Most colds people have are asymptomatic. The source of the symptoms of a cold is the brain itself, not the bugs. (This is why the medicines used to treat colds are neurotrophic.)
It’s not out of the question that a strong drink can reset the brain circuitry that’s giving you the cold in the first place. Quite a bit like a placebo.
Original column.
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Most colds people have are asymptomatic.–
*The medicines used to treat colds are neurotrophic. – *
The remedy for a runny nose is a stimulant. For a fever, it is one of many very different pain relievers. In fact, the stimulant behind psuedophed (pseudo-ephedrine, or “fake adrenaline”) is very popular as the base for the manufacture of methamphetamine. So popular that severe limitations on its sale have been recently put into effect (at least in ny).
The source of the symptoms of a cold is the brain itself, not the bugs.
That is me putting two-and-two together. Moreover, it’s my explanation for the puzzling dance between scientists and everybody else regarding the relationship between cold and colds. For decades, studies revealed that cold temperature does not make one more susceptible to infection despite the overwhelming folk wisdom (for crissakes, it’s called a cold!) to the contrary. More recently, research has shown that a link does, in fact, exist (which is a bit like discovering the clitoris).
A recent study: Acute cooling of the feet and the onset of common cold symptoms posits an alternate theory that is also based on the basic premise that factors (in particulay cold) turn sub-clinical (asymptomatic) infections into clinical ones (ie with the symptoms of a runny nose, etc).
Another study, cited by the first for the ‘sub-clinical’ claim and the ‘trigger’ theory of colds. It’s not available for free, however, and I can’t access its cites. This author speculates (without doing further research) that the causative mechanism is vassoconstriction in the respiratory track.
One important observation to keep in mind is the commonality of symptoms across vast genera of viruses that are responsible for colds and flus. Even HIV will give you a runny nose and a sore throat. This points to some sort of external causative agent. I’m not sure if the vassoconstriction hypothesis can explain this, but a purely neurological mechanism surely would. Although the exact evolutionary reasons aren’t clear, it seems the brain/body sometimes feels like throwing at you a dollup of misery. Perhaps so you would find yourself a warm hole to rest and not catch pneumonia. Of course the symptoms of a cold also put you at a large disadvantage against predators, but that is perhaps why a good dose of adrenaline will clear up your nasal passages in no time.
Per your cite, most viral infections are asymptomatic. Colds are viral infections which are not asymptomatic. Pretty much by definition.
We treat fevers with febrifuges. Yes, most are also analgesics.
And yes, New York and 33 other states restrict pseudoephedrine, as well as the Federal government. But that has nothing to do with its medicinal use, nor with the fact that it’s not in any sense a neurotrophic agent.
I think you are misusing or misunderstanding the term “neurotrophic.” Neither painkillers nor stimulants are neurotrophic factors in that they do not involve the growth or repair or nerve cells.
I guess you seem to be saying that cold symptoms are psychosomatic. I think you’re wrong.
Oh, and PSE is not even remotely the same thing as epinephrine.
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