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It's winter, and the enemy is at the gates. There are more than 100 types of viruses that cause the flu, and they all lead to the same misery. The first step to a strong defense against infection is to know your enemy.
Shaking hands and touching commonly handled objects like elevator buttons, door knobs or shopping-cart handles are the usual ways we collect viruses on our fingertips. If you then touch your eyes or nose before you've washed your hands, here's what your next 10 days might look like.
The virus moves down your tear duct into your sinuses, or up your nose to the back of your throat, where it penetrates a healthy cell. It then stages a rebellion, seizing control of the host cell and using it as a factory, to make so many more viruses that the cell eventually bursts. Within 8-12 hours, this fresh batch of viruses floods the area, entering surrounding healthy cells, and starting the cycle again.
For as much as three days you can share these viruses with your family, friends and coworkers without even knowing you've caught a bug. It can take this long for the infection to grow large enough to trigger an immune response, and for you to start feeling the first symptoms.
The symptoms you feel aren't caused by the virus—they're your body's way of fighting off the infection. Your throat gets scratchy and your nose gets red because of white blood cells gathering at the site of infection, and releasing substances called mediators that inflame the area. This inflammatory response is like alarm bells, alerting other cells of the immune system to the intrusion and calling them to come pitch in for the fight.
At about this time your nose starts running because other mediators are increasing mucus production, and your coughing and sneezing is triggered to flush the virus out of your body.
Immune cells called macrophages, which is Greek for “big eater,” are now on the patrol, engulfing and digesting viruses, while natural killer cells destroy the virus factories. It can take another week and a lot of energy for your immune system to successfully fight off the infection, so it's important to give it all the help you can: reduce your exertion to a minimum to conserve your energy; take your Cold-FX, which improves the work done by macrophages and natural killer cells; and drink plenty of fluids to help flush viruses away. Taking these three steps for a full 10 days from the moment you feel that first tickle will help get you back on your feet and feeling fine more quickly.
