Book Review/ GIVEAWAY: Ah-choo by Jennifer Ackerman

** THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED **

Well we lasted exactly 2 weeks before our first 'school cold'. I figure that was pretty good, considering kiddo had never been to day care. Some quick treatment of Benadryl (approved by her peds dr, DON'T holler at me please) and Ocean saline spray (spray and then aspirate), as advised in this book and waala- 2 days later she's perfectly fine and ready to go!

So read on!

Synopsis: Some colds are like mice, timid and annoying; others like dragons, accompanied by body aches and deep misery.

In AH-CHOO!, Jennifer Ackerman explains what, exactly, a cold is, how it works, and whether it's really possible to "fight one off." Scientists call this the Golden Age of the Common Cold because Americans suffer up to a billion colds each year, resulting in 40 million days of missed work and school and 100 million doctor visits.

They've also learned over the past decade much more about what cold viruses are, what they do to the human body, and how symptoms can be addressed. In this ode to the odious cold, Ackerman sifts through the chatter about treatments-what works, what doesn't, and what can't hurt. She dispels myths, such as susceptibility to colds reflects a weakened immune system. And she tracks current research, including work at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, a world-renowned center of cold research studies, where the search for a cure continues.

About the author: Jennifer Ackerman's previous book is Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: ADay in the Life of Your Body. Her previous books include Chance in the House of Fate: A Natural History of Heredity, and Notes from the Shore. A contributor to National Geographic, The New York Times, and many other publications, her articles and essays have been included in several anthologies, among them Best American Science Writing, The Nature Reader, and Best Nature Writing. Jennifer lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Review: As I said above, I changed my treatment plan for colds based on the info in this book, in agreement with peds doctor, and it WORKED. What do they recommend?

• sore throat- saltwater gargle is STILL the best remedy- it pulls fluids from swollen areas better than sore throat lozenges
• stuffy nose- decongestants containing xylometazoline or oxymetzaoline work to clear nasal passages the best. If persists, then a prescribed decongestant with psuedoephedrine work the best. Be advised that over the counter meds do NOT contain this ingredient, they contain a less effective one.
• headache- there is evidence that taking aspirin or tylenol may in fact slightly INCREASE nasal symptoms and decrease the production of antibodies (your bodies virus fighters!). Which is why you feel like the headache pills never work when you have a cold! NSAIDS, like Aleve,  are a better choice.

I learned ALOT from this book, including how you really catch a cold - someone with a cold touches their nose and then something like a door, and then you come behind them and touch the same spot and then you end up touching YOUR nose and BAMM, you've given yourself the virus. Think for a second how many times in one day you might touch your face (nose itch, cleaning your face, wiping away a stray hair )and you  get the idea of HOW easily this can happen. Now imagine if you're a 5 yr old in school. YUP, this is why most kids in school miss at least 11 days per school year from colds! AND this is only the beginning!

This book was a real eye-opener and has given me many ideas on how to better contain, treat and prevent the spreading of a cold, once it hits our house! If you have kids, you NEED this book. If you don't, you'll want it to keep from getting infected from our kiddos!

And lucky you, THREE of you get to win a copy!

The Giveaway

  Three Winner will receive their own copies of Ah-choo! 

ENTRIES:

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Contest will end on Sept 17th, at midnight. Winner will be picked by Random Number (random.org) on September 18th, and emailed. As soon as winner's info is received, I will email their info to Hachette and they will mail the books to the winners.

Disclosure / Disclaimer:  I received this ARC, free of charge, through Hachette Books, via BookBlogs,ning, for blog review only! No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.