By Peggy O'Farrell
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Mary Sacco keeps a bottle of hand sanitizer on her desk. Sacco, the director of nursing for the Hamilton County General Health District and sworn enemy of bacteria and viruses everywhere, also washes her hands several times a day and avoids public phones during cold and flu season.

And she hasn't had a cold in two years.

Here's a simple equation for cool weather wellness: Soap plus water equals fewer colds.

(Brandi Stafford/Photo illustration) | ZOOM |

"Probably the single most important thing you can do to prevent colds is wash your hands," says Dr. Roy Jacobson of Wyoming Family Practice. "Most viruses are spread by touching."

It's amazingly easy to spread germs: Sneezing, coughing, shaking hands, making conversation and sharing glasses or utensils all get the job done.

That's why hand hygiene is so important, experts say.

Jennifer Hunter knows all about the power of touch in spreading germs: Hunter, a registered nurse and quality assurance manager for the Northern Kentucky Independent Health District, is also the mother of a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old.

"I can't tell you how many times I'm wiping somebody's nose or they're sneezing or coughing on me," she says. "And they have a pattern: When they eat lollipops, they share them. I'm trying to break that pattern."

Kids who share food, toys, cups and utensils also share germs. Teaching children to use only their own cups and utensils can help cut down on the spread of colds and flu, but it takes practice.

On the plus side, at least they're sharing.

Fall and winter are prime times for colds and flu. The viruses that cause the sicknesses are more active during those months, for one thing.

During colder weather, people also tend to congregate more in closed-in spaces, which makes it easier to share germs.

And the cold itself could play a role, says Jacobson.

"The respiratory system is damaged slightly by the cold and made more susceptible to infections from viruses that are passed around," he says.

Prolonged cold, stress, poor nutrition and inactivity all weaken the immune system, making people more prone to colds and flu.

Avoid viruses

The surest way to prevent colds and flu is to avoid the viruses that cause them. Most of us can't wall ourselves up in a sterile room for the winter, so here are a few more practical suggestions for staying healthy:

• Wash your hands: Before and after preparing or eating food, after using the bathroom, after blowing your nose (or the kids'), coughing or sneezing.

Use lots of water and soap (it doesn't have to be antibacterial) and wash under your nails. A good rule of thumb is to wash long enough to sing the ABCs or "Happy Birthday" twice. Sacco and Hunter wash their hands many, many times every day.

• Keep it clean: If you share a telephone at work or at home, wipe it down with alcohol or disinfectant wipes to kill any viruses that might be lurking on the handset. Sacco carries a cell phone to avoid contact with public phones. Hunter and her co-workers regularly disinfect the phones in their offices.

• Carry protection: If you're out and about without access to soap and water, carry along disinfectant wipes (for hands and telephones) or hand sanitizer.

• Stop sharing: Remind kids not to share cups, utensils, etc., at school or day care, and keep the items you use regularly clean.

• Remember the quarantine: If you're sick, stay home. You'll feel better, and you won't infect others.

• Get plenty of fluids, fruits and vegetables. Good nutrition keeps the immune system stoked. Dehydration makes you tired and more vulnerable to infection.

• Get a flu vaccination. It won't prevent colds, upper respiratory infections or SARS, but the vaccination will give you one less virus to worry about.

Cruise the aisles at your favorite pharmacy and you'll find plenty of supplements such as echinacea and zinc, all reported to keep the immune system healthy.

Results are mixed on how effective the supplements are, says Dr. Cathy Rosenbaum, pharmacist and clinical safety and effectiveness officer for TriHealth.

Lozenges and pills probably won't keep you from getting a cold. But there is some evidence that zinc, vitamin C, astragalus and echinacea shorten the duration of colds and other upper respiratory viruses, Rosenbaum says.

Treat symptoms

Start taking the supplements at the start of symptoms, and stop when the symptoms go away.

In the short term, the supplements seem to stimulate the immune system. Long-term, they actually seem to suppress the body's natural defenses, Rosenbaum says.

Her advice:

• People with compromised immune systems should talk to their physicians or pharmacists before using any supplement reported to "jump-start" the immune system.

• People who are allergic to daisies or mums might also have a reaction to echinacea.

• Astragalus can adversely affect blood pressure. It also acts as a diuretic.

• Don't combine astragalus and echinacea. Mega-dosing won't help, and could heighten harmful effects.

• It is possible to overdose on vitamin C. If you take more than 2,000 milligrams a day, you risk diarrhea, kidney stones, bruising and excessive bleeding.

Diabetics also risk false high glucose readings. And patients who use blood thinners or take aspirin or NSAIDS regularly should ask their doctors before taking vitamin C, which can also thin the blood.

• Some studies show taking six zinc lozenges a day can shorten the duration of cold symptoms. But not many people can handle the taste of the stuff, Rosenbaum says. "If you can choke it down, it probably works," she says.

Stopping the germs

In some families, a cold will seem to pass from one person to the next - and back again. The November issue of Parenting features these tips:

• Get the flu shot. The American Academy of Pediatrics says even children between 6 and 24 months should, when feasible, receive the vaccine.

• Encourage kids to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 10 seconds on both sides.

• Keep babies' hands tucked under a blanket when venturing out - they are almost irresistible for others to kiss and handle. At home, ask visitors to wash up before holding the infant.

• Replace toothbrushes after a child has had a cold, and don't share cups and towels.

• Put on a clean shirt if a sick child has drooled or sneezed all over the current outfit.

• Parents shouldn't eat children's leftover food because if the children are getting sick, their germs will be on that half-eaten sandwich.

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E-mail pofarrell@enquirer.com