Have you heard that an untreated flu lasts seven days and that with medicine it lasts a week? This is a dull joke for anyone who is in bed with the symptoms of this disease, but it has a real background.
In fact, there are still no drugs that are really able to fight the viruses that cause colds and flu, so treatment is restricted to symptoms.
However, everyone knows some home tricks that promise to cure these diseases. The problem is that, for the most part, they are just myths, like the following 7:
1. Sweat to eliminate toxins and viruses
Do you know that old advice that you should do some physical activity to raise your body temperature, sweat a lot and thus eliminate toxins and viruses from your body? So, it's just a rumor.
You may feel better after an exercise, but this is due to the release of endorphins, neurotransmitters that are linked to a sense of well-being. The flu and cold viruses, however, will not be hit? and you still run the risk of becoming dehydrated if you don't replace lost fluids with sweat.
Also read: 10 Types Of Medicines That Make You Gain Weight Without Knowing
2. Supplement Vitamin C
Vitamin C really is very important in our body, being fundamental for the absorption of iron and for the production of collagen. However, when it comes to preventing and curing flu and colds, their effect is controversial.
This story began in 1970 when Linus Pauling, a famous American Nobel Prize-winning chemist, published a book advising him to consume 1 gram of vitamin C a day to reduce the incidence of these diseases.
However, a study of more than 11,000 people published in 2013 found that supplementation of this vitamin would only have this effect on high-performance athletes. If you do not fit into this group, however, be aware that all is not lost: this same study states that given the low cost and safety of treatment, it may be worth investing in vitamin C to decrease the duration and intensity of symptoms. ? although it doesn't work for everyone.
3. Put onion into sleeping socks
We're sorry to let you know, but the best you'll get from sleeping with an onion slice in your sock is to leave your feet with a slightly different odor.
Does the idea that this could cure colds and flu come from the fourteenth century, when people scattered onions around their homes in an attempt to ward off bubonic plague? and also some evil spirits.
Read also: 25 Amazing Benefits Of Lemon Grass For Your Life
4. Use antibiotics
Taking antibiotics without medical advice is a bad idea. These drugs are powerful against bacteria, but they do absolutely nothing against viruses, whether they cause the flu, the cold, or another disease.
To make matters worse, taking antibiotics unnecessarily or with the wrong active ingredient, dose, or timing may end up making you (your bacteria, in fact) drug resistant. So when you really need to take an antibiotic, it may no longer work.
5. Drink hot or mulled wine
Having mulled wine, mulled wine or any other alcoholic beverage heated with honey, lemon, cinnamon, ginger, garlic or other ingredients would help cure colds and flu. This may be the first thing your grandmother says when you sneeze, but that's not how it works.
It is really important to strengthen your fluid intake when you are sick, and a hot drink even helps to relieve throat irritation. However, it is better to leave alcohol out of it, as it can actually lower your immunity, making recovery difficult.
6. Smell peppermint essential oil
It is true that the aroma of peppermint essential oil may help alleviate nasal congestion, but it will not effectively combat the viruses that cause colds and flu. Although this oil has shown some action against microorganisms in the laboratory, it has not been registered in the human body.
Read also: 5 cleaning tips to prevent colds and flu
If you are unable to breathe, it is worth putting a drop of oil under your nose to relieve this symptom, but it will not accelerate healing itself.
7. Consume Tea or Echinacea Capsules
Echinacea became famous in natural medicine for its supposed properties against colds and flu. However, according to several studies, such as the one published in the USA in 2010, this home remedy is not able to reduce the duration and intensity of symptoms of these diseases.
In this case, we cannot rule out the placebo effect, that is, when a person takes a medicine believing that it will work and, therefore, he really feels better. This happens mainly when we talk about aches and pains, symptoms that cannot be accurately measured such as temperature, for example.
All of this, however, doesn't mean you can't do anything to feel better in case of a cold or the flu. If any of these work for you, keep using? as long as it does not cause a major harm (such as alcohol) and you do not abandon the treatment prescribed by the doctor.
Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of water, teas and natural juices, try to relieve nasal congestion and wait for time to pass. To be safe, the best options are to have a healthy lifestyle and get the flu shot every year.
Also read: 6 teas to wake up, lose weight, have energy and other amazing uses
2018 Protect Yourself from the Flu (April 2024)
- Prevention and Treatment
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