Keep Them Clean

Starve a fever, feed a cold. Get inside before you catch your death of cold. Don’t forget your vitamins. Wash your hands!

Words from the past or present? We know the endless task of wiping noses might have us hearing voices or worse, uttering the same words ourselves. In the thick of cold and flu season, we’ll try anything. But thinking it might be more prudent to separate the old wives’ tales from medically-sound advice, we consulted with Leslie Solomonian, a naturopathic doctor and SavvyMom of two (Noah, 5 and Rachel, 7 months).

Starve a fever, feed a cold.
In sickness or in health, it’s never a good idea to deprive yourself of nutrients. Nutritionists and doctors agree: the best way to stay healthy and help your body get well is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and drink lots of fluids.

A hatless head is an invitation to pneumonia.
Although we encourage kids to dress warmly and appropriately, apparently being out in the cold air without a hat or coat has no bearing on whether or not you’ll encounter a virus. The only way to catch a cold is when a virus enters your respiratory system through droplets in the air (think messy sneezers) or germy hands. However, we have been warned that heading outdoors without proper outerwear does mean the body will be more preoccupied with staying warm than staving off viruses.

Take vitamin C when you feel a cold coming on.
It’s not that vitamin C isn’t good for you, it’s just that we can’t promise you it will cure your cold. The best strategy is to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin C and other important vitamins and minerals through a steady diet of fruits and vegetables. You know, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Wash your hands.
The bottom line is that colds are spread through direct contact with an infected person (most viruses live for about two hours on your hands) or from inhaling viral particals in the air. We learned that most cold viruses are not spread via saliva, so kissing is OK. 

The best course of action is, of course, the most simple. Keep children’s hands clean. If you often have a lot of guests under the age of ten, consider implementing a do-not-pass-go-until-you-wash-your-hands-in-this-house rule. Because nothing beats good old-fashioned hygiene, a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and the odd serving of chicken soup.

Don’t blame the cold air. You’re better off getting outside and breathing as much of the fresh stuff as you can. Here’s to you and your family’s clean hands this season.

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