I haven't walked into a class in the past few weeks that hasn't had at least a few sniffling students. It's the season for colds, and when I came home with a case of the sniffles, my mother suggested drinking some hot tea or having warm, steamy soup for dinner. These remedies are really common all over the world, but do they actually work?
There has been no large-scale clinical trial testing wether hot liquids actually help to relieve the symptoms of the common cold. However, I found an article on a small trial of 30 sick patients who got a drink of blackcurrant-and-apple-flavored fruit cordial, a popular local remedy in Wales. While the test subjects nasal air flow remained the same, most of them reported a decrease in common symptoms, such as fatigue, runny nose, cough, sneezing, etc.
There are many speculations as to why these hot fluids relieve the symptoms of a cold, some saying that the ingredients in blackcurrants and green tea might fight viruses, bacteria, and inflammation. I think that the best reason for this is simply the placebo effect. People with colds believe that hot liquids will cure their symptoms, and so they feel better.
Whether the effects of hot liquids on cold symptoms are only psychological, we simply do not know. But, we do know that colds can spread easily, so if you have a cold, make sure to wash your hands frequently and cough and sneeze away from others!
2 comments:
I think it's mainly pyschological because cold is a virus and hot drinks can't really get rid of such viruses. I think it's mainly our immune system that actually does the curing.
Interesting. There are many remedies that seem to alleviate the symptoms of viral illnesses. It would be interesting for someone to do a study on whether there is any constant to these regional remedies. And of course, the studies that search for ways to get rid of the virus or prevent the viral illness in the first place should remain the priority. But right now, I think my girls would do just about anything to get rid of the flu they've had. It has been an awful season!
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