It used to be said there was no cure for the common cold. It was just something you had to grin and bear.
However a new nasal spray could change all that by stopping the sniffles before they start and is being hailed as the biggest breakthrough in cold remedies for years.
The spray forms a thin layer of gel at the back of the nose, where it traps the cold virus, disarms it and helps the body to flush it out. Trials show that using the spray - called Vicks First Defence - within 36 hours of the virus entering the body can stop a cold in its tracks.
Targets and attacks virus
The treatment is the first to attack the virus that does the damage, rather than just soothe symptoms such as coughing, runny nose and sore eyes. It's the nearest scientists have come to developing an effective cold vaccine.
"This is one of the most exciting advances in the cough and cold industry," says Professor Ron Eccles, director of the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University.
"It should greatly ease the discomfort and inconvenience caused to millions of people every year." Cold and flu expert Professor John Oxford, from the Queen Mary School of Medicine in London, says: "I expect Vicks First Defence to have a considerable impact in the treatment of the common cold.
"Not only will it empower sufferers to combat their cold far more effectively than before, it may help prevent the virus from spreading to others."
200 colds in a lifetime
The cold is the most common illness. By the age of 70, most of us will have suffered an average of 200 colds and spent three years coughing and sneezing.
There are at least 100 known cold viruses, usually transferred by touch or through the air from coughs and sneezes.
Most people take products they believe will boost their immune system (such as vitamin C, garlic and herbal remedies) or use decongestants to control the symptoms.
It is claimed the spray, developed by Procter & Gamble, is the first product clinically proven to target the virus.
Source
However a new nasal spray could change all that by stopping the sniffles before they start and is being hailed as the biggest breakthrough in cold remedies for years.
The spray forms a thin layer of gel at the back of the nose, where it traps the cold virus, disarms it and helps the body to flush it out. Trials show that using the spray - called Vicks First Defence - within 36 hours of the virus entering the body can stop a cold in its tracks.
Targets and attacks virus
The treatment is the first to attack the virus that does the damage, rather than just soothe symptoms such as coughing, runny nose and sore eyes. It's the nearest scientists have come to developing an effective cold vaccine.
"This is one of the most exciting advances in the cough and cold industry," says Professor Ron Eccles, director of the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University.
"It should greatly ease the discomfort and inconvenience caused to millions of people every year." Cold and flu expert Professor John Oxford, from the Queen Mary School of Medicine in London, says: "I expect Vicks First Defence to have a considerable impact in the treatment of the common cold.
"Not only will it empower sufferers to combat their cold far more effectively than before, it may help prevent the virus from spreading to others."
200 colds in a lifetime
The cold is the most common illness. By the age of 70, most of us will have suffered an average of 200 colds and spent three years coughing and sneezing.
There are at least 100 known cold viruses, usually transferred by touch or through the air from coughs and sneezes.
Most people take products they believe will boost their immune system (such as vitamin C, garlic and herbal remedies) or use decongestants to control the symptoms.
It is claimed the spray, developed by Procter & Gamble, is the first product clinically proven to target the virus.
Source