Source: George L. Marchin, 785-532-6635, e-mail: gmarchin@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Jessica Clark, 785-532-6415

Thursday, October 31, 2002

K-STATE PROFESSOR DISPENSES WAYS TO DEAL WITH A COLD FROM THE VERY FIRST SNIFFLE

MANHATTAN -- First your nose starts running. Then you're coughing and sneezing and your body begins to ache all over. If these symptoms sound familiar, you may be coming down with a cold.

Catching a cold is sometimes inevitable, but a Kansas State University professor suggests maintaining good health habits to help stay clear of colds this winter.

George Marchin, associate professor of biology, suggests eating properly, getting plenty of sleep and staying away from large crowds of people to lower your chances of getting a cold.

"This may be somewhat of a challenge for students, who often are interacting with large numbers of people in small quarters," Marchin said. "Also, as the weather gets colder, more people want to be indoors and in close quarters with others, allowing colds to spread more quickly."

Marchin said to look out for a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, body aches and sometimes fever. Younger children are more susceptible than adults to fevers; kids' fevers often last longer and run at higher temperatures.

Parents are also more susceptible to getting colds.

"When young children are in the home, parents have a higher chance of catching a cold. Children often get a cold from school and then spread the cold to other family members in the household," Marchin said.

There are more than 200 rhino viruses that can cause a cold, and once a cold has settled in, it can sometimes takes weeks to recover. If you do catch a cold, Marchin suggests using over-the-counter medications to treat specific symptoms such as congestion, runny nose or body aches.

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