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Harvard Business School Brief CasesAccountingBiovail Corporation: Revenue Recognition and FOB Sales AccountingBiovail Corporation, a major Canadian pharmaceutical company, announces that it will miss its quarterly earnings target by $25 to $45 million, blaming $10 to $15 million of the shortfall on a truck accident that occurred on the last day of the quarter. Explores the concepts of revenue recognition, the ethics of earnings management, relationships with analysts, and the enforcement role of the SEC.Danshui Plant No. 2A plant in southern China has a contract to assemble 2.4 million Apple iPhones. Three months into the contract, the plant is operating at a loss. The plant manager analyzes the budget and considers whether changing from a static to flexible budget can help uncover the performance problems.Depreciation at Delta Air Lines: The "Fresh Start"After Delta adopts fair value accounting as part of its "fresh start" emergence from bankruptcy, the company changes its approach to depreciating its aircraft. Introduces students to depreciation policy and links between accounting policies and financial reporting choices.Jimmy Fu and Moog, Inc.: Understanding Shareholders' EquityJimmy Fu is interviewing for a job at Moog, Inc. In the job offer, the vesting and termination language for the stock plan leads Jimmy to investigate the Shareholders' Equity section of the Moog balance sheet and he finds more activity than he expects.Luotang Power: Variances ExplainedThe general manager of a coal-fired power plant in central China prepares for a presentation to the board of directors. He believes his company performed well in the previous year in several key metrics but the performance is not reflected in the financial results.Lyons Document Storage Corporation: Bond MathA manager must analyze the refunding of bonds issued in 2000, when interest rates were higher. Students must calculate the present value of interest and principal payments.Merrimack Tractors and Mowers: LIFO or FIFO?A CFO proposes use of FIFO to maintain earnings growth, accepting possible tax consequences. The case demonstrates that firms often have choices about accounting policies.The Talbots, Inc. and Its Subsidiaries: Accounting for GoodwillFocusing on the firm's acquisition of J. Jill, the case demonstrates what goodwill is, how it originates, how it is measured at acquisition, and how it is amortized or impaired.FinanceBlaine Kitchenware: Capital StructureIn response to an unsolicited takeover, a kitchen appliance maker contemplates using excess liquidity and additional borrowing for a stock repurchase. The company must determine the effects of increasing leverage on the cost of capital, firm value, and share price.Ceres Gardening Company: Funding Growth in Organic ProductsAn aggressive player in the organic gardening industry offers steep discounts and vendor financing to its retailers in an effort to increase market penetration. Students analyze the company's financial statements and make projections.Flash Memory, Inc.A small firm in the computer and electronic device memory market must invest heavily in new product development to stay competitive. The Chief Financial Officer is in the process of preparing the investing and financing plans for the next three years and must consider alternatives for additional funding in light of increased working capital requirements.Groupe Ariel S.A.: Parity Conditions and Cross-Border ValuationGroupe Ariel evaluates a proposal from its Mexican subsidiary to purchase and install cost-saving equipment at a manufacturing facility. Ariel corporate policy requires a discounted cash flow (DCF) and an estimate for the net present value (NVP) for capital expenditures in foreign markets. A major challenge of the case is which currency to use, the Euro or the peso.Hansson Private Label, Inc.: Evaluating an Investment in ExpansionA manufacturer of private-label personal care products must decide whether to fund an unprecedented expansion of manufacturing capacity. This case requires students to complete a fundamental analysis of the project, including the development of cash flow projections and net present value calculations.Harmonic Hearing Co.Two employees from a small manufacturer of hearing aids consider purchasing the company from the founder. Two financing alternatives are presented: one is virtually all debt-financed, the other all equity. The financing structure will significantly affect future products and firm performance.Hill Country Snack Food Co.The CEO of a snack food company believes in maximizing shareholder value by maintaining large cash balances and funding new initiatives internally using equity finance over debt finance. As he approaches retirement, analysts and investors want the company to adopt a more aggressive capital structure.Jones Electrical DistributionDespite several years of rapid sales growth and good profits, Jones Electrical Distribution experiences short-term cash shortages. The company is unable to take discounts on accounts payable and increasingly relies on loans from the bank to cover expenses. Company owner Nelson Jones weighs the options for managing sales growth against additional financing needs.Mercury Athletic: Valuing the OpportunityThe head of business development at Active Gear Advantage, a mid-size athletic footwear company, sees the opportunity to acquire Mercury Athletic and double the size of his business. Students gain exposure to basic DCF valuation using WACC.Midland Energy Resources, Inc.: Cost of CapitalThe senior vice president of project finance for a global oil and gas company must determine the weighted average cost of capital for the company as a whole and each of its divisions. Students become familiar with WACC and CAPM and associated data and formulas.Monmouth, Inc.A leading producer of engines and massive compressors for the natural gas industry considers whether to acquire a tool company. Students must choose an approach for valuing the company and consider how the offer should be structured.New Heritage DollA mid-sized, privately-owned, domestic firm evaluates two investment alternatives. The case explores basic issues in capital budgeting and requires students to analyze financial information from competing capital budgeting projects and choose a single investment project.Pacific Grove Spice CompanyA manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of spices and seasonings utilizes debt to fund the necessary growth in assets to support sales. The bank is concerned about the total amount of interest-bearing debt on the firm's balance sheet and has asked the company to provide a plan to reduce it.Polar Sports, Inc.A fashion skiwear company generates over 80% of sales between September and January and relies on seasonal production to respond promptly to customer orders. The VP of operations considers the costs and benefits of switching to level production.Sterling Household Products CompanyA manufacturer of laundry soap, cosmetics, cleaning and disinfecting products, and other consumer goods consider acquiring the germicidal and sanitation product unit from a company in the health care industry. A complete investment analysis may reveal whether the purchase price adds enough value to the firm.Valuation of AirThread ConnectionsA senior associate in the business development group at American Cable Communications must prepare a preliminary valuation for acquiring AirThread Connections, a regional cellular provider. This case can be used as a capstone valuation exercise for first-year MBA students in an introductory finance course.Winfield Refuse Management: Raising Debt vs. EquityA small, publicly traded company specializing in non-hazardous waste management considers a major acquisition in the Midwestern U.S. The chief financial officer wants the company to reconsider a long-standing policy to avoid long term debt and fund the acquisition through a bond issue.General ManagementApplied Research Technologies, Inc.: Global Innovation's ChallengesStudents analyze the decisions and the leadership styles of both a unit manager and a division VP of ART, Inc., an organization whose culture of innovation has spawned many successful brands—but this same culture might also be putting one division and its leader at risk.Calveta Dining Services, Inc.: A Recipe for Growth?Calveta Dining Services enjoyed three decades of growth under its founder Antonio Calveta. Now that Antonio is retired, can his son Frank carry out Antonio's directive to double revenue within five years while still maintaining Calveta's distinctive pro-employee culture?Clayton Industries: Peter Arnell, Country Manager for ItalyIn Italy, the new country manager of a U.S.