Common Cold Treatment Options: Facts Vs. Myths

Quite a lot of cold remedies have been employed by many individuals around the world in order to manage the signs and symptoms of colds. Most of them are facts and have a scientific foundation but the others are generally myths and can be an annoying waste of time, thought and worry. At the least one member in each household should know the several home remedies for colds once yet another member catches it. But aside from that, he or she must also know what treatment is effective and what is just pure myth. Here are a few of the misguided beliefs about colds that need to be clarified.

Myth: Antibiotics are the effective medicines against cold.

Fact: Colds are triggered by virus.

Antibiotics are medicines that act against bacterial infections by killing the bacteria causing a disease. Viral infections like simple colds are not infested with antibiotics. Many uninformed mothers and guardians still believe that antibiotics are effective for colds. Nevertheless, if a colds sufferer gets a bacterial infection with the colds, antibiotics can be now effective for making the patient feel better.

One more thing that people should know is that most viral infections like colds are self-limiting. This means that they will eventually heal with time even without any medical intervention. Symptomatic cold remedies are sufficient to manage colds.

Myth: Vitamins and other health supplements can cure colds.

Fact: Although vitamin supplements such as vitamin C can improve the immune system, taking them may not be effective in curing colds.

Even though a person keeps on consuming vitamin C everyday, when he gets a cold, vitamin C tablets won't do anything to the virus. The virus will still cause symptoms and he can't do anything whatsoever about it but to control his symptoms with the right diet, hygienic measures, proper hydration, as well as other head cold remedies and then wait around until his colds are healed. However, zinc supplements are actually proven to be beneficial in colds treatment.

Myth: When a person has a cold, he must not drink milk so there will be less mucus.

Fact: Consumption of milk doesn't contribute to the large build-up of mucus.

There is absolutely no scientific basis about this myth and any person with colds can drink milk just as much as he wants to. Mucus production could increase when one has colds but it is not, in any way, caused by milk.

Myth: "Start a fever and feed a cold"

Fact: The expression "starve a fever" is totally a myth.

Food is needed by any human to provide energy for the body system and if a person has a fever and colds, the body metabolizes lots of energy reserves in the body and therefore more food should be taken to stop further body weakness.

There are a few more myths that many people still believe to be effective in treating colds. Here are few of the scientifically proven effective home remedies for a cold that patients can do to control colds. First is proper hydration. A person with common colds should drink plenty of fluids to prevent nasal congestion and keep the throat moist. Eight to ten glasses of water per day should be enough to keep the body properly hydrated. Second is nasal irrigation through saltwater rinse or nasal spray. This remedy can help relieve nasal congestion effectively.

And the last is chicken soup. It is extremely effective since it has an anti-inflammatory effect and it lessens mucus production. Chicken soup has been one of the most helpful cold remedies many mothers have been giving to their children in order to manage colds.

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