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Ah-Choo!: The Uncommon Life Of Your Common Cold (2010)

by Jennifer Ackerman(Favorite Author)

3.51 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

044654115X (ISBN13: 9780446541152)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Twelve

review 1: Interesting, but not very informative to me ( but alas I do work in healthcare). I largely agree with the author and don't necessarily agree that colds are always such a bad thing. The only thing that I found truly irritating about it was the continuous thought that convalescence is the best thing for a cold so that's what we should do. Really? Who can do that?!?!? The author made no comment that the idea is improbable to most working adults and completely impossible to mothers! Great idea, but terrible assumption that it can happen in reality.
review 2: I really liked this book. It explained a lot about the genetics and types of cold viruses and why they are different from the influenza viruses, and how they rapidly spread, and how and why you're likely... more to infect people before you even realize you're sick. Ackerman delves into the history of this common ailment, and discusses myths about how colds are "caught" and past remedies for the disease, before moving on to more modern treatments and recent studies that highlight the low levels of efficacy in newer therapies. She talks about the top-selling supplements like Cold-FX and Airborne, as well as other treatments including echinacea, vitamin C and even chicken noodle soup. Preventative measures are evaluated as well, like the most important one - handwashing - and UV lights, disinfectants, antibacterials, and why some do and don't work. She also mentions "presenteeism" - the habit of people going to work or school when sick with a contagious illness, and the effect that can have on the ill person and those around him/her. There is also an appendix at the back listing therapies like honey, humidifiers, and empathy. An all-around interesting book about the common cold that's easy to understand and that clears up many misconceptions about the cold bug. less

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