-based HVAC company is under pressure to solve a range of problems that thwart the home office's strategic plans. His options are constrained by a depressed economy, difficult union relations, rising materials prices, intense competition, and nationalistic buying preferences.A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care ProductsA driven superstar performer at a cosmetics firm has an impressive record of accomplishments but is limited by an inability to function effectively in a team setting, as a 360 performance evaluation makes clear.Evergreen Natural Markets 2012Kathleen Norton, the CEO of a successful food retailer with a track record of growth through local acquisition, has her leadership skills tested when her company purchases seven stores outside of the home base.Sugar BowlShelby Givens, the Westlake Lanes general manager, has successfully transformed her family-owned bowling alley into an urban lounge called Sugar Bowl. When investors offer to buy the business, Givens must evaluate whether she should accept the offer or retain involvement in the venture she worked so hard to create.Westlake Lanes: How Can This Business Be Saved?A general manager tries to improve a failing business that is owned and operated by her family. She uses her recent MBA training to devise a short term turnaround strategy while also proposing a longer term transformation plan to the board.HR ManagementCeleritas, Inc.: Leadership Challenges in a Fast-Growth IndustryCeleritas is a leading data communications company in a crowded and highly competitive market. With sales suddenly declining after years of record growth, Celeritas has begun to lose its status as a top player. The CEO calls for an offsite meeting to address several problems he believes are causing the recent slide.Raleigh & Rosse: Measures to Motivate Exceptional ServiceIn January 2010, U. S. luxury goods retailer Raleigh & Rosse is being sued by its employees for encouraging "off the clock" hours. At the center of the class action lawsuit is the famous Raleigh & Rosse performance measurement system previously thought to be the core of the retailer's success.International BusinessBella Healthcare IndiaBella Healthcare India was originally established as a low-cost manufacturing facility for a U.S.-based cardiology equipment developer but has since evolved into its own research and development center. After a failed joint product development effort with its parent company in the U.S., is the Bella Bangalore team ready to launch a new product and if so, which project should it choose?Kent Chemical: Organizing for International GrowthWith a global expansion strategy placing increasing demands on his organization, the president of Kent Chemical International is proposing a third reorganization effort after two failed attempts to better align his business with its U.S.-based parent company.Levendary Cafe: The China ChallengeLevendary Cafe has grown from a small Colorado-based restaurant into a $10 billion business with international expansion plans. Despite its solid track record, Wall Street is nervous about Levendary and its new CEO, Mia Foster. Foster is working hard to prove herself worthy of the job and her first order of business is to address concerns about the Levendary Chinese expansion plan.Meli MarineAn inter-Asian container shipping company is facing an important strategic decision after an interesting acquisition opportunity presents itself— if the board purchases larger ships, should they enter the global Asian-North American shipping business?United Cereal: Lora Brill's Eurobrand ChallengeThe European division for a multinational breakfast foods company prepares to launch a new cereal product. The VP for the division must decide whether to make the new cereal the first branded cereal product for the European division and how to create an organizational structure to support the new product strategy.MarketingAlpen Bank: Launching the Credit Card in RomaniaAlpen Bank considers whether to launch a credit card business in Romania. The firm rejected the idea several years earlier because of poor economic conditions in Romania. However, the country is emerging from a recession and incomes are rising along with disposable income. Students decide whether to launch the new business and how to acquire new customers.Atius GolfA maker of high-performance golf balls considers introducing a new product line called Elevate to appeal to casual golfers. The new line will be available through "off-course" specialty stores and big box retailers at lower price. The board of directors is divided on whether to support the decision.Atlantic Computer: A Bundle of Pricing OptionsAtlantic Computer, a leading player in the high-end server market, has developed a new server, the Tronn, and a software tool, called the "Performance Enhancing Server Accelerator," or PESA, that allows the Tronn to perform up to four times faster than its standard speed. How should Atlantic price the Tronn and PESA?Brannigan Foods: Strategic Marketing PlanningThe vice president and general manager of the soup division is concerned about declining sales and profitability. Hoping to reverse the trends, he asks 4 managers to review an analysis of the soup industry and recommend a turnaround strategy. Students must perform a quantitative analysis of each proposal before making a final recommendation.Classic Knitwear and Guardian: A Perfect Fit?In response to shareholder demands for margin improvements, the CMO of Classic Knitwear, a private-label non-fashion knitwear manufacturer, considers partnering with another company to produce a new line of high-margin, insect-repellant clothing.Clean Edge Razor: Splitting Hairs in Product PositioningA health and beauty manufacturing company launches a new technologically advanced vibrating razor into the highly competitive men's market for shaving products. The product manager struggles with positioning the product either as a "niche" razor for the high-end market or as a mainstream razor for the average consumer.Cottle-Taylor: Expanding the Oral Care Group in IndiaThe director for oral care products in India develops a marketing plan to support 20% growth in India but her boss wants to see 30% growth. To reach the revised goal, she must develop a new marketing plan while considering many factors including the regional differences between rural and urban consumers and the level of acceptance for modern dental standards across India.Culinarian Cookware: Pondering Price PromotionFaced with ambiguous results from a previous price promotion, Culinarian must decide if a new promotion will damage its premium brand or improve brand awareness and stimulate sales. What role should price promotion play in the company's sales growth goals?The Fashion ChannelThe new Senior Vice President of Marketing for The Fashion Channel is preparing to recommend a change in the company's traditional marketing approach by introducing a market segmentation program. Students must evaluate consumer research results, calculate financial scenarios, and make their own recommendation.Flare Fragrances Company, Inc: Analyzing Growth OpportunitiesFlare Fragrances experiences a decline in annual sales growth and considers introducing a new line of perfume or expanding distribution. Students study a wide range of factors including brand management, consumer demographics, product positioning, and pricing.Giant Consumer Products: The Sales Promotion Resource Allocation DecisionIn an effort to boost sagging sales, the Frozen Food Division undertakes a risky trade promotion. Focuses on cannibalization, brand equity erosion, and strategic channel issues.Harrington Collection: Sizing Up the Active-Wear MarketIn the wake of slumping sales and sagging profit margins, a leading manufacturer and retailer of high-end women's apparel must decide whether to expand into the high-growth active-wear market. The case explores the financial implications, assesses trade and competitor reactions, considers the risks, and determines whether the company's Vigor division will be able to successfully launch and manage a new product line.Launching Krispy Natural: Cracking the Product Management CodeA market leader for the sweet snack market wants to enter the salty snacks market with a reinvented line of premium crackers. Market test results exceed expectations in one city and fall short in 3 others. The marketing director must interpret the test market results, consider possible competitive response, and develop a recommendation for a national rollout.Manchester Products: A Brand Transition ChallengeManchester, a furniture company, has acquired an extremely powerful brand but can use its name for only three years-so the VP of Marketing must design a plan that transitions the new brand's power back to the company. The case examines decision-making related to brand equity, communications, and other aspects of marketing strategy.MedNet.com Confronts "Click-Through" CompetitionIn January 2007, "MedNet.com" is a leading website that provides science-based health information free of charge to online visitors. Its business model relies on advertising sales, primarily to pharmaceutical companies. In the face of fierce advertising competition, MedNet is forced to defend this model. However, in defending the value MedNet delivers, company executives may be building the case for why niche sites may be a better investment for the advertiser's budget.Metabical: Positioning and Communications Strategy for a New Weight Loss DrugThe marketing director at a pharmaceutical company must carefully consider the positioning and communications strategy for the launch a new weight-loss drug. Poor positioning of the drug in the highly competitive market for weight-loss solutions could spell disaster.Metabical: Pricing, Packaging, and Demand