Ezra Klein: Moan

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February 05, 2007

Moan

No, really, why haven't we cured the common cold yet? I think my head is going to explode.

February 5, 2007 | Permalink

Comments

Just so you know, every cure that gets posted in this thread is bunk. Just do what you need to ameliorate the symptoms as much as you can and let your body fight it out.

Oh, and be sure to drink some free-range chicken broth at 124 degrees while sucking on a zinc-echinacea-vitamin C lozenge. After that, drink some green-ginger-ginseng tea with local honey. It'll clear up in an hour, promise.

Posted by: Stephen | Feb 5, 2007 9:41:50 AM

Zinc. When I've used Zicam my cold has been much shorter, when I don't it lingers for a week or so. Obviously I can't do a fully controlled experiment on myself because you could argue that when I used it the virus was a weaker version anyway, but I've had success with it.

Posted by: SP | Feb 5, 2007 9:59:53 AM

"why haven't we cured the common cold yet?"

We have. It's called Sudafed™. And it actually has another purpose beyond making meth.

(Well, it may not cure the common cold, but it's a miracle cure for head-feels-like-it's-gonna-explode syndrome...)

Posted by: Petey | Feb 5, 2007 10:09:14 AM

Not only zinc, but run to your local health-nutty store and get some ADP (emulsified oil of oregano) and take one every other hour. it's fucking incredible. every time i get a cold, it settles in my sinuses, but if i take this stuff, it skedaddles pretty quickly.

Posted by: senior | Feb 5, 2007 10:25:19 AM

why haven't we cured the common cold yet?

Because it isn't the common cold. They are many, those cold viruses, and they mutate all the time. From wikipedia: "The common cold is caused by numerous viruses (mainly rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, and also certain echoviruses, paramyxoviruses, and coxsackieviruses) infecting the upper inspiratory system. Several hundred cold-causing viruses have been described, and a virus can evolve to survive, ensuring that any cure is still a long time from being developed."

In other words, it might be possible to come up with a vaccine or cure for one of them, but in another year, it would be another microbe and anything cure-like would be rendered as ineffective as everything else humans have tried throughout history. Considering all the lost productivity and general malaise wrought by the cold virus family, it's hard to imagine science placing anything but Top Priority status on the cure or vaccine for the whole nasty group of them (I am snuffling away as I type this, btw); that there is nothing--not yet--tells me the cold virus family is in it for the long evolutionary haul and will be with us for ages, come hell or high water.

Kind of like cockroaches and sharks, or the national debt.

I hope you feel better soon.

Posted by: litbrit | Feb 5, 2007 10:29:57 AM

Also, we don't want to cure it. It's going to cure cancer for us. Or are you pro-cancer?

Posted by: jhupp | Feb 5, 2007 10:49:26 AM

"It's called Sudafed™."

Be careful with the pseudoepinephrine if you have high blood pressure. (What political blogger doesn't?)

Take the Nyquil anyway and blog later.

Posted by: Bob Jones | Feb 5, 2007 10:57:29 AM

Whatever the cure is, you'd better take it quick. We need you to go over the Edwards health care plan!

Posted by: Clark | Feb 5, 2007 11:00:09 AM

pseudoephedrine

Don't take ephinephrine even if it's psuedo...

Posted by: Bob Jones | Feb 5, 2007 11:02:27 AM

Oh, I don't know about that, Bob. Epinephrine has saved my life more than once. Of course, that's for asthma, and Ezra might not want to suppress his immune system right now. . .

Posted by: Stephen | Feb 5, 2007 11:27:37 AM

Well, because if some enterprising scientist discovered the cure, you and your ilk would want to coerce him to provide it for free to all comers.

Posted by: Stuart Browning | Feb 5, 2007 11:32:07 AM

Touche, Steven.

It's a cure, not a vaccine, Stuart. Do you understand the difference and why all vaccinations are free to those who cannot afford them?

Posted by: Bob Jones | Feb 5, 2007 11:40:31 AM

Since placebos work as well as, or better than, a large group of designer prescription drugs, I suggest you take two placebo pills twice a day and call the MD in a week or so if you don't improve.

And a chocolate chip cookie with each dose, too.

Posted by: JimPortlandOR | Feb 5, 2007 11:43:56 AM

It's freedom, not force, Bob. Do you understand the difference and why human lives are not yours to coerce?

Posted by: Stuart Browning | Feb 5, 2007 11:45:12 AM

It's corporate welfare for Big Pharma, not seed money for an "enterprising scientist", Stuart. Do you understand the difference and why progressives want to level the playing field?

Posted by: litbrit | Feb 5, 2007 12:03:11 PM

I have not had a cold in twenty years.

The cure for the common cold is to avoid being in the presence of disease vectors. I swear, this works.

Posted by: bob mcmanus | Feb 5, 2007 12:05:26 PM

I turned on my Pathfinder this morning--which struggled to start up, so maybe it is time for a new battery, even though it is a 2002--and the inside thermometer said was one degree outside. It became two degrees as I drove to campus. So yeah, it's fucking cold. Thankfully, I don't have any sickness, aside from a body that is becoming chapped all over. But I feel your pain, Erza. Feel better.

Posted by: Brian | Feb 5, 2007 2:00:22 PM

I only get colds once every couple of years (have a nasty one now), but when I do get them, absolutely none of the so-called treatments--from Sudefed to Nyquil to various herbal remedies--do a damn thing for me.

Posted by: djw | Feb 5, 2007 2:19:41 PM

homemade biscuits and jam,
orange and spice tea...
a warm, handmade blanky and flannel sheets...
lots of attention, tenderness and sympathy.
....the cure for the common cold
(and most everything else)

Posted by: jacqueline | Feb 5, 2007 5:20:30 PM

I forgot to mention the very best otc immune system strengthener: Emergen-C, which is a powder you dissolve in water (like Tang or Kool Aid, *ahem*) and drink. Health food stores and many grocery stores have it. I try to ingest two or three glasses a day when it's cold time. The stuff will also give you a little energy boost (great when the cold has you feeling exhausted) and has something like five gazillion milligrams of vitamin C along with some B's and lots of electrolytes. Super Orange and Tangerine with Glucosamine are the best flavors. You can also put a packet in your water bottle when you're working out. And if you use it to wash down your aspirins after a night on the town, you'll minimize (and perhaps totally eliminate) your hangover.

It's great stuff.

Posted by: litbrit | Feb 5, 2007 7:19:16 PM

It's freedom, not force, Bob. Do you understand the difference and why human lives are not yours to coerce?

Like in Iraq, Stuart? "You may not want our brand of 'freedom and democracy' but you are going to get it whether you like it or not, even if it kills you!"

Good, Stuart. We all know what planet you come from. Mars.

Stuart is a "man on a mission" and it has nothing to do with freedom or health care in general.

Posted by: Bob Jones | Feb 5, 2007 7:57:16 PM

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