CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE DECEMBER ISSUE | Page 54

C OMBAT THE C OMMON
C OLD NATURALLY
By Natasha Davis
As competitive athletes, it’s important to always utilizing stress management techniques, etc),
keep ourselves healthy. However, since we are but I want to address what to do from a
putting our bodies under physical stress and holistic perspective to help you through your
perceived stress heading into a show, our common cold quickly -  should you catch it.
immune system can become compromised and Symptoms of the common cold include: head
easily penetrated by viruses. A common virus to and/or nasal congestion, sore throat,
be ready to combat this time of year is the coughing, headache, and sneezing. While
common cold. low-grade fevers can accompany these
symptoms, high fever can be associated with
The common cold is not a result of cooler infection and your health care provider
weather, but rather the virus is able to survive should be contacted for further observation.
and thrives in colder temperatures with low Typical common cold duration is up to ten
humidity. As the cooler weather settles in, there days, where thereafter if symptoms are not
are more people staying indoors, spending clearing up or are getting worse, you should
holidays together, and coming into close see a health care provider for next steps.
contact with one another. Thus, allowing the
virus to spread more easily from person-to-
person. Prevention is key as with most illnesses
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(eating as many whole foods as possible,