Forecasting Recommendations for a New Weight-Loss DrugA pharmaceutical company develops a new weight loss drug called Metabical. The senior marketing manager explores three different pricing models and considers the effects on profitability before making a final recommendation.Mountain Man Brewing Co.: Bringing the Brand to LightMountain Man Beer Company brews just one beer, Mountain Man Lager, known as "West Virginia's beer," popular among blue-collar workers. When the company experiences declining sales, the CEO considers launching a new beer, Mountain Man Light, in the hope of attracting younger drinkers. Mountain Man Lager's brand equity is a key asset for the company. Will Mountain Man Light enhance, detract from, or irreversibly damage the brand?Natureview FarmNatureview Farm, a Vermont-based producer of organic yogurt with $13 million in revenues, is the leading national brand sold into natural foods stores. When the company faces financial pressure to increase revenues to $20 million due to a planned exit by its venture capital investors, the VP of marketing must decide whether to expand into the supermarket channel.Olympic Rent-A-Car U.S.: Customer Loyalty BattlesA rental car company must decide how to respond after a competitor changes its loyalty rewards program. Marketing and operations managers review the firm's financial performance and the current loyalty reward program as they consider their options.P.V. Technologies, Inc.: Were They Asleep at the Switch?A leading manufacturer of photovoltaic inverters used in solar energy technology receives a bad evaluation from its largest customer. The company must consider the consequences to its reputation while considering among four possible responses to the situation.Reed Supermarkets: A New Wave of CompetitorsThe marketing VP at a high-end, conventional supermarket chain is concerned about increased competition from dollar stores and limited-assortment stores offering very low price points. She must decide how to change the current marketing and positioning plan to increase market share.Reliance Baking Soda: Optimizing Promotional SpendingThe new Domestic Brand Director needs to create a marketing budget that delivers a profit increase of 10%, weighing the value of advertising, price increases, and the role of the brand within the company. Students are expected to create and defend a similar budget.Rosewood Hotels and Resorts: Branding to Increase Customer Profitability and Lifetime ValueRosewood Hotels & Resorts is a small firm running 12 individually branded luxury properties. Its new leadership is contemplating whether the firm should significantly increase the prominence of the corporate identity, making Rosewood a corporate brand. Students must calculate how customer lifetime value would be affected by a shift from individual branding to corporate branding.Saxonville Sausage CompanySaxonville Sausage, a $1.5 billion manufacturer of pork sausage products, is experiencing financial stress because its leading product lines have lately produced declining revenues-except an Italian sausage named Vivio, which has recently experienced a significant increase in revenues, as has the entire Italian sausage category nationwide. What steps should the company take to expand Vivio into a powerful national brand?Soren Chemical: Why Is the New Pool Product Sinking?Soren Chemicals launches a new water clarifier for residential swimming pools called Coracle and is surprised by poor sales. Coracle is chemically similar to the company's highly successful water clarifier for large pools at recreational facilities and offers the same superior product performance. The marketing manager suspects the go-to-market strategy may be flawed but can she diagnose the problem before the end of the selling season?The Springfield Nor'easters: Maximizing Revenues in the Minor LeaguesThe marketing director of a new minor-league baseball team must design, conduct, and then interpret survey research to determine optimal ticket pricing that will yield large attendance figures and contribute to the owner's goal of breaking even in the first year of play. The pricing assignment becomes more challenging when other variables like concessions revenue are considered. Students are asked to complete a quantitative assignment as part of case analysis, and they must also grapple with less quantifiable factors.TruEarth Healthy Foods: Market Research for a New Product IntroductionTruEarth Healthy Foods wants to build on its successful introduction of fresh whole grain pasta by introducing a similar product concept for pizza. Acting as brand managers, students analyze the data and decide whether to bring the new product to market.Operations ManagementAIC Netbooks: Optimizing Product AssemblyA manufacturer of printed circuit boards diversifies it product portfolio by launching its own line of mobile consumer electronics. After three months of production, the production manager must consider ways to increase efficiency and lower costs.Baria Planning Solutions, Inc.: Fixing the Sales ProcessA consulting firm that specializes in using spend analysis to help companies identify savings is concerned about the disappointing performance of the sales team in signing up new clients. The sales director must analyze the current process flow to identify the problems facing the sales organization.Bayonne Packaging, Inc.A printer and paper converter specializes in delivering innovative packaging solutions for its customers. Despite tripling sales, the firm posted its first loss in over 10 years. The VP of Operations must analyze the production process and recommend improvements.Bergerac Systems: The Challenge of Backward IntegrationA manufacturer of diagnostic instruments for veterinary practices relies on two suppliers for the plastic cartridges used for a range of blood and blood chemistry tests. The CEO is concerned about inconsistent deliveries and considers acquiring one of the suppliers or expanding existing capacity.FoldRite Furniture Company: Planning to Meet a Surge in DemandFoldRite improves manufacturing quality and efficiency by developing stylish, environmentally friendly products. Now a new plan is needed to meet high demand, control manufacturing and inventory costs, and mitigate risk.The Morrison CompanyA developer and manufacturer of radio frequency identification tags (RFID) experiences a dramatic increase in sales over the past year. The increase exacerbates existing manufacturing problems and has led to increased shipping delays and inadequate inventory on hand.Scientific Glass Incorporated: Inventory ManagementScientific Glassware provides specialized glassware for laboratory and research facilities. Excess inventory is tying up extra capital needed to fund the company's expansion plans. The inventory manager is tasked with developing a more effective strategy for managing inventory.Organizational BehaviorAndrew Ryan at VC BrakesAndrew Ryan's excitement over a change initiative at VC Brakes turns to concern when organizational challenges surface. A subsequent restructuring puts him on the wrong side of politics and he must decide whether to leave or stay with the losing initiative.BoldFlash: Cross-Functional Challenges in the Mobile DivisionA new leader makes organizational changes to improve the product development process, but the changes may not go far enough.Campbell and Bailyn's Boston Office: Managing the ReorganizationCompetitive pressures drive organizational changes at a securities brokerage firm, with serious potential consequences for customers, employees, and the firm as a whole.Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant: Motivating Through Good and Bad TimesA plant manager confronts morale issues when, on the heels of an industry downturn, an incentive program stops producing payouts that employees have come to expect.Jamie Turner at MLI, Inc.Set in an industrial lighting company, this Brief Case describes the evolution of an interpersonal mismatch between a previously successful manager, Jamie Turner, and his new boss.Johannes Linden: Managing the Global Executive CommitteeIn the wake of an unexpected drop in manufacturing costs, the director of a large Swiss appliance manufacturer must convince his Global Executive Committee to revise revenue forecasts and sales targets for the upcoming year.Kay Sunderland: Making the Grade at Attain LearningAccount manager Kay Sunderland is surprised that her colleague Mike Morgan is potentially jeopardizing an important account by ignoring their employer's communication policy. Sunderland must decide how to handle the situation with both the client and her colleague Morgan.Martha Rinaldi: Should She Stay or Should She Go?Martha Rinaldi has been an assistant product manager at leading beverage company Potomac Waters since graduating from business school. Rinaldi is frustrated by her relationships with her boss and a close co-worker.MediSys Corp.: The IntensCare Product Development TeamMedical equipment maker MediSys is developing an innovative system for monitoring intensive care patients. Six months into the project, the product development team struggles through significant problems with design, schedule, a large competitive threat, and their own group dynamics.RL Wolfe: Implementing Self-Directed