Winter is high season for illness, especially colds. Illness can easily hit associations hard, as sick members stay at home at best and do not participate in activities. At worst, sick members turn up for union work and make everyone else sick.
Here we are looking at ways to prevent colds – and get healthy quickly if the disease has its roof around you.
What (probably) doesn’t help!
We can start by dispelled a few myths about prevention. Just so you know what probably doesn’t help on colds:
- Vitamin C, as we find it in orange juice, will probably not prevent or cure colds. At least it’s doubtful. A meta-study by the independent health network Cochrane in 2013 found that although some studies had shown a link between intake of vitamin C and colds, it has not been studied enough to say anything for sure.
- Zinc is another thing whose effect against cold is disputed. Zinc is found in meat, nuts, eggs and many vegetables. The internationally renowned Mayo Clinic is sceptical about the preventive and curative effect of zinc compared to colds. Conversely, a 2011 meta-study in The Journal of Family Practice shows that zinc can reduce the length and strength of a cold.
- Antibiotics do not help against colds, as colds are caused by viruses and not bacteria. Antibiotics, on the other hand, are effective against fever. However, antibiotics should only be taken if necessary. For the more antibiotics we take, the more multi-drug resistant bacteria become in the world.
So what works?
Above we looked at things whose effect against colds is questionable. Now we look at what things can then help you:
- Honey should be effective against coughs that have its origin in respiratory infections. Honey has antimicrobials, meaning they can be used to rid bacteria and viruses. Propolis, which consists primarily of resin collected by bees, has also been shown to be effective in a study on mice against viral infection of the lungs – for mice.
- Garlic has been shown in studies either to reduce the risk of falling ill with flu or the severity of the disease. Garlic contains allicin, which is the substance that gives the characteristic smell. It is contentious, but allicin is thought to be able to strengthen the immune system.
What else can you do?
Here are some other things you can be aware of in order not to get sick – or get better if you are.
- Remember to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Studies have previously shownthat people who sleep less than 7 hours each night have almost three times the risk of being cold.
- Stress weakens the immune system, as has long been known. It’s not just long-term stress that has that effect. Stress of any length affects the body’s own ability to fight disease.
- High humidity also helps reduce the risk of disease. Supposedly, low humidity in winter should also be among the major reasons why more people get chilled in those months. The body’s immune system weakens on some fronts at low humidity.
Author: Alexander Kokkedal
Journalism students at the Danish School of Media and Journalism. Blogger at MinForening.