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There are few experiences as universal as catching a cold. The infection that reaches the upper respiratory tract is caused by more than 200 types of viruses – and it seems that there are almost as many home remedies for fighting them.
But are there any that work?
Na The essence of any home remedy is the idea that it will strengthen our immune system.
When a virus enters the body, it comes up against two defense mechanisms: the innate immune system (or natural) tries to expel the invading cells. while the adaptive (or acquired) immune system targets specific pathogens with which the body has already been in contact – it creates memory cells for new cells so that the body can fight them if they come back.
that we usually have chickenpox only once, whereas colds – which change in appearance as they pbad from one person to another, confusing our memory cells – are something that we can have dozens of times.
But as the immune system of healthy people only weakens in case of shortage of vitamins or minerals, strengthen the diet.
It is not new that lifestyle and diet affect the resistance of our immune system. "What we call" cold food "will not make much difference if we already have a relatively balanced diet," says Charles Bangham, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Imperial College London, England.
If you have a deficiency of essential nutrients, such as vitamins, zinc or iron, it will be very helpful to reinforce this particular element. But if you have a balanced diet, adding more nutrients will not make the immune system more efficient, "he says.
Supplements
Nevertheless, studies aimed at curing colds have shown that they can make a difference. 19659002] The vast majority of research focuses on supplements rather than food – in fact, no reliable study has been done to badyze, for example, whether chicken soup can actually be an effective medicine.
In a small study, 146 healthy adults took a placebo or daily supplement of garlic for 12 weeks in the winter, in the placebo group, 65 colds were recorded, resulting in 366 days of illness. – among those who were already taking a supplement to garlic, there were only 24 colds, adding 111 days of illness.
Another supplement that people are looking for when they experience the first symptoms of the disease. The review of 29 studies on vitamin C supplements did not conclude that supplements significantly reduce the risk of colds or allergy. relieve their symptoms. But he identified a reduction in the duration of colds – 14% in children and 8% in adults. The researchers concluded that since the supplements were low risk, it might be worth trying to see if they were helpful.
The orange juice may not be so useful: there is no evidence that it can help prevent colds, to relieve
Indeed, the juice does not contain Vitamin C doses are high enough to have the same impact as daily supplements, says Harri Hemilä, a public health researcher at the University of Helsinki in Finland. and author of the review of studies on vitamin C supplements.
A small bottle of fresh orange juice contains about 72 mg of vitamin C, according to the Ministry of Agriculture of the States United States – more than the minimum recommended daily amount of 40 mg, but it remains lower than that offered by many supplements.
Also contains zinc. A review of studies looking at the effectiveness of daily doses of zinc acetate pellets for colds revealed that these reduced the duration of symptoms – for example, the flow and l 39; choking – about one-third; sneezing in 22% of cases; and cough almost half.
The study concludes that if treatment is started within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms, taking a daily dose of 80 mg zinc acetate tablets may help treat the common cold. 19659002] However, Hemilä argues that it is more accurate to badyze the overall cure of a cold rather than measuring the duration of symptoms – which prevents data from being compromised by people leaving the study before recovering completely and through these.
In a study of 199 patients with colds, he found that those taking zinc pellets healed three times faster.
Scientists often point out that it is better to consume vitamins and minerals through diet rather than supplements – although they point out that, as with vitamin C, it is often easier to take precautions . s doses of a vitamin by means of supplements
In the case of zinc, however, it is the opposite. To be effective against the common cold, it should be consumed in tablet form – not just tablets or foods rich in zinc, says Hemilä.
"Zinc tablets slowly dissolve in the throat and their effect is local."
"We do not know what is the biochemical mechanism of this effect, but studies that have shown the effectiveness of Zinc tablets have used large tablets that take up to 30 minutes to dissolve in the mouth. ""
However, a complication lies in the fact that researchers do not often badess whether a person was suffering from any deficiency – vitamin C or zinc for example – before starting treatment. Thus, any benefit from cold control may be related to the fact that, when taking a supplement, some participants provided only a shortage, rather than the supplement made a difference for healthy people.
Another difficulty is: the placebo effect. Of course, many studies, such as garlic supplements, have a control group receiving a placebo (an inert drug with no pharmacological properties) – so we know that the result is not due to the ## 147 ## 39, placebo effect alone.
we swear that something that has little or no scientific evidence, such as chicken soup or orange juice, heals us, could be due to the placebo effect.
Research has shown that placebos are effective in relieving many symptoms, from pain to irritable bowel syndrome, although the reasons are not yet well understood. Whether it is vitamin C or chicken soup, it may be that the placebo effect alone helps us heal from a cold.
A study found that people who believed in the supposed properties of fighting colds of Echinacea (medicinal plant) had colds. lighter and shorter periods during which they took daily doses of the herb compared to those who did not believe in their healing power.
Previous studies in which participants did not know that they were taking echinacea showed no improvement in cold symptoms.
It also works in the other direction. For a long time it was believed that milk aggravates the production of mucus after cooling, but it has already been proved that this was not true. One study, however, found that people who thought that milk caused mucus reported more breathing problems after drinking.
Although placebos are generally administered by clinicians during clinical trials, the placebo effect of home remedies may be related to our "says Felicity Bishop, badociate professor of health psychology at the University of Toronto. University of Southampton, England.
"Studies show that the effect of the placebo tablet stems from a relationship of trust between patients and healthcare professionals, some of a considerate
"And that's what parents do when we're kids, the nature of the relationship is important, more than the person's identity."
In addition to friends and friends the placebo effect can also be reinforced by the way food products are marketed, Bishop adds.
The good news? Knowing that home remedies are placebos will not necessarily prevent them from relieving cold symptoms. "Even when a doctor tells the patient to take a placebo, but some people get out well, it can help the patient feel better," she says.
These foods always have a comforting effect. Nutritionist Sarah Schenker says that the well-being generated by chicken soup, for example, can help a chilled person feel better.
More than the amount of vitamin C we consume, the likelihood of not catching a cold in the winter depends a lot on each individual – including how much we believe in placebos, but also in our genes. "
" Some people's genes make them particularly vulnerable to certain diseases. others – some people have the flu and do not even notice it, while others have severe symptoms. This is partly determined by genes, which have a much greater impact. "
For most people with healthy immune systems, we can not help but rely on the power of placebos to cure colds in the winter … although take some zinc or vitamin supplements. 39, garlic can also help.
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