TeamsPlastic pipe manufacturer RL Wolfe introduces the concept of self-directed teams (SDTs) to its Corpus Christi plant in 2004. By 2007, Corpus Christi is outperforming the firm's other plants, and the production director seeks to understand which aspects of SDTs are working, which are not, and whether the other plants might be persuaded to accept the SDT approach.Ron Ventura at Mitchell Memorial HospitalStar vascular surgeon Ron Ventura's contract is up for renewal. He has improved the vascular surgery practice and generated much new case flow but is abrasive. How should his boss approach the upcoming performance feedback interview?Teaching Note available.Stone Finch, Inc.: Young Division, Old DivisionTo stimulate innovation and hasten growth in a young technology solutions division, an aggressive CEO milks the firm's cash cow, an old manufacturing unit. That unit soon faces key employee departures and sinking morale - and the newer unit runs into similar difficulties.TerraCog Global Positioning Systems: Conflict and Communication on Project AerialWhen a new product launch is threatened by cost problems, the firm's units are unable to come together and make a critical decision and a young executive must lead them forward.Thomas Green: Power, Office Politics, and a Career in CrisisA promising career appears to be headed off the rails as conflict deepens between a young marketing manager and his boss. Can this career be saved?Treadway Tire Company: Job Dissatisfaction and High Turnover at the Lima PlantLine foremen in a manufacturing plant are caught in the middle of an adversarial relationship between workers and management.SalesDesigns by Kate: The Power of Direct SalesThe sales representatives at Designs by Kate sell private-label jewelry at hosted parties. They also recruit, train, and manage teams of new sales reps. Sales have started to decline and the company must revisit the commission structure to determine if it is still effective.Service ManagementComfort Class Transport: Does Customer Service Need an Overhaul?Customer satisfaction with vehicles and drivers at a chauffeured limousine transport company is high and management has plans to expand the company into new markets. However, underperformance in the customer service call center could threaten the company's future.Delwarca Software Remote Support UnitA software firm provides telephone support for customers facing complex software integration issues. The manager of the remote support unit implements a new call triage process that fails to decrease customer waiting times and overall dissatisfaction. He must analyze the process and make recommendations for improvement.Playa Dorada Tennis Club: Expansion StrategyPlaya Dorada Beach & Resort in Boca Raton, Florida faces a growing seasonal demand for tennis services. The director of the tennis operations analyzes court capacity and pricing structure as he considers plans for expansion.Porcini's Pronto: "Great Italian cuisine without the wait!"Looking for expansion opportunities, a chain of full-service Italian restaurants considers launching a new chain of lower-cost, limited-menu restaurants. The vice president of marketing must develop the concept and also analyze three expansion strategies before the project can be approved.WrapItUp: Developing a New Compensation PlanA restaurant chain based in California offers made-to-order sandwich wraps using fresh, healthy ingredients. Management pilots a profit-sharing program at two restaurants to address concerns that employee turnover is high, customer satisfaction is decreasing, and revenue growth is flat.

You mention that he is an undiagnosed schizophrenic - yet you say he doesn’t take his meds every day. Has he been diagnosed or not?Why would you want to have a relationship with someone who is seriously mentally ill? Life with a mentally ill person is very unstable and unpredictable. In many cases they can’t hold down a job. Are you ready to support him financially for the rest of your life? Are you prepared to have children who might inherit their fathers disease?I have inserted below an article on Schizophrenia - please read it right to the end,Emotion in Schizophrenia: Where Feeling Meets ThinkingAnn M. Kring and Janelle M. CaponigroAuthor information Copyright and License information DisclaimerSee other articles in PMC that cite the published article.AbstractOur understanding of the nature of emotional difficulties in schizophrenia has been greatly enhanced by translational research over the past two decades. By incorporating methods and theories from affective science, researchers have been able to discover that people with schizophrenia exhibit very few outward displays of emotion but report experiencing strong feelings in the presence of emotionally evocative stimuli or events. Recent behavioral, psychophysiological, and brain imaging research has pointed to the importance of considering the time course of emotion in schizophrenia.This work has shown that people with schizophrenia have the ability to experience emotion in the moment; however, they appear to have difficulties when anticipating future pleasurable experiences, and this perhaps affects their motivation to have such experiences. While advancements in our understanding of emotional experience and expression in individuals with schizophrenia have been made, these developments have led to a new collection of research questions directed at understanding the time course of emotion in schizophrenia, including the role of memory and anticipation in motivated behavior, translating laboratory findings to the development of new assessment tools and new treatments targeting emotional impairments in people with this disorder.Keywords: schizophrenia, emotion, anticipation, memorySchizophrenia is a disorder that impacts many domains. Some of its more recognizable symptoms involve difficulties in thinking (e.g., disorganized thinking, delusions) and perception (e.g., hallucinations). While these symptoms may come and go with episodes, some of the more long-lasting symptoms involve difficulties in emotion. In particular, the so-called negative symptoms of flat affect (lack of outward expression of emotion), anhedonia (diminished experience of pleasure), and avolition (diminished motivation) all involve emotion.These symptoms are often resistant to medication and are associated with poor overall functioning, pointing to the importance of understanding emotion in schizophrenia.What do we mean by emotion? Most psychological researchers and theorists agree that emotions are responses to events, whether internal or external, that consist of multiple components including outward expression (e.g., a smile), reported experience (e.g., reporting feelings of happiness), physiology (e.g., increased heart rate), appraisal (e.g., labeling one’s experience and its probable cause), and brain activation (e.g., activation in certain areas of the prefrontal cortex).Kring (1999) summarized the state of the field with respect to understanding emotional difficulties in schizophrenia and pointed toward promising future directions. Ten years later, much of this promise has been realized, and exciting new avenues for the assessment and treatment of emotional difficulties in schizophrenia are now underway. In this paper, we review our current understanding of how emotion does (or does not) go awry among people with schizophrenia and then highlight the ways in which these research findings have been translated into current assessment and treatment strategies.Our understanding of the nature of emotional difficulties in schizophrenia has become much clearer in the last two decades because of translational research. Specifically, researchers have adopted the methods and theories developed in affective science and neuroscience to study emotion in schizophrenia. These methods include laboratory studies in which emotionally evocative stimuli are presented to people with and without schizophrenia and measures of facial expression, reported experience, physiology, and brain activation are obtained. A remarkably consistent pattern of findings has emerged from these studies (see Kring & Moran, 2008, for review): In the presence of emotionally evocative stimuli—whether they be films, pictures, foods, odors, or sounds—people with schizophrenia are less outwardly expressive of positive and negative emotion than are people without schizophrenia. However, people with schizophrenia report feeling emotions as strongly as, if not stronger than, people without schizophrenia. Additionally, studies of emotion in the context of daily life find the same pattern of results: People with schizophrenia experience strong feelings in their day-to-day lives even though the contexts in which they experience these feelings are different from those without the disorder.A Closer Look at Emotional ExperienceOver the past 10 years, researchers have taken a closer look at emotional experience in schizophrenia. Many question whether people with schizophrenia can complete a self-report rating scale about their feelings given concurrent problems with disorganized thinking that may accompany the disorder. However, people with schizophrenia draw upon the same knowledge structures of emotion when reporting on their experiences as do people