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As the air gets chillier, some people may start sneezing, coughing, and having runny noses.
But before stocking up on orange juice, people should take a moment to consider whether some common remedies are really urban myths. This week, some doctors shared some of their patients’ misconceptions about colds and which remedies can help people feel better.
Myth: The term “common cold” can refer to a variety of ailments, including bronchitis, sinus infections, and influenza.
Dr. Douglas Chervenak, who runs a family practice in Smyrna, sees patients with this belief all the time and said that it is not true.
He defined the common cold as a runny nose and low-grade fewer that is caused by a virus. Getting plenty of rest and taking over the counter medications can help relieve cold symptoms, but if symptoms persist for more than eight days, Chervenak said people should visit their doctor.
Myth: Eating chicken soup can relieve cold symptoms.
Dr. Rachel Vreeman, author of the book “Don’t Swallow Your Gum: Myths, Half-Truths, and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health” said only one study has tested whether chicken soup is an effective cold remedy and found that it did activate white blood cells that help the body fight off illnesses.
“I’m not really sure what it was in the chicken soup,” Vreeman said, with a laugh. “I think somebody should study it further.”
Myth: Orange juice and other beverages containing vitamin C help the body ward off the common cold.
This is not true, Vreeman said.
She noted there have been 11 studies on vitamin C that were conducted on more than 6,000 people. They have found the substance does not prevent the average person from getting ill or do anything to shorten the duration of a cold.
The federal government recently had similar revelations about a fizzy, herbal drink called Airborne that was thought to help prevent people from getting sick on airplanes and in other enclosed spaces.
“There’s no science to prove that it works at all,” Vreeman said.
Myth: Cold weather can increase your chances of getting sick.
The cold season happens to occur in the United States around the same time the temperature plummets each year, but Vreeman said other regions of the world do not necessarily experience more people with cold symptoms in relation to the weather.
“Even though people hear that viruses make them sick, they don’t always internalize that,” she said, noting that several studies have injected viruses in people and then subjected them to cold weather conditions. The researchers found no relationship between cold weather and whether people got ill.
As the air gets chillier, some people may start sneezing, coughing, and having runny noses.
But before stocking up on orange juice, people should take a moment to consider whether some common remedies are really urban myths. This week, some doctors shared some of their patients’ misconceptions about colds and which remedies can help people feel better.
Myth: The term “common cold” can refer to a variety of ailments, including bronchitis, sinus infections, and influenza.
Dr. Douglas Chervenak, who runs a family practice in Smyrna, sees patients with this belief all the time and said that it is not true.
He defined the common cold as a runny nose and low-grade fewer that is caused by a virus. Getting plenty of rest and taking over the counter medications can help relieve cold symptoms, but if symptoms persist for more than eight days, Chervenak said people should visit their doctor.
Myth: Eating chicken soup can relieve cold symptoms.
Dr. Rachel Vreeman, author of the book “Don’t Swallow Your Gum: Myths, Half-Truths, and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health” said only one study has tested whether chicken soup is an effective cold remedy and found that it did activate white blood cells that help the body fight off illnesses.
“I’m not really sure what it was in the chicken soup,” Vreeman said, with a laugh. “I think somebody should study it further.”
Myth: Orange juice and other beverages containing vitamin C help the body ward off the common cold.
This is not true, Vreeman said.
She noted there have been 11 studies on vitamin C that were conducted on more than 6,000 people. They have found the substance does not prevent the average person from getting ill or do anything to shorten the duration of a cold.
The federal government recently had similar revelations about a fizzy, herbal drink called Airborne that was thought to help prevent people from getting sick on airplanes and in other enclosed spaces.
“There’s no science to prove that it works at all,” Vreeman said.
Myth: Cold weather can increase your chances of getting sick.
The cold season happens to occur in the United States around the same time the temperature plummets each year, but Vreeman said other regions of the world do not necessarily experience more people with cold symptoms in relation to the weather.
“Even though people hear that viruses make them sick, they don’t always internalize that,” she said, noting that several studies have injected viruses in people and then subjected them to cold weather conditions. The researchers found no relationship between cold weather and whether people got ill.
