affecting all ages and for the most part, antibiotics aren't needed.  Dr. Reynolds recommends fluids, rest and some good, old-fashioned chicken noodle soup.

At Seacoast Primary Care in Little River, Dr. Ray Holt is seeing a lot of bronchitis cases.  He says it starts with cold symptoms, but they tend to go away and leave behind a cough.

The cough may turn from dry to wet and Dr. Holt says Robitussin may help ease the cough at night.  He says you should see a doctor if the cough lasts more than a week, you feel short of breath or have a high fever.

At Grand Strand Pediatrics, Dr. Nick Colvard is seeing a lot of asthma flare ups.  He says it's probably due to the change in weather. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing and trouble breathing.

If you have these symptoms and they don't respond to your normal asthma medication, you should see your doctor as soon as possible.

Dr. Richard Joslin says he's seeing Doctor's Care Strand Office patients complaining about one of three things: summer colds, allergies or sinuses. Dr. Joslin says the symptoms are similar but the causes are different. He says summer colds are caused by viruses that are usually inhaled and can lead to a runny nose and occasional muscle aches.

If it's allergies, symptoms may include a runny nose and sneezing. A sinus infection tends to cause more stuffiness in the nose but at times may open up and run as well. A sinus infection is bacterial and generally starts as a cold.

Dr. Joslin says treatment for a cold depends on the symptoms. Over-the-counter medication may help treat a runny nose. You should also consume fluids and get rest. A sinus infection often requires an antibiotic, which means a trip to the doctor.

Allergies, if mild to moderate, can also be treated with over-the-counter medication, but if more severe, you may need a prescription.

TMC649128 enters Phase Ib Trial in Patients Chronically Infected with Genotype-1 Hepatitis C Virus

Medivir AB (sto:MVIRB)(omx:MVIR), the emerging research-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases, today announces the start of a phase Ib clinical trial with TMC649128 intended for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

TMC649128 is a nucleoside NS5B polymerase inhibitor developed in collaboration with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals. TMC649128 has demonstrated an attractive pre-clinical profile and displays in vitro activity across multiple HCV genotypes and a high genetic barrier to resistance. A clinical phase Ia double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled single-ascending dose trial to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers has now successfully been completed.

The TMC649128 phase Ib study that now is underway is a double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled trial in genotype 1 HCV-infected patients to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and antiviral activity of multiple ascending doses of TMC649128 given as monotherapy and in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin.

It is anticipated that TMC649128 will be used in combination with other HCV direct acting antiviral agents, given its high genetic barrier to resistance and antiviral activity across multiple HCV genotypes.

"We are delighted to see TMC649128, our first HCV nucleoside inhibitor, advance into clinical phase Ib studies in HCV patients", stated Bertil Samuelsson, CSO of Medivir. "The start of this phase Ib trial underscores our commitment to develop new and innovative treatments for hepatitis C infected patients. We view nucleoside inhibitors, such as TMC649128, and protease inhibitors, such as TMC435, as cornerstone components of future direct acting antiviral combinations for HCV therapy."

About Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne infectious disease of the liver and is a leading cause of chronic liver disease and liver transplants. The WHO estimates that nearly 180 million people worldwide, or approximately 3% of the world's population, are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The CDC has reported that almost three million people in the United States are chronically infected with HCV.

About Medivir's Commitment to HCV

Medivir and Tibotec are also jointly developing the once daily protease inhibitor TMC435 for treatment of hepatitis C virus infections (HCV).

About Medivir

Medivir is an emerging research-based specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of high-value treatments for infectious diseases. Medivir has world class expertise in polymerase and protease drug targets and drug development. Medivir has a strong R&D portfolio and has recently launched its first product Xerese(TM)/Xerclear(R). Medivir's key pipeline asset, TMC435, a protease inhibitor, is in global phase 3 clinical development for Hepatitis C and is partnered with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals.

It’s too cold!”

I love hiking. You should too. Not just because it’s a great exercise —which doctors say you aren’t getting enough of. But also because it gets you outside in nature and around history, which you have no business living in the area if you aren’t the least bit interested in.

So, after an entire winter of making dumb excuses to not hike (“It’s too cold!” “I’m too busy!” Etc.) I decided that, confronted with the reality that spring has finally sprung, it was time to get off my ever-expanding duff and start hiking.

Now, there are many truly great places to hike in the area, but none is as truly, dauntingly awesome as the Appalachian Trail. And you don’t even have to hike all 2,175 miles to enjoy it.  Those parts in Northern Virginia are best travelled at this time of the year, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, as  “summer heat and humidity can be oppressive.”

There is a trailhead in Keys Gap near Harpers Ferry, W.Va., just off of Route 9 as one enters Jefferson County. This is roughly 16 miles from the center of Leesburg, and is well worth the trip.

Just last week, I decided to take an early Monday and walk into Harpers Ferry from Keys Gap, a side trip as I was on my way to visit my parents in Charles Town. I arrived at the trailhead at about 3 p.m., and had to turn around at about 5 p.m. in order to make it back to my car in time for a home-cooked meal, but I covered roughly nine miles in four hours with a bum ankle, a personal best if not any particularly astonishing athletic achievement.

And boy, in addition to negotiating plenty of ankle-turning rocks and shoe-sucking muck, there was plenty of pretty stuff to see, too. 

Looking back into Loudoun County or over into Jefferson from Keys Gap is an impressive site. I didn’t run into any particularly interesting wildlife up on this stretch of the Appalachian Trail, but I know they are around.  I recently saw a bear while hiking at Gambrill State Park near Frederick, Md., an adventure I will relate in a future column.

It is only rated as “moderately difficult” terrain by the ATC, but I would not recommend this trail for those who are just getting active after a long period of indolence, or if you suffer from joint pain. If you feel like you are up to it, though, it really isn’t too bad. I can handle it despite the fact that my ankles are probably in worse shape than my 83-year-old grandmother’s. Just know you will feel it the next day, and you should have an ice pack and ibuprofen available.

One piece of advice: don’t be impulsive like your humble editor and decide you are so good at hiking that you can do it on the drop of a hat, while wearing slip-on Vans. You can’t. That is dumb testosterone and poor planning talking. Wear real shoes, bring water and stretch, dummy.