ACUPUNCTURE AND COLDS AND FLU About colds and flu

Acute upper respiratory tract viral infections are the most common diseases of human beings (Eccles 2005). Adults have two to five common colds each year and school children have from seven to ten colds per year (Johnston 1996). The common cold is most often caused by rhinoviruses (Heikkinen 2003). It is a short mild illness with early symptoms of headache, sneezing, chills and sore throat, and later symptoms of nasal discharge, nasal obstruction, cough and malaise (Eccles 2005). Generally, the severity of symptoms increases rapidly, peaking 2-3 days after infection, with a mean duration of symptoms of 7-10 days but with some symptoms persisting for more than 3 weeks.