As you read these lines, about 5 percent of people in the world are fighting a cold. Most likely, we will get over it ourselves by the end of the year. But in order not to succumb to every folk "wisdom" in the treatment and symptoms of a cold, we have collected some facts and myths for you, which will help you separate truth from fiction, save some time, money and frustration.
Colds are one of the main reasons people visit the doctor: antibiotics are, unfortunately, prescribed for just over 60 percent of common colds, despite the fact that bacteria are involved in only 2 percent of all cases. So let's look at something facts and myths about the common cold, so that we don't panic next time.
Facts about the common cold
- A single cold virus can have 16 million "descendants" in 24 hours.
- The speed of a sneeze is about the same as the speed of a straight throw (fastball) of a professional baseball pitcher - approx 150 kilometers per hour.
- The record for the longest sneeze is held by 12-year-old British woman Donna Griffiths, who started sneezing on January 13, 1981 and sneezed for 978 days.
- It is with some unfortunate people sneeze caused a slipped intervertebral disc, because they turned their necks very awkwardly while sneezing.
Myths about the common cold
"If you're cold, you'll catch a cold."
This is probably the most widespread myth about the common cold. People have been believing this popular "wisdom" for years and years. Presumably, this myth came about because they are colds are more common in winter, and the cold air often causes a runny nose. However, studies from the 1950s and 1960s showed that volunteers exposed to cold and extreme cold did not contract the cold virus, and if they already had a cold, it did not get worse.
"Antibiotics will cure you."
Antibiotics usually do not help with colds because they work against bacteria, while most colds are viral. Excessive prescribing of unwarranted antibiotics can causes the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. So when a bacterial infection does occur, antibiotics may not be able to cure it. In fact, antibiotics can even make a cold worse, as they kill "friendly" bacteria and create an environment that is friendlier to the virus.
"The color of your nasal discharge can tell a lot about your health."
It is believed that the color of nasal discharge indicates how healthy we are. Green or yellow mucus is said to mean that we have an infection and that something may be seriously wrong. But the color of mucus does not say much about our cold or health. In the past, doctors often used the color of the mucus to tell if the infection was bacterial. But in most cases, all colds are viral. The color of the mucus is like that in most cases related to the food we ate or with the chemicals we have consumed.
"You have to take your child to the doctor as soon as he gets a cold."
We need to know symptoms that distinguish a serious illness from a common cold. Whether we think our child has the flu or a cold, we should see a doctor when the child has one of these symptoms:
- a cold lasts more than 10 days
- the fever does not fall.
- fever above 39 degrees Celsius.
- bluish skin
- breathing problems, including wheezing and rapid breathing
- painful ears or discharge from the ears
- extreme irritability
- flu-like symptoms that return after things seem to have subsided (especially if they include fever and worsening cough
- inability to wake up
- the child drinks too little liquid
- epileptic seizures
- worsening of other conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes
"Chicken soup helps with colds."
This myth contains some truth. Moses Maimonides, a rabbi and rabbi from the 12th century, recommended "soup made from fat chicken". While it certainly doesn't hurt to eat soup, especially if you have a dry, irritated throat, many people still don't believe that "Jewish penicillin" helps with a cold. But one study found that "due to its synergistic properties, chicken soup relieves cold symptoms" (in other words, the combination of ingredients and the fact that it is a warm liquid). The researchers concluded that it should chicken broth helped the body to expel mucus from the bronchial tubes faster and more efficiently than other liquids. This is thought to be because inhaling the warm vapors raises the temperature in the nose and loosens the thickened secretions.
According to the researchers, the active ingredients are in the chicken broth celery, onions, carrots, parsley, mushrooms, parsnips, sage, thyme, salt and pepper.
