Winter brings with it a few things that are hard to avoid – the cold, the desire to sleep late and inevitably a spate of colds and flu. Everyone seems to have their own little remedy or ritual for dealing with either a cold or flu — ranging from overdosing on Vitamin C to putting drops of dilute hydrogen peroxide in the ear.

While some of these remedies work, others clearly don’t and could even be detrimental to your health. Perhaps the best place to start debunking the myths about cold and flu remedies is to distinguish between a cold and the flu.

A head cold in a fluey body

More often than not, the two are lumped together and used interchangeably. While both are viruses, they manifest differently. A cold usually involves a runny nose and sore throat and sometimes a cough. Colds are generally not accompanied by headaches or fevers.

Flu, which usually comes on quite quickly, is often characterized by a fever, headaches, sensitivity to light, body or joint aches and extreme tiredness. A runny nose and sore throat are less common, but you can get quite a severe cough.

Colds tend to last a week and are generally not very serious. Flu can last between two and three weeks and can lead to more serious infections such as pneumonia.

Is there a cure?

Until quite recently, there was no medication which actually treated flu and medicines that you can buy over the counter such as Corenza C or Med Lemon, only treat the symptoms and not the cause of the virus. While this can definitely make you feel better, you are not actually being cured.

However, there is a new antiviral medication, Tamiflu (oseltamivir) which gets rid of the actual virus, says general practitioner Dr Rosamund Carey. This medicine can be used if you feel flu coming on or if you are already suffering from the symptoms of flu. Unfortunately it doesn’t cure colds.

Does the cold really give you a cold?

Cold mythology and grannies all over tend to argue that you get a cold from being cold However, this is often regarded as nonsense and the real cause is attributed germs festering in stuffy buildings. Dr Carey says that both are actually true. While you get colds and flu from germs (and not the cold), your body is more susceptible to the viruses if you are cold. The reason for this is that your immune system takes a bit of a knock.

So how can you make sure that your immune system is at its best? Clinical Nutritionist, Sally-Ann Creed, suggests that there are a number of ways of maintaining optimal immunity. There are many non-dietary factors that can impair immunity such as stress, lack of sleep, not enough exercise and infrequent exposure to sunlight.

On the dietary front, you can boost your immunity by taking a daily dose of Vitamin C (around 2 grams), antioxidants and an essential fatty acid from fish oil. Oh, and stay away from junk food.

“Eating healthily by avoiding junk food, refined grains and sugary food is also really important. These deplete nutrient stores in the body and are 'nutrient robbers', leaving you open to bugs,” she says, suggesting instead that you eat green leafy vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds - high in antioxidants, chlorophyll and other “disease-fighters”.

Fight flu with food

Eating the right food can help prevent a cold, but does it actually help when you’re curled up in bed with a runny nose and sore throat? Dr Carey suggests taking Vitamin C to boost your immunity and drinking lots of fluids to thin the mucus. “When you get sick, your appetite decreases,” she says “just listen to your body and you’ll know how much you should be eating.”

Sally-Ann Creed agrees that you should eat less and advises a diet high in raw vegetables, fish and chicken soup. In terms of supplements she suggests Olive Leaf and Vitamin C – both in high doses for several days. “These nutrients work wonders, and very often a cold or flu will either be less severe, or averted by the following day.”

Rest is best

Ah, now this myth is actually true. Dr Carey confirms that getting into bed really is the fastest way to get rid of a cold. While it’s important to exercise to keep your immunity up while you’re healthy, exercise is a big no-no when you have a cold or flu. Even if you only have a mild cold, you still run the risk of damaging your heart.

An alternative approach

Not all medical traditions approach colds in the same way. Dr Phil Burnham, acupuncturist and doctor of Chinese medicine, explains that in Chinese medicine you get both hot and cold colds. If you have a cold cold, you’ll feel cold, experience chills and have white mucus. If you have a hot cold, you’ll have a fever, a sore throat and yellow mucus. As these are two distinct ailments, the treatments will be different.

The approach to treatment is more personalized and the doctor will prescribe different herbs depending on how the patient is dealing with the symptoms. Acupuncture is also used to either clear heat or warm the patient up.

Dr Geraldine Mitton, medical director of the Sante Wellness Centre, advises that if you would prefer to go the homeopathic route, you should take ‘Anis barb’ for prevention of colds and flu or for acute symptoms. If you are suffering from a sore throat you can suck zinc lozenges and Infludo drops are great for both colds and flu. To boost your immune system, she suggests taking “Echinacea and of course Vitamin C - take 500 mg 4 times a day to start, then daily”.

Folk lore

There are a number of popular remedies for treating the symptoms of colds and flu. My favourite is a cup of hot water with lemon, honey and a Disprin – some people prefer a shot of whisky to the Disprin. Ginger tea (basically chunks of ginger in hot water) has also been found to be effective as has gargling with salt water for a sore throat and sucking lozenges for a cough. Cayenne pepper and garlic and onion also feature in many folk remedies.

However there are also some more controversial remedies such as putting a couple of drops of dilute hydrogen peroxide in each ear. Many people are convinced that this remedy works and do it religiously. Dr Carey is skeptical however, stating that there is no scientific reason why it should work and suggesting that you are more likely to damage your eardrum.

So, while some remedies work, others should be taken with a pinch of salt. Focus on boosting your immunity, get lots of rest and treat your symptoms with ingredients that you wouldn’t mind putting in your dinner. If your symptoms persist for more than a week or if you have a very high temperature or green/yellow phlegm, go and see a doctor!
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