Maybe your mother forced you to eat chicken soup when you were a child
and had a cold. That was then.
Today we know better than to rely on old-fashioned home remedies. Right?
But should we?
"We know that nothing can cure the common cold,’’ said Dr. Ken Wible,
chief of general pediatrics for Children’s Mercy Hospitals and
Clinics. "But there are ways to relieve the symptoms. And chicken soup
is one of them."
There’s an old saying: untreated, colds last about seven days; treated
they last about a week. Of course that’s not funny if you or your child
is the one with the virus. But it points out the long-standing notion
that there is no cure for the common cold.
That’s because they aren’t so common. There are so many different
viruses that cause a cold it’s difficult to find something that will
fend off all the different kinds.
But the patients can be made more comfortable: Enter chicken soup.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, studies recently have
tested the effects of chicken soup on clearing mucus from nasal
passages. The faster mucus travels, the quicker congestion fades. The
studies showed those who drank cold water had the slowest travel rates;
hot-water drinkers had faster drainage. But those who drank hot chicken
soup cleared the mucus from the nasal passages fastest.
Steamy vapors from almost any warm liquid will help lessen congestion,
but chicken soup has the added benefits of calories, vitamins, fat and
protein. Be careful, however: hot soup can burn.
Another home remedy with considerable popularity is Vitamin C. Some
people swear by it, though there is no evidence that it really works.
Vitamin C does fight infection and is essential for skin health. There
is no advantage to giving your child more than the Food and Drug
Administration’s Recommended Daily Allowance of 60 milligrams. Large
doses of Vitamin C can cause an upset stomach.
Sponging or bathing children in cold water is another common treatment
that, in fact, can cause a child to be even more uncomfortable. The
shock of the cold water on the feverish skin can cause a child to
shiver, which in turns raises the body temperature: the exact opposite
effect the parent is trying to achieve. The American Academy of
Pediatrics recommends sponging the child in water that feels just
slightly warm to the back of your hand: 85 to 90 degrees.
"Don’t expect a miracle cure, there just isn’t any," Dr. Wible
explained. "But there are steps you can take to take some of the sting
out of these bad times."
