All doctors have been prodded by their patients to prescribe a Z-pak, and most, if not all, have begrudgingly succumbed to that request at some point. The reluctance is universal and has less to do with the patient crossing an unspoken boundary and more to do with the physician not wanting to add to the huge problem of antibiotic-resistance.

Some important facts:

Between 90 - 98% of acute sinusitis are viral and won’t respond to antibiotics.
There are over 200 viruses that cause the common cold.
Only 5 - 10% of sore throats are caused by strept throat.
The average duration of an upper respiratory tract infection is 7 - 21 days.
The average duration of a cough is 18 days.
The most common cause of ER visits in children is from adverse side effects from antibiotics.
Z - pak’s increase the risk of fatal heart events.
The incidence of antibiotic-resistant infections in the US is currently over 2 million per year and climbing.

At BreatheMD, we use next-generation DNA sequencing to identify what is living in the sinuses of patients with chronic sinus problems, whether it’s bacteria, viruses or fungi. The test identifies 100% of microbes within a sample with 99.9% accuracy, provides information about antibiotic resistance, and gives an appropriate antibiotic recommendation if necessary. For more acute infections, we are able to test for strept throat and influenza virus on-site.

The common cold cannot be cured with a pill, but here are some things to do to shorten its duration:

Do everything you can to thin the mucous.
- Hydration
- Saline irrigations at home, adding a drop of baby shampoo and betadine to each batch
- Mucinex, an over-the-counter medication that thins the mucous (but make sure to take with a full glass of water)
- Stop taking (or lower the dose) allergy pills that thicken mucous (unless your allergies are severe)
- Plenty of hot tea and chicken noodle soup
- Slow down your caffeine intake
- Hot showers/steam room
Rest. Listen to your body.
Sinus Therapy at our clinic to drain the mucous
Echinacea, turmeric, elderberry, ginger, and vitamin C
Infrared Sauna to decrease inflammation and increase circulation
For night-time cough, warm up a dollop of raw honey and swallow (don’t give to infants under 1).
Cold air through the mouth can trigger cough so focus on nasal breathing if possible. At night, keep the room warmer than usual if mouth breathing is an issue.

Please feel free to add any tricks you’ve found helpful to kick your colds in the comments section.

Chronic inflammation plays a central role in a host of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma and chronic sinusitis, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Inflammation is essentially your body’s immune response - helpful in acute situations, but harmful when the underlying cause persists and the response lasts for months or years.

Causes: Imbalanced gut bacteria, harmful bacteria/parasites, chronic stress, some medications, excess weight (extra fatty tissue produces inflammatory cytokines in the body)

Symptoms: decreased energy and fatigue, sleep disturbances, brain fog, skin problems, abdominal pain/bloating/gas, joint pain, headaches, irritability/mood swings/anxiety/depression

Dietary contributions:

Processed vegetable oils: Omega 6 oils trigger the body to produce pro-inflammatory mediators in our body. The ideal ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 oils is 1:1, but the typical Western diet contains a ratio of 20:1. Examples of Omega 6 oils to avoid are vegetable, canola, corn, soybean, peanut, safflower, cottonseed, grapeseed, and sunflower oil. Use avocado, olive, coconut, flax, walnut oil and ghee instead.
Refined flour: A whole grain of wheat has 3 layers - the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. Refined flour strips the grain down to the endosperm. It’s then bleached and oxidized to give it the pure white color. The majority of nutrients are destroyed in the this process, including fiber. Look at food labels and try to avoid items containing “enriched flour.”
Gluten: A primary constituent of gluten called gliadin has been shown to cause intestinal stress through activation of zonulin, a hormone that signals the tight junctions of your intestinal wall to open… leaky gut. Once triggered, zonulin stays active for 90 days. Gluten is not only found in bread and pasta but because of its binding properties, is often added to random items such as medications, lunch meat, shampoo.
Sugar: Excess fructose consumption stimulates the body to deposit extra fat in the liver, contributing to fatty liver disease. Fructose does not trigger insulin release or leptin like glucose does. Stick to honey and maple syrup as sweeteners and limit added sugar intake to 6 tsp/25g or less (women), 8 tsp/35g of less (men).
Artificial Sweeteners: These overstimulate sugar receptors, leading to sugar addiction and making less sweet foods much less appealing.
Expired Items in Pantry/Freezer: Your body has a harder time breaking down expired food. Throw away spices older than 2 years, anything in the freezer that has frostbite, expired condiments.
Other dietary sources of inflammation:
- Foods containing non-organic corn and soy as 94% of these are genetically-modified
- Dairy from cows fed hormones and antibiotics - look for “grass-fed, pasture-raised, rBGH-free, rBST-free”
- Food colorings

If you are wondering what's left to eat, I will cover anti-inflammatory foods in my next post. For now, start reading food labels, become aware of what you’re consuming. Aim for a B - 80% compliance is good enough and much better than what you may be doing now.