without schizophrenia (Kring, Barrett, & Gard, 2003), bolstering our confidence in these reports of emotion experience. Further, reports of emotional experience are stable across time and medication status (Kring & Earnst, 1999). This is not to say that symptoms may not impact reports of emotional experience, in the same way that any type of context may influence people’s reports of emotional experience, regardless of whether an illness like schizophrenia is involved. Yet, the emotion reports of people with schizophrenia are just as reliable and valid as those of people without the disorder.Results of studies using physiological measures of emotion (e.g., skin conductance, facial muscle activity, startle modulation) support the findings of comparable reports of emotional experience between people with and without schizophrenia, thus rendering less likely the possibility that people with schizophrenia are reporting feelings according to the demands of the experimental situation. For example, an indirect physiological measure of emotional response is the magnitude of an eye blink in response to a startling noise. If a person is in a negative emotional state when hearing the startling noise, the blink response will be larger than it will be if the person is in a neutral state or a positive emotional state. Four studies have now shown that people with schizophrenia show the same pattern of blink response (or emotion-modulated startle) as do people without schizophrenia (Kring & Moran, 2008).Findings from brain activation studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or positron emission tomography (PET) during the presentation of emotionally evocative stimuli are more mixed. Several studies have found that, compared to people without schizophrenia, those with the disorder show less activation of the amygdala (an area of the brain linked to the salience of stimuli, including emotional intensity) in response to positive and negative stimuli (see Aleman & Kahn, 2005, for review), but other studies find comparable or even greater amygdala activation among people with schizophrenia; some studies have found decreased activation in areas of the prefrontal cortex as well, whereas others have not. The reasons for the mixed findings likely have to do with the fact that, to date, there are relatively few brain activation studies in which emotionally evocative stimuli have been presented to people with schizophrenia. Furthermore, differences in scanning methods, in emotional stimuli used and task instructions, and in participant characteristics (e.g., differences in medication, years of illness, severity of symptoms) contribute to the differences across studies. For example, studies often examine the difference between brain activation in response to an emotional stimulus (e.g., picture of puppies) compared to brain activation in response to a neutral stimulus (e.g., picture of a chair) by subtracting brain activation to the neutral stimulus from brain activation to the emotional stimulus.. However, some studies find that people with schizophrenia show greater activation to neutral stimuli compared to people without schizophrenia; thus the results of such subtractions might suggest under-recruitment of a particular brain region (e.g., the amygdala) when in fact activity in response to emotional stimuli is comparable or even greater among people with schizophrenia.Studies with healthy participants may be particularly relevant when interpreting these mixed findings. For example, studies of the perception of facial expressions find relatively more robust brain activation in areas such as the amygdala, parahippocampal cortex, pregenual cingulate, and dorsal portions of the inferior frontal gyrus. By contrast, studies that present evocative stimuli and ask participants to report on their feelings find relatively greater activation in other areas such as the prefrontal cortex (ventromedial, orbitofrontal, dorsolateral), anterior insula, medial temporal lobe, ventral inferior frontal gyrus, and temporal pole (Wager et al., 2008). Making the picture even more complicated, studies suggest that reporting on feelings is associated with activation in more dorsal/rostral areas of the medial prefrontal cortex, whereas reporting on the affective properties of a stimulus (e.g., identifying something as positive or an expression as angry) is associated with activation in more ventral portions of the medial prefrontal cortex (e.g., Ochsner, 2008). Thus, when interpreting brain activation findings in schizophrenia, it is important to consider the type of stimuli presented (e.g., faces, other evocative stimuli) and the type of task instruction (e.g., rating feelings vs. rating stimuli).Despite these complexities and differences between studies, the findings of comparable physiology and reported experience among people with and without schizophrenia despite possible differences in brain activation raises the intriguing possibility that people with schizophrenia are recruiting the brain differently to end up with the same behavioral result (i.e., comparable reports of emotional experience). The upsurge of interest in linkages among emotion, motivation, and cognition in schizophrenia alongside technological advances in imaging will promote further collaborations between affective and cognitive neuroscientists. Thus we will know a great deal more about how the brain supports emotional experience among people with schizophrenia in the very near future.Linking Emotion and CognitionOne of the paradoxes that emerged from the findings on emotional experience in schizophrenia is a discrepancy between laboratory studies and clinical ratings. Specifically, many people with schizophrenia receive a clinical rating of anhedonia, indicating that they have diminished experience of positive emotion. Yet in the presence of emotionally pleasant things, such as films, pictures, tastes, or just day-to-day life, people with schizophrenia report experiencing as much pleasure as do people without schizophrenia. Drawing upon research on the reward system in humans and animals, Kring (1999) argued for the importance of considering the temporal course of pleasure to distinguish anticipatory from in-the-moment pleasure. When people with schizophrenia are presented with pleasurable stimuli either in a lab or in daily life, they can and do derive pleasure from these experiences.However, evidence now supports the contention that people with schizophrenia appear less likely to anticipate that future events will be pleasurable, are less likely to experience pleasure in anticipation of things to come, and thus may be less likely to seek out pleasurable experiences (Gard, Kring, Germans Gard, Horan, & Green, 2007). Other behavioral and fMRI studies also find that people with schizophrenia have difficulties in what we call anticipatory pleasure. This term encompasses both the anticipation of future pleasurable experiences as well as the experience of pleasure in anticipation of future events.The ability to anticipate whether something in the future will be pleasurable requires complex cognitive skills, such as imagination, reflection, drawing upon past experiences, and maintaining an image or emotional state. Thus, the latest wave of research on emotion in schizophrenia explicitly integrates emotion and cognition, or feeling and thinking. What do we mean by cognition? Broadly, cognition refers to a set of mental or thought processes, such as attending, thinking, remembering, perceiving, and deciding. In Figure 1, we point to several emotion–cognition interactions that come into play in the temporal experience of pleasure. For example, consider the problem of what to have for dinner. You consider pizza, which may then lead you to summon a past experience of eating pizza from the neighborhood pizzeria (activating a representation and holding this in working memory), which prompts you to predict that the pizza will be very enjoyable; indeed you experience pleasure now, knowing you will soon be eating tasty pizza (i.e., anticipatory pleasure). These processes will support your motivational system such that you will order and pick up the pizza (approach motivation and behavior), and once you eat it, you will experience in-the-moment or consummatory pleasure. You will savor (maintain) the pleasure from the pizza, and this experience will be encoded into memory. Thus, the next time you contemplate dinner, this memory may be called upon to kick-start the process all over again.Fig. 1A model of the temporal experience of pleasure. A pleasurable experience may involve activating a cognitive representation of a past, related experience that will then trigger a process of predicting or anticipating what the new experience will feel like as well as a feeling of pleasure knowing that the experience is going to be happening in the future. These anticipatory processes will activate the motivation and behavior to go after or approach the experience. In the moment of “consuming” the experience, pleasure is experienced and savored or maintained so that it will be remembered at a later time.Cognitive and affective neuroscience research with healthy people has clearly demonstrated that the brain is not simply divided into regions specific to our psychological