How do you treat a cold? I get this question all the time. I could never keep straight the advice from the ’50s — was it “feed a cold and starve a fever” or the other way around? But it didn’t matter anyway, because the answer is neither one.
Let’s look at the basics. First up, when treating a cold, drink fluids. When you’re not feeling well, you tend not to drink. If you have any type of respiratory infection, you breathe a bit more, thereby losing fluid. So keep water nearby, and sip it all the time. If your urine is dark-colored, you’re probably dehydrated.
Next, turn on the vaporizer. Perhaps you don’t have one or thought they were only for kids. They’re not. Vaporizers work great for adults, too, if you choose the right one.
If you have a hot air vaporizer, toss it. They let out steam, which can burn you. If you have one that just blows a fan through a water filter, toss that, too. Mold and fungi can grow on the filter. You need an ultrasonic vaporizer, available for about $30.
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Should you use distilled water with your vaporizer? Probably, because distilled water has been boiled into vapor and condensed back into liquid, creating a type of purified water. I do think any bottled water would be as good. I tend not to use tap water, as it can have more impurities, including calcium.
What about medications to treat that cold? Tylenol or ibuprofen are great for those aches and pains. We don’t use aspirin anymore — it has more side effects and we have better drugs.
As for over-the-counter cold remedies, they usually have antihistamines that often make you sleepy. These might be OK for actually sleeping, but if you’re older be aware that they can cause dizziness at night if you get out of bed when mother nature calls, and you might fall down.
Never give your child any of these cold remedies unless recommended by your health care provider. We stopped doing that decades ago when we learned it did more harm than good for kids.
Now what about supplements? Zinc can directly kill cold viruses — the lozenge is better than the pill. Some studies showed using zinc decreased the duration of a cold, but in other studies this didn’t pan out. No harm, no foul, if you take zinc for just a couple of weeks.
Probiotics are believed by some to help with a cold. The best probiotic around is the natural, tasty probiotic: yogurt. Live-culture yogurt is mother nature’s probiotic.
If you’re going to buy a supplement, make sure you get your money’s worth. They’re not regulated. Anyone who takes supplements should be aware they might not be getting what it says on the label.
I go to consumerlab.com to see which ones they recommend because they test them. In general, a store brand or one from a large pharmaceutical company also will be tested, since the company’s name is on the product. So I tend to rely on them, too.
Now let’s talk vitamin C. Scientist Linus Pauling, a two-time Nobel prize winner in the 1950s and ’60s, thought it was the cat’s meow when it came to treating colds. Subsequent studies have shown he was overly optimistic in that regard, so maybe he didn’t quite know everything. But eating oranges, that’s a different matter. They taste good and are healthy for you.
Evidence for echinacea has been mixed. In general, this herb may be more effective for reducing the risk of catching a cold, rather than reducing symptoms of an existing cold, but even that data is sketchy. Andrographis, another plant-based remedy sometimes referred to as “Indian echinacea,” is about the same — no good data showing this does much.
Last but not least, let’s not forget mom’s chicken soup, or if you’re a vegetarian, you can use Better Than Bouillon’s no chicken base. It makes a tasty broth.
My mom always swore by the chicken soup remedy, and according to researchers at McGill University in Montreal, “Modern research has actually shown that chicken soup, more than other hot liquid, increases mucus flow and helps the body rid itself of the cold virus. Chicken is rich in an amino acid called cysteine, which helps loosen secretions. This effect is increased by adding spices such as pepper and garlic.”
I’m not sure about this, but I must admit when I’m sick with a cold, I heat up some homemade chicken soup from the freezer, smear Vicks VapoRub on my chest, turn on the vaporizer, put on a fresh pair of PJs and hit the sack. My mom would be proud. Stay well.
This column provides general health information. Always consult your personal health care provider about concerns. No ongoing relationship of any sort is implied or offered by Dr. Paster to people submitting questions. Any opinions expressed by Dr. Paster in his columns are personal and are not meant to represent or reflect the views of SSM Health.
