2 Myths Of Common Cold Prevention And Treatment
What's more common than the common cold? How about the countless fallacies concerning the bug? It's bad enough that a sure-fire cure to the common cold has yet to be established, but the myths that surround it make it even harder for us to practice proper common cold prevention and treatment, since the sole reason for their existence seems to be to confuse us all and keep us from living a virus-free life.
But no more. We've had enough. By breaking down the myths of the common cold, we'll all finally have a fighting chance at living a healthy life. Listed below are some of the craziest but most prevalent myths of common cold prevention and treatment that far too many people still cling to today.
1) A bowl of Chicken Soup is good for the soul...and the cold.
You'll find no shortage of people who believe in this age-old folk remedy. And why shouldn't they? Chicken soup is a sure-fire cure for everything! Everyone knows that chicken-flavored water has miraculous healing capabilities, despite what experts say to the contrary. But which between the chicken and the soup is the natural panacea?
If it's the former, then what the heck are we doing just sipping soup?? Let's dial up Colonel Sanders for a bucket of wings, and see how much that does for our health and well-being. And if it's the latter, then why do we even bother putting it in a bowl? Just because the water kinda tastes like chicken doesn't mean we can't use a glass to drink it.
Alright, let's put the sarcasm on hold for a minute. I'll admit that hot broth can slightly alleviate a few symptoms of the common cold, but it doesn't do much (read: nothing at all) to actually cure the virus. And if anything, it's the hot fluid that helps, not the fact that it was made from chicken. So why chicken? Well, maybe that was just one of the Colonel's marketing ploys that never caught on. (OK, that was fowl.)
Bottom line when it comes to this so-called cure? Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
2) Antibiotics are Anti-cold.
Suuuure, they are. Antibiotics are known for fighting all sorts of bacteria, fungi, and parasites, giving them a collective and unabashed reputation as a promoter of good health and a useful tool in common cold prevention. Too bad the common cold is caused by a virus, making antibiotics completely ineffective when fighting the common cold.
Good thing there's nothing wrong with taking a whole bunch of antibiotics. Aside from the bacteria and parasites in your body eventually developing an immunity to them, that is. Don't think too much about it, though. You're already fighting the common cold, anyway, so what's another sickness?