concepts, such as cognition and emotion. Instead, overlapping brain regions support thinking and feeling in interesting and complex ways (e.g., Barrett, 2009). Understanding cognition–emotion interactions is also at the forefront of research on mental illness (Taylor & Liberzon, 2007).Cognitive neuroscience findings in healthy people suggest that our ability to forecast relies on our ability to remember the past (e.g., Schacter, Addis, & Buckner, 2007), with a core network of brain regions, including areas of the medial prefrontal and medial temporal cortex, supporting both abilities. Thus, when we imagine what it will be like to have a tasty dinner with friends, we likely draw on our past experiences with dinners and friends to help imagine this future experience. Maintaining and processing emotional experiences as they occur no doubt facilitates the development of memories for these experiences, and evidence from psychophysiological and fMRI studies finds that people with schizophrenia appear to have difficulty holding on to these experiences (Horan, Wynn, Kring, Simons, & Green, 2010; Kring, Germans Gard, & Gard, 2010; Ursu et al., in press).Only a few studies to date have examined whether people with schizophrenia can retrieve memories of their emotional experiences, and even fewer have examined the relationship between memory and anticipation. One study found that people with schizophrenia were able to recall their feelings about positive films and foods 4 hours later (Horan, Green, Kring, & Neuchterlein, 2006). However, the majority of the work in this area focuses on recalling emotional stimuli (which is distinguishable from remembering feelings). For example, one study found that people with schizophrenia had difficulty recalling positive emotional stimuli 24 hours later (Herberner, Rosen, Khine, & Sweeney, 2007). Research with healthy people has found that emotionally arousing events and stimuli are remembered better than neutral ones. However, individuals with schizophrenia may not exhibit this enhancement for remembering emotional stimuli (Hall, Harris, McKirdy, Johnstone, & Lawrie, 2007).\A study that investigated the link between memory and anticipation in schizophrenia found that people with schizophrenia recalled fewer specific memories and generated fewer specific anticipated future events than did people without the disorder (D’Argembeau, Raffard, & van der Linden, 2008). It will be particularly important to explicitly examine the linkage between envisioning the future and remembering the past, particularly for emotional events among people with schizophrenia, both at the behavioral and neural levels.Other investigators have begun to examine how cognitive control, which refers to a broad array of processes including direction of attention to relevant information, maintenance of contextual information to guide behavior, and monitoring of novel information for its relevance to current goals, can influence emotional experience. For example, Dichter, Bellion, Casp, and Belger (2009) examined how, among people with and without schizophrenia, attention and emotion interact. The daily-life analog to this type of experiment might be paying attention to road signs on your way to a destination despite a screaming toddler in the backseat of your car. Findings indicated that healthy individuals activated different brain regions to facilitate attention to the demands of a task (e.g., more dorsal regions of the prefrontal cortex) while at the same time inhibiting attention to emotionally distracting information (e.g., more ventral areas of the prefrontal cortex), whereas people with schizophrenia did not. Ursu et al. (in press) found that people with and without schizophrenia exhibited comparable activations in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex while viewing emotionally evocative pictures. However, healthy controls continued to show activation in the dorsolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex during a 12-second delay between picture viewing and reporting emotional experience, presumably reflecting the active maintenance and control of their feelings, whereas people with schizophrenia did not show this persistent activation.Toward the next step of translation: Assessment and TreatmentThe next step of translational research on emotion and schizophrenia—that is, research translating laboratory findings to the development of new assessment and treatments—is well underway. For example, the Collaboration to Advance Negative Symptom Assessment (CANSAS) is a currently ongoing multisite study developing and validating a new clinical measure of negative symptoms (CAINS). The CAINS includes items to assess the five consensus negative symptoms: flat affect, alogia, anhedonia, asociality, and avolition. Importantly, the measure includes questions to distinguish anticipatory and in-the-moment pleasure to better assess the nature of anhedonia in schizophrenia. Once the 3-year CANSAS study is completed, the new measure will be ready for dissemination for use in treatment trials and other research pertinent to elucidating negative symptoms.Translational research over the past decade has also informed the development of psychosocial treatments that target not just symptoms but also specific emotional and cognitive difficulties. For example, cognitive behavior therapy has been successfully used as an adjunctive treatment to medications for symptoms such as disorganized thinking, delusions, and hallucinations (Wykes, Steel, Everitt, & Tarrier, 2008). More recently, it has been modified to more explicitly target the negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Preliminary data on an emotion-focused meditation treatment targeting anticipatory pleasure and motivation difficulties in schizophrenia are also promising (e.g., Johnson et al., 2009). In the next 10 years, additional efforts to develop treatments that selectively target the specific emotional difficulties in schizophrenia will likely yield much promise, thus fully realizing the potential of translational research. That is, efforts to better uncover specific deficits in schizophrenia (e.g., links between anticipation and remembering salient emotional experiences) along with the causes of these deficits (e.g., disrupted connections between brain areas supporting emotion and anticipation/memory) will allow us to develop more targeted interventions, whether pharmacological or psychosocial, for these mechanisms rather than for broad categories like negative symptoms.AcknowledgmentsWe thank Marja Germans Gard and David Gard for their contributions to the development of the model presented in Figure 1.FundingDuring preparation of this article, the author was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (RO1MH082890-01A1).FootnotesRecommended ReadingGard, D.E., Kring, A.M., Germans Gard, M., Horan, W.P., & Green, M.F. (2007). (See References). A recent paper illustrating the deficits in anticipatory pleasure among people with schizophrenia.Kring, A.M., & Moran, E.K (2008). (See References). A recent and more comprehensive narrative review of the literature on emotional responding in schizophrenia.Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared that they had no conflicts of interest with respect to their authorship or the publication of this article.ReferencesAleman A, Kahn RS. Strange feelings: Do amygdala abnormalities dysregulate the emotional brain in schizophrenia? Progress in Neurobiology. 2005;77:283–298. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]Barrett LF. The future of psychology: Connecting mind to brain. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 2009;4:326–339. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]D’Argembeau A, Raffard S, van der Linden M. Remembering the past and imagining the future in schizophrenia. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 2008;117:247–251. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]Dichter GS, Bellion C, Casp M, Belger A. Impaired modulation of attention and emotion in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin. 2009;36:595–606. 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You can never guarantee you will never get another cold, but you can greatly reduce the frequency and duration of the common cold. Here are some of the most effective natural remedies to prevent most colds.How to Prevent a ColdThere are two main things you can do to prevent a cold. First, avoid coming into contact with a cold virus. And second, support your immune system.Avoid contact with a cold virus.Wash your hands. