Frequent colds

I'm 21 years old and since a really bad cold bad in June, I've noticed I've been getting colds around the sametime every month..Starts with a slight sore throat the week before, then that goes away, then I start sneezing alot, then it leads to stuffyness in the head and nose..I normally seem to get it the week before or after my period, so I don't know if that has something to do with it, or the fact I work with kids, or if its something more serious

[Enoch Choi]

Slight sore throat that resolves, then sneezing, stuffiness, sounds more like allergies, especially if you sneeze from feeling itchy.  It's interesting that it's related to the time of your period, but since it's a week before OR after, i can't understand a relationship with it.  I don't suppose you're allergic to the kids (just joking), but you could be to something in your home or workplace.

It's worth seeing your doctor if you have symptoms that recur regularly.

[foodwatcher]

kimmy,
I read our blood sugar is higher around our periods.I have certainly felt that,along with feeling acidy.its as if it builds up over days.I have noticed something about my body. pertaining to sore throats and colds . There is a problem with sugars.excessive sugar brings on candida-a sugar eating fungus.if you mix some oregeno with water and let it settle in your throat--it should start to kill the fungus-if thats what it is.if it works,get Fungal Defense,a supplement and let it dissolve in your mouth.My immune system bites-and i am greatful to have figured some things out.

[caregiver222]

That oregeno is a great idea. As for the colds, get some spray saline and every evening irrigate the sinus passages.   This will help and there are no side affects to worry about.  

[Enoch Choi, MD]

caregiver222 has a good idea with the spray saline, that helps a lot.  what helps even more is nasal saline rinses, as well as nasal steroids:

http://archotol.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/133/11/1115

Nasal Saline for Chronic Sinonasal Symptoms

A Randomized Controlled Trial

Melissa A. Pynnonen, MD; Shraddha S. Mukerji, MD; H. Myra Kim, ScD; Meredith E. Adams, MD; Jeffrey E. Terrell, MD

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2007;133(11):1115-1120.

Objective  To determine if isotonic sodium chloride (hereinafter "saline") nasal irrigations performed with large volume and delivered with low positive pressure are more effective than saline sprays at improving quality of life and decreasing medication use.

Design  A prospective, randomized controlled trial.

Setting  Community.

Participants  A total of 127 adults with chronic nasal and sinus symptoms.

Interventions  Patients were randomly assigned to irrigation performed with large volume and delivered with low positive pressure (n = 64) or spray (n = 63) for 8 weeks.

Main Outcome Measures  Change in symptom severity measured by mean 20-Item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-20) score; change in symptom frequency measured with a global question; and change in medication use.

Results  A total of 121 patients were evaluable. The irrigation group achieved lower SNOT-20 scores than the spray group at all 3 time points: 4.4 points lower at 2 weeks (P = .02); 8.2 points lower at 4 weeks (P < .001); and 6.4 points lower at 8 weeks (P = .002). When symptom frequency was analyzed, 40% of subjects in the irrigation group reported symptoms "often or always" at 8 weeks compared with 61% in the spray group (absolute risk reduction, 0.2; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.38 (P = .01). No significant differences in sinus medication use were seen between groups.

Conclusion  Nasal irrigations performed with large volume and delivered with low positive pressure are more effective than saline sprays for treatment of chronic nasal and sinus symptoms in a community-based population.

Trial Registration  clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00318006


Author Affiliations: Departments of Otolaryngology (Drs Pynnonen, Adams, and Terrell) and Biostatistics and Center for Statistical Consultation and Research (Dr Kim), University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor; and Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston (Dr Mukerji).