The Real Dish on Treating Colds and Flu

[QuilterMom]

Starve a cold and feed a fever? Or is it the other way around? Here, experts tackle some common cold-season advice. Some are fact - most are fiction.

Fiction: Stay Warm and Dry. It makes sense that being wet and in a cold environment would cause problems. But does that increase a person's chance of catching a cold or the flu? Probably not, says Robert Schwartz, M.D., professor and chair of the department of family medicine and community health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Colds and flu are viral illnesses that require exposure. "The way we get colds is by contact with another person's saliva or coughs that send microscopic droplets into the air," he explains.

Viruses are more prevalent during the winter months. Overheating of indoor environments can be favorable for infections. But anytime people congregate in enclosed spaces, the chance of spreading any virus increases.

Fact: Eat Chicken Soup. Mom was right about this one. While there may not be scientific evidence that eating chicken soup prevents colds and flu, "It can soothe a sore throat and help make you feel better," says Phillip Barkley, M.D., associate professor of community health and family medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He explains, "As hot fluids pass down the esophagus, which is next to the trachea, they may actually get the secretions moving."

Beyond that, chicken soup hydrates and in most cases adds healthy vegetables to your diet. Best of all? No unwanted side effects.

Fiction: Take High Doses of Vitamin C. Vitamin C may help reduce the severity of cold symptoms, but the evidence is not clear. And no study has proven that high doses of vitamin C can prevent a cold. In fact, taking too much can be dangerous (the maximum daily dose for adults is 2,000 milligrams). "People think that if one tablet is good, then five must be better," says Schwartz.

Fiction: Stay Away from Dairy Foods. Although many physicians advise their patients to avoid milk and dairy products, which tend to produce mucus secretions, there is no conclusive data to support the advice. If you're feeling overly congested, try relieving a dry nose with over-the- counter saline drops, or better yet, jump in a hot shower and soak up some steam to relieve the dryness.


Fact: Avoid Antibiotics. When a cold or flu lingers, it's tempting to ask your physician for antibiotics. But antibiotics fight bacterial infections, not viral illnesses. Most important, taking unnecessary antibiotics impairs their ability to function in the future "because the bacteria is exposed to it and mutates and becomes tolerant to the antibiotic," says Schwartz.
When it seems like you can't take another day of symptoms, see your doctor. If you have type A or B influenza, a pill may help. Antiviral medications can shorten flu symptoms by a couple of days.

Starve a Cold and Feed a Fever. Neither is true. Fluid intake is a must, since the fever generates heat and robs the body of necessary fluids. Drink more fluids than normal and stay away from caffeine and alcohol. Says Barkley: "Use hunger as a guideline for how much you feel like you want to eat."

To learn more: The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Colds and Flu (Rodale Press, 2000)


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Got a Cold? Echinacea may help.
After years of saying that the popular herbal remedy echinacea can help fight the common cold, some researchers now say it may not. A study, which tested the herb's efficacy on 399 volunteers from 2002 to 2004 and was reported in the July 28, 2005, edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, concluded that there were no significant effects with echinacea on the rates of infection or the severity of cold symptoms.

Critics of the study, such as the American Botanical Council, point to its use of extracts made in a university laboratory (rather than commercial echinacea products) and to dosages they say were probably too low. Earlier studies have concluded that echinacea is a low-risk, effective alternative for relieving cold symptoms and, in some cases, for shortening the duration of upper respiratory tract infections. Your best bet? The next time you have a cold, try it and judge for yourself.

http://www.publix.com/wellness/green...1&childId=1249

[homesteadmamma]

[Pepper]

My dh and I were just debating whether you could catch a cold from being wet or cold!

Looks like I was right,





AGAIN!!!