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water throughout the day, before eating, and after being out in public.Understand that a cold is a virus. The common cold consists of many different types of viruses, so there is no simple solution to killing the pathogen. Therefore, antibiotics are ineffective at killing cold viruses.Use tissues. Sneeze and cough into tissues then immediately throw them out and wash your hands.Keep your hands off your face. Because cold viruses enter through your mouth, nose, and eyes.Don’t share. Don’t share utensils, glasses, or personal products with other people.Avoid colds. Avoid close contact with anyone who has a cold. Even close encounters with anyone with a cold has a psychological effect.How to Get Rid of a Cold Fast:25 Natural Cold RemediesAvoiding contact with cold viruses is unreasonable. No matter what you do you are surrounded by pathogens. It is better to focus on having a strong immune system that can protect you from anything you come in contact with.There is no cure for the common cold. Cold symptoms are your body’s way of protecting you from infection. In a way, the cure for the common cold is the common cold. Your focus should be on supporting your immune system. As covering up symptoms can extend your cold.1. Stay HydratedYour first immune defense is (2) the mucous membranes lining your upper respiratory tract. And this works best when they are moist. Drink plenty of water and use steam to stay hydrated internally and externally. Drink vegetable juices over fruit juices, as the concentrated sugar in fruit juice.Generally, you should drink one ounce of water for every pound of body weight. And drink water consistently throughout the day to keep your throat from drying out. But you should avoid alcohol, coffee and caffeinated drinks which can make dehydration worse. The only exception may be green tea, which we will cover soon.2. Use a HumidifierA vaporizer or humidifier adds moisture to your home, which helps loosen congestion. It also helps your upper respiratory tract stay moist. Most often you wake up with a cold. If it is important that you don’t get sick, or you’ve been around the cold virus, you may want to start using a humidifier at night.3. Cut Out SugarWhen you have a cold or want to prevent one, cut down on your sugar. Sugar from any source including fruit feeds pathogens making it harder for your immune system to fight off infection. Starve cold viruses by avoiding processed, packaged, or sweetened food and eating more vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables boost your immune system, read more about this later.Keep the sugar to a minimum for as long as you want to get over or avoid a cold. Natural stevia is a good natural sweetener to use instead.4. Sip Warm LiquidsWhy is chicken soup used for colds? The heat, the liquid, and the antibiotic activity of added garlic all help ease cold symptoms and support the immune system. So if you are vegan, you can still get the cold-fighting benefits of hot soup with fresh garlic.5. Eat GarlicGarlic has been used as an herbal medicine for centuries. Raw garlic is a powerful antiviral, antibacterial, antiparasitic, and antifungal which supports your immune system against pathogens.The pungent organic compound allicin, produced from alliinase when garlic is crushed, is (3) a powerful antioxidant. When allicin decomposes it produces an acid that rapidly neutralized free radicals. And the reaction time happens in an instant. This may make eating fresh one of the fastest ways to combat a cold.6. Add GingerGinger is another powerful antiviral, antiseptic, and anti-inflammatory. And one of the ingredients of ginger is sesquiterpenes, which attack (4) the rhinovirus, one most common cold viruses that attack the sinuses. Ginger is also useful for relieving sore throats, headaches, and aches in general.Ginger is best eaten raw but it is easier to use in a tea, powder, or capsule form.7. Probiotics and PrebioticsA majority of your immune system is in your gut, so if you take probiotics can you prevent a cold? A study of 272 participants found that those taking probiotic strains Lactobacillus and Lactobacillus paracasei had (5) significantly fewer colds and cold symptoms.A more recent review of the studies on probiotics reveals (6) that the evidence is still too weak to recommend probiotics for preventing upper respiratory infections.The probiotics you find in the store may not even be (7) alive when you buy them, or they may not survive their journey down the large intestine. Therefore, it is more important to feed the good bacteria you already have by eating prebiotics. Prebiotics are the fiber found in plants.Raw fruits and vegetables are covered (8) with an abundance of lactic bacteria, some of which is found in probiotics. Thus eating fruits and vegetables can give you both the prebiotics and probiotics you need to fight a cold.8. Stay PositiveDo positive emotions help you prevent a cold better than negative emotions? In one study, 334 healthy volunteers were assessed for how happy and relaxed they were, or how anxious, hostile or depressed they were. Then they were given cold rhinoviruses to test who would be more likely to catch a cold.Being exposed to a virus doesn’t guarantee that you will get sick because of our immune system. And in this study, the immune systems of a third of the negative emotions group failed to fight off (9) the virus and they developed a cold. However, only about one in five of the positive group came down with a cold. Was it because they slept better, exercised, or had less stress?No, even after controlling for healthy practices and stress levels, the positive group had stronger immune systems.The same test was repeated with the flu viruses and those with positive emotions had a lower risk of catching the flu. We can’t control whether we come into contact with a virus but by focusing on the positive we have a better chance of preventing a cold (or the flu).9. Use Eucalyptus OilUse eucalyptus oil can open (2) your sinuses and loosen the congestion of a chest cold. You can use eucalyptus oil in a defuser, rub in eucalyptus oil on your chest, or combine the benefits of eucalyptus oil with a warm bath or a hot cold hot shower.10. Add Cayenne PepperAdd cayenne pepper, hot peppers, ginger, or curry powder to your food to quickly clear your sinuses.11. Try FenugreekFenugreek has many health benefits, one of them is its ability to decrease mucus. When you are feeling stuffed add fenugreek to clear your upper respiratory tract.12. Add TurmericTurmeric is another powerful anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and anti-oxidant. And turmeric goes well with almost every dish.13. Eat Vitamin C Rich FoodsOne study of over 11,000 participants found that supplementing with vitamin C does not reduce (10) the risk of catching a cold in the general population. Vitamin C supplementation, however, appears to reduce the duration of colds and is useful for those who experience severe exercise.Vitamin C supplementation has some benefit, but what are the risks?Studies show that vitamin C supplements double (11) the risk of kidney stones in men. This means that men taking 1,000 milligrams a day of vitamin C may have (12) a 1 in 300 chance of getting a kidney stone, from a 1 in 600 chance. It does not appear to significantly increase the risk for women.You must balance the risk and benefit of vitamin C supplements for your self. Your safest option is to get your vitamin C from plant sources where it is in the proper ratio with other nutrients. All the vitamins, phytochemicals, and hormones all work in synergy. Unless you are extremely deficient, an isolated or synthesized ingredient is at best useless to your body.Amla Berries are one of the best natural sources of vitamin C. In fact, Amla berries have over 200 times the amount of antioxidants as blueberries! The easiest way to increase the antioxidant power of any meal is to add amla berry powder.14. Supplement With Vitamin DWe get vitamin D from sunlight, but only when it is high enough in the sky. The best time to get sunlight is around noon. Because if your shadow is longer than you are then you are not getting vitamin D. Depending on where you live, the sun will not be high enough in the sky even at noon from late fall to early spring. Therefore, vitamin D supplementation is necessary for almost everyone.Researchers from Queen Mary University in London found that vitamin D supplementation was associated with a 12 percent reduction (13) in the chances of developing a cold. But those with the lowest vitamin D levels and then supplement regularly benefit cut their risk for colds, the flu, and other respiratory infections had half compared to those with low vitamin D levels who didn’t supplement.Dr. Weil recommends supplementing (14) with at 2000 IU of vitamin D a day to avoid deficiency. Because during the summer your body can generate between 10,000 IU and 20,000 IU per hour without negative effects. Additionally, supplementing up to 10,000 IU daily appears to be safe.15. Get Quality SleepYour sleep quality greatly affects how well your immune system will fight off infection. In one study, researches dripped the cold viruses into the nostrils of 153 volunteers. Those who were getting enough sleep were three to five times more likely to prevent (15) a cold.When you don’t get enough sleepSleep is when your body heals and healing hormones are released mainly between 10 PM and 2 AM. So for the best cold prevention, get to sleep before 10 PM.16. Take a Hot Cold Hot ShowerChanging from hot to cold to hot water helps your body heal. When your body experiences a cold environment, blood flows toward your internal organs. Conversely, when your body is exposed to heat, blood flows towards your skin.Alternating between hot and cold stimulates your circulation thereby improving removal of wastes and the transportation of nutrients.17. Gargle With Salt WaterGargling with salt water