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Biotech / Medical : GUMM - Eliminate the Common Cold -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Scott who wrote (967)	9/22/1999 12:12:00 AM
From: out_of_the_loop	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 5582

Scott: Thee correct way to take Zicam actually does not require you sniffing it. Think of your lower nasal lining as where you want to paint it on and your upper nasal passages (your turbinates - the things actually inside your skull as opposed to the cartilaginous nose that we can see) as OFF LIMITS to Zicam. You are applying a gel but in spray form. The introducer goes in only a fraction of an inch. Do not inhale, simply spray, then clamp your nostrils together. The gel spreads evenly and you should not get the material back into your throat to swallow. It won't hurt you there, but it won't help, either. Regarding your question about blocking the portals of entry, it comes down to the pathway of infection of the cells. If one way is more effective in cutting don the length of the cold, why use 2 if there is no proven efficacy? Someone may want to study that, but in the meantime, cold-ease will still have the bad aftertaste, and the upset stomach side effects. The new studies should also help to see whether Zicam prevents colds. ** Regarding other viruses. Most viruses have specific receptors on the cell membrane. The AIDS virus does not use the same ICAM per se, but uses a receptor for another cell (T-helper cell) to gain access. In a very broad sense one could say it has a key to get into a lock, but in a specific sense, its key does not fit the same lock. Most (not all) colds are caused by rhinoviruses and there are many strains. These share the nasal ICAM as their way to unlock their way into the cell. Other STDs are commonly not viral and infect through quite other means, often just by being engulfed by white cells because the body perceives them as invaders. I hope I have answered your questions.