It turns out that many common folk methods for treating colds are not only not beneficial, but can also harm the body.

With the onset of the cold season, the number of colds is growing steadily..

At the first signs of the disease, many begin to self-medicate, taking as a basis folk remedies and " And although doctors have repeatedly warned about the dangers of self-medication, this rarely stops anyone. However, such treatment methods are often not only useless, but can also harm and worsen the patient’s condition, experts warn.

Myth 1. Vitamin C - as a panacea for colds. The most popular folk “antiprostudin"

- There is no scientific evidence that taking vitamin C will help to “drive away” the common cold, ”therapist Galina Ignatenko assures. - Neither the tablet form (the ascorbine favorite by the people), nor citrus fruits in any way affect the course of the disease.

Of course, doctors do not prohibit eating delicious fruits that contain the coveted vitamin.. But you should not abuse it, because citrus fruits are a strong allergen. Doctors admit that often it is necessary to treat urticaria in patients with a cold and then treat.

Myth 2. Strong alcohol will drive away viruses. This method has long gained popular love, especially among the stronger sex.. Not always the wife will allow to overturn a pile or two, but for medicinal purposes - a completely different matter! But it turns out that the healing scale is not at all healing - there is much more harm from it than benefits.

“Alcohol does not give any therapeutic effect,” explains family doctor Ilya Melnichenko. - On the contrary, an already weakened body dehydrates after drinking alcohol. This leads to slower reactions, the body can no longer withstand viruses.

In addition, often patients take some medications, and alcohol is certainly incompatible with them.. So it turns out that the liver gets an extra load and starts to “fail” at the most inopportune moment, opening the way for new infections.

Myth 3. One must be treated with antibiotics. One of the most dangerous misconceptions, because antibiotics are very powerful drugs.. They cope with viruses very well, but at the same time they “hurt” many internal organs. And their misuse, and even uncontrolled, can lead to disastrous consequences..

- Antibiotics are prescribed for diseases that are caused by pathogenic bacteria, and while colds are caused by viruses, says family doctor Ilya Melnichenko. - Only a doctor should prescribe treatment with such drugs after testing - first you need to find out the type of virus, the severity of symptoms, as well as the individual characteristics of the patient.

At the same time, a good doctor will certainly prescribe in addition to antibiotics additional drugs that will help the liver, gastrointestinal tract, as well as immunity to cope with the use of potent drugs.

Myth 4. Inhalation with hot potatoes will save you from a cold. Everybody remembers this sacred ritual from childhood - first potatoes are cooked.. Then he gets a thick blanket or towel, under which they put a pan with a steaming root crop and drive the unfortunate patient there for 15 minutes. Because the means of the grandmother, tested for centuries, will help instantly. Although the effect was so miraculous, I can’t remember.

“Steam inhalations often do more harm than good,” Ilya Melnichenko believes.. - A simple runny nose can be easily treated with vasoconstrictor drugs.. But its complications, for example, in the form of sinusitis can “bloom in lush color”. During inhalation of hot steam, the vessels expand, and this, in turn, increases the swelling of the mucosa and disrupts the outflow of fluid from the maxillary sinus.

In addition, it is difficult to control the temperature during potato inhalation, which can lead to damage to the vocal cords. It is especially risky to apply this method to young children - they can turn the vessel with all its burning contents onto itself.

Myth 5. From a sore throat - milk with butter. Another life hack from childhood, a popular " True, no one could explain how this delicious mixture can stop unpleasant sensations.. "

- Milk will help with pharyngitis, when the throat just hurts and requires constant hydration, agrees Melnichenko. - But in this case there is no fundamental difference - it will be milk, tea, fruit drinks. But to add oil to the drink is somehow too much. There is no additional benefit from it, but few people will like the taste.

By the way, if it’s not about pharyngitis, but about sore throat, then taking such a healing broth will not give any effect at all. We can assume that this is just an additional meal, nothing more.

Myth 6. A sore throat can be cured by rinsing with a solution of salt, soda and iodine. A magic cocktail of their three elements - salt, soda and iodine - has been considered by people for decades to be much more effective than pharmacy solutions. Like, this is just a money transfer and solid chemistry, but in the old fashion it will be much safer. It turns out this is not entirely true.

“Sure, salt and soda are good antiseptics,” agrees Galina Ignatenko.. - Although they are much weaker than modern drugs and certainly not so pleasant to taste, they are quite capable of coping with bacteria on the mucosa. But you should be careful with iodine - an alcohol solution can cause irritation of the mucous membrane and aggravate the situation.. And iodine in large quantities can affect the thyroid gland not in the best way.

But with a simple soda-salt solution, care must be taken - if you make it highly concentrated, you can damage the mucous membrane.

Myth 7. Alcohol rubbing will lower the temperature. At elevated temperatures, many are rubbed with alcohol - this should increase the heat transfer of the body. This statement is only partially true..

- If the temperature has just begun to rise, then this method can be useful, - says therapist Galina Ignatenko. - The centralization of blood flow begins, skin vessels narrow, there is a decrease in temperature. But if it has already risen to high levels, then this method will be ineffective - wiping the outer skin can always affect the generation of heat inside a person. On the other hand, this can cause sharp significant heat losses, the temperature can drop to a critical point.

But rubbing with alcohol is strictly contraindicated for children - it is absorbed into the blood through the skin, alcohol intoxication may occur. Doctors recommend using a wet towel or sheet in this case..

Myth extra. Patient is not allowed to bathe. It is believed that bathing can aggravate the situation.. Like, steamed come out of the bath. And then a draft and - yeah! That's just the doctors do not agree with a complete rejection of hygiene procedures.

- Fighting colds, all body systems work at " - The kidneys and excretory system actively remove excess fluid and toxins both naturally and through the pores.. Therefore, a real “terrarium” of bacteria forms on the skin, which must be washed off periodically.

The only thing that doctors recommend is to ensure that there are no drafts in the room, so that after a shower, in fact, do not worsen your condition.

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