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Hot beer, onion honey & Co home remedy for colds in the fact check
As the days get colder and wetter in the fall, so does the number of people with colds. Everywhere people meet us with cold and cough. But is it really the cold, when you catch a cold and what can you do if it gets you? Experts have tips on what helps against colds.
Cold myths in the fact check
When a grating neck, a dripping nose and body aches come along in the fall, many people quickly come up with advice, which is the best cure for a cold and its symptoms. Hot milk with honey as a home remedy for sore throat and cough, sweating in the sauna, to quickly get over a disease or keep an arm's length, so as not to become infected. There are certainly enough tips. But what is really true? In a message from the dpa news agency, experts explain what's up to such cold-blood myths.
Which home remedies really help with colds? Picture: ilencefoto - fotolia Hot milk with honey
Many swear by hot milk with honey as a home remedy for coughing and hoarseness. The nutritionist Anja Markant of the Department of Oecotrophology at the Münster University of Applied Sciences said to the dpa: "In dry cough warm milk with honey may have a soothing effect - but less in mucus-producing cough, since milk itself produces mucus." Also possible antibacterial and antiviral effects of According to the expert, honey is not sufficiently documented. "With one to two teaspoons you can not absorb much of the positive ingredients." These would even be broken down if the beverage is heated to over 40 degrees. However, it is true that warm drinks could relieve the irritation in the throat.
Hot lemon and ginger
A popular home remedy during the cold is hot lemon. "Vitamin C can not protect most people from colds," explained Markant. "Of course we need Vitamin C. But we actually absorb enough with the daily food." In addition, the acids of the lemon could irritate the pharyngeal mucosa. Also widely used is the assumption that the Wunderknolle ginger is good for colds. And there is really something to it: "It contains essential oils and so-called pungent substances," said the expert. The latter, for example, have an analgesic effect. In addition, ginger stimulates blood circulation and thus also ensures warm hands and feet.
Sleep is the best medicine
Alcohol to fight a disease is not recommended by professionals. Some people think that it really helps with colds because it disinfects, but too much alcohol weakens the immune system and deprives the body of water. But there is one exception: "Hot beer in small quantities actually seems to help with colds," says Markant. "Beer contains hops, which are characterized by essential oils and bitter substances." These should act to promote sleep, whereby the effect is enhanced by slight warming. And sleep is well known to be the best medicine.
"You really have an increased need for sleep," explained Prof. Stefan Wilm, Director of the Department of General Medicine at the University of Düsseldorf. "What the body demands can not be wrong." However, there are no studies. However, there are scientific studies that show that who sleeps little, much more often caught a cold.
No general ban on sports with a cold
Many sufferers say chicken soup and bed rest are the best home remedies. And indeed, the steam of the soup can moisturize the mucous membranes and kill the heat viruses. However, the fact that zinc in chicken enhances the immune system is not proven, as well as the effect of the amino acid contained in it, which supports the ripening of white blood cells and strengthens the immune system. Couch Potatoes like to call on a cold, so do not do any sports. However, illness and physical exercise are not necessarily mutually exclusive. "Whether sport is possible or not, depends on the severity of the cold," said sports scientist Ingo Froböse of the German Sport University Cologne.
"In case of a slight cold, it is not necessarily necessary to take a break from exercise." In case of doubt, exercise in the fresh air is better for the mucous membranes than dry heating air. In case of fatigue / fatigue but should better be paused. "Absolute sports ban applies at elevated body temperature."
Comes a cold by cold?
The rule of thumb: "Three days it comes, three days it stays, three days is", was not completely outlandish, said Wilm, who is also family doctor and board member of the German Society of General Medicine and Family Medicine. "However, there are respiratory infections, which are going on after only five days." However, persistent coughing after viral infections could last up to six weeks. Wilm also commented on the assumption that a cold comes from cold. "You can show in experimental studies that people who have become cold, a little more easily infected," said the expert. But overall, the influence of cold is low.
Whether sauna visits during or in an imminent cold make sense, is disputed among professionals. "Everyone has to know that for themselves," Wilm said. Most experts, however, believe that regular sauna sessions could reduce the incidence of infections. Finally, the agency report confirms that there is a real danger that nasal spray can make it dependent. Wilm recommends using it only for a few days. While it can not do anything against the duration of the runny nose. "But if the nose is free at night, you sleep better." (Ad)