Health News Blog
What is Your Cold Remedy?
Email Page
Mothers around the world have different traditions when it comes to cold remedies. I think we would all agree that chicken soup is America's #1 traditional remedy. In one study, when hot chicken soup was compared to cold water, and hot water, it was the most affective at making one's nose run. Of course, any hot liquid will improve hydration and help loosen secretions, but what's in the chicken?
Taking vitamin C is also very common. Many still believe that regularly taking vitamin C will help decrease the incidence of colds. In reality, studies have only shown that taking larger doses of it will indeed shorten the duration of a cold, but only by about 8% and not necessarily for everyone. Be careful though because too much vitamin C will cause an upset stomach.
Another popular belief is that dairy products increase mucus secretions, but currently there are no scientific studies to back this up. In fact, in one blind test study, a soy-based drink was consumed by subjects and they reported the same effect on mucus production as with cow's milk. That said, dairy products like yogurt actually contain bacteria that may help boost the immune system.
Using zinc to help fight cold symptoms is controversial. Some studies have shown taking zinc lozenges help to shorten the cold but others have shown no advantage over placebo. The controversy lies more in the fact that excessive amounts of zinc can interfere with absorption of other minerals and high doses can be toxic.
Regardless of the cure used, all of us know that the love and attention of a loved one can work miracles! Many experts in the world of food and health share their feelings in this article about how to nurture a cold.
What is your cold remedy?
Renee Brunetti, LD/N, NSCA-CPT, ACSM
“If you had one car to get around in your lifetime, how would you treat it?"
Labels: sick
RSS/XML