is one of the cheapest and simplest ways to relieve a sore throat.To gargle, Dr. Michael Klaper recommends you take a glass of warm water; add a pinch of salt. “…Hold the glass of salt water in your hand, open your mouth, [and] take a deep breath. Tilt your head back, slide a generous mouthful to the back of your throat; and, with your mouth still open, gently breathe out through the water. Continue until the end of the breath, and then [spit it out] into the sink. Repeat until the full glass of salt water is used.”Gargling with salt water may event prevent a cold. A study of nearly 20,000 preschoolers found that gargling for 20 days lowered (16) the odds of having a cold to about a third. Green tea may be more effective than salt water, learn more next.18. Drink Green Tea For a ColdDrinking green tea boosts (17) the immune system by enhancing the generation and activity of gamma delta T cells, a type of immune cell that acts as “a first-line defense against infection.” Participants who drank six cups of green tea per day had up to 15-fold increase in infection-fighting interferon gamma production in as little as one week. Conversely, coffee drinking had no effect. Why is green tea so effective against infections?Cancer cells and pathogens share (18) a similar molecular pattern with “edible plant products, such as tea, apples, mushrooms, and wine.” By eating plant foods we help our immune cells stay alert, and support our gamma delta T cells “that then can provide natural resistance to microbial infections, and perhaps tumors.”Gargling Green TeaIn a study of nursing home residents, gargling with green tea dropped (19) the risk of influenza infection seven or eightfold, compared to gargling with water. Conversely, a study of high school students found (20) that there was no significant difference between gargling with green tea or water on immune function.It is worth trying this method and seeing how it works for you.19. Eat Cruciferous VegetablesThe epithelium of our intestinal tract, which spans thousands of square feet, is (21) our first line of defense against viruses and other pathogens. In fact, all that separates us from the outside world is a single layer of cells, about the thickness of a sheet of paper. Why is this layer so thin? Because we need to absorb fluids and nutrients from our diet.Intraepithelial lymphocytes condition and repair thin layer and make (22) a frontline defense against pathogens. These vital cells are covered (23) with aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptors. These receptors act as a lock that requires a key to activate those receptors to support our immune system.Researches recently discovered that the key to activate is cruciferous vegetables. These vegetables have a phytochemical that is converted by the stomach acid into the key that fits into the Ah receptor locks, thereby activating our Intraepithelial lymphocytes. Why are cruciferous vegetables necessary for our immune function?We need (24) to maximize our intestinal defenses the most when we eat. The human body intelligent, whereby linking heightened intestinal immune activation to eating provides immunity when it is needed most. Additionally, because intestinal immune activation requires tons of energy, energy is conserved during times of food scarcity.When preventing or recovering from a cold remember to activate your intestinal immune function with cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, arugula, or cabbage.20. Embrace a Mild FeverA fever is your body’s natural defense against infection. An increase of 1 to 4°C in core body temperature that occurs during a fever is (25) associated with improved survival and fighting off infections. For example, the use of antipyretic drugs to reduce a fever correlates with a 5% increase in death rate in people infected with the influenza virus.In fact, a mild fever promotes (26) the generation and differentiation of a kind of lymphocyte, “CD8+cytotoxic T-call”, that is capable of killing virus-infected cells and tumor cells.How to Protect Your Brain From a FeverYour brain has (27) special cooling mechanisms that, no matter the temperature outside, keep your brain around the same temperature. But when you have a fever, your internal thermostat is raised to fight infection, which also raises your brain tissue temperature. Meanwhile, your brain releases (28) heat shock proteins that prevent and repair protein damage. And Sulforaphane, the active ingredient in cruciferous vegetables, activates these heat shock proteins.Sulforaphane also initiates (29) Nrf2 which is “considered to be a master regulator of” your body’s response to environmental stressors. Nrf2 triggers our “antioxidant response elements,” activating cell protective genes that neutralize and detoxify free radicals and initiate protein and DNA repair.Sulforaphane not only unlocks our immune system, activates shock proteins, deals with stress, it also fights free radicals. Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables to prevent and fight a cold, support your fever, and relieve your stress. And stress is a major factor in almost every disease.If you want to naturally get over a fever faster, teas made from elderflower, linden or yarrow are known to reduce fever.21. Eat Kiwis for a Shorter ColdResearchers in New Zealand studied the effectiveness of gold kiwifruit at reducing the severity and duration of cold symptoms. A few dozen elderly individuals were randomized into one of two groups, one group consumed two bananas a day for a month and the other group ate kiwifruit. The next month the banana group ate kiwis and the kiwi group ate bananas.Compared to bananas, there was no reduction in overall cold incidence. But those that got sick in the kiwi group had significantly reduced (30) the severity and duration of cold symptoms. For instance, the kiwi suffered an average of two days compared to the banana group who suffered for five days! Taking three days off your cold is worth giving kiwis a try.Young children average (31) twice as many colds as adults, four to six per year. So, 66 preschoolers were randomized into the same kiwi and banana eating groups. And the kiwi eating group not only had less severe symptoms, but they also had almost a 50% reduction in the chance of catching a cold or flu! Children who are not allergic to kiwis may want to try them more often.22. Try Nutritional Yeast for Immune FunctionBeta-glucan fiber, found in baker’s, brewer’s and nutritional yeast, can support (32) your body’s defense against pathogens. In a study of 162 adults, the beta-glucan reduced incidence of the common cold infections by 25 in those who ate about one spoonful a day. Even half a spoonful of nutritional yeast dropped (33) the common cold occurrence.Unlike antibiotics and antivirals, which kill pathogens directly, yeast compounds appear to activate (34) your immune defenses. Therefore they lack the same side effects as antibiotics and antivirals. It is theorized that nutritional yeast stimulates your immune system because it recognizes it as foreign. If nutritional yeast is classified as an invader, does this cause an inflammatory response? No.Nutritional yeast has an anti-inflammatory effect, it not only boosts immune function, but it also suppresses the inflammatory component. Why do infections cause inflammation? When you have a cold, your immune system destroys viruses.23. Try Native American Cold RemediesNative Americans chewed osha root to fight a cold. And it turns out that osha root supports (2) your immune system.Other natural cold remedies included echinacea, yerba santa, and the wild indigo flower. “Different cultures have used a variety of remedies through the years,” explained Dr. Hardy, “From Native American Indians, for instance, we learned to use wild indigo, which has antiseptic benefits and is valuable in treating upper respiratory tract infections.”24. Use Lemon BalmThe leaves and stems of lemon balm have (2) antiviral properties. Similar alternatives are St. John’s wart and licorice root, which is one of the most prescribed herbs in China.25. ExerciseBe active every day. For the best results, exercise outside in the sun and fresh air. Regular exercise improves circulation, supports your immune system, and helps you get better quality sleep.Be CautiousEven natural herbs or remedies can interact with your medications. Therefore, use extra caution if you have medical conditions or you are nursing or pregnant or for children.“The first caution I give people is to get a good diagnosis,” warns Dr. Hardy. “If your cold is not acting like a normal cold or if it has lasted more than a short amount of time, go see your doctor to be sure you don’t have a more serious condition, such as pneumonia.”ConclusionHow to get rid of a cold fast and for good? You can never completely avoid the cold viruses, no matter how meticulous you are. You can, however, support your immune system. The best cure for the common cold is also the best way to prevent a cold. If you follow these natural remedies it is reasonable to get rid of a cold quickly, within a day or two, at least the symptoms. If you support your immune system every day with healthy practices your colds will be quick and infrequent.Read more in the post How to Get Rid of a Cold Fast and For Good