How you don’t need to treat a cold. 7 ways that don’t work

Candidate of Medical Sciences, doctor of integrative, preventive and conventional medicine, nutritionist

When we get a “cold”, we deal with a lowered immunity, against the background of which the captured virus or bacteria begin to actively multiply in the body. Respiratory disease can be accompanied by a runny nose, cough, red throat, increased lacrimation, increased body temperature. With these symptoms, many people cope on their own. With the right approach to treatment, troubles can be avoided, and vice versa. Here are the methods that are dangerous to health.

Knock down the temperature to 38.5 degrees Celsius

The immune system fights, the defense works, the body tries to remove the cause of the inflammatory reaction. By knocking down the temperature, we prevent it from working. Moreover, the body will not harm itself.

Use antiviral drugs

There are many antiviral drugs, various powders and suspensions that promise to improve well-being in the first hours after taking them. But they contain huge doses of paracetamol and vitamin C, so you should not expect to strengthen the immune system. In addition, ascorbic acid, especially on an empty stomach, can cause damage to the stomach.

Drink milk with honey

An ancient home recipe for treating colds, which can only do harm. The fact is that milk can cause an inflammatory reaction, especially if a person does not have enough enzymes to digest it. As for honey, it is a serious allergen, and if not properly digested, it also loads the immune system.

This remedy can only be useful if there is complete confidence in the quality of both products. It is also important to make sure that these products do not cause inflammation specifically for you.

Use tea bags

Tea is a unique product, but on a production scale, like all other superfoods, it loses its properties. Therefore, the beverage in bags has no useful properties, and loose large-leaf – depending on the manufacturer.

In general, teas for the time of colds are better to replace herbal decoctions.

Take a hot bath and steam in the bathhouse

An excellent tool to accelerate the flow of lymph and “kick out” viruses, but only if the body temperature is not elevated, there are no problems with high blood pressure and personal contraindications.

Drop into the nose with the juice of garlic and onions

Folk remedy that can cause serious burns to the mucous membranes. Be careful.

It is better to add onions, garlic, spices to the diet, in salads, so that the antioxidant effect, abundance of vitamins and minerals in its degree to stimulate the immune system.

Indiscriminately take antibiotics

As long as the nature of the inflammation is not clear, and it is not clear why the fever is rising – it is not necessary to introduce antibiotics. First, because the antibiotic does not act on the virus, only on bacteria. Secondly, it is likely that your body will cope with ARVI on its own, if the disease has no complications.