The common cold has a lot of commonly accepted home remedies. Gurgling salt water, drinking orange juice, eating vitamin C tablets, eating a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup, the list of supposed remedies goes on and on. What, if any, of these cures actually works?
Researchers have spent years trying to sort through all of the reported remedies for the common cold. Through all of the research, there still aren’t absolutely conclusive results to identify one absolute cure, but there are some helpful findings.
First of all, taking Vitamin C has turned out to be one of the most dependable ways to ward off the common cold. Taking 500mg or more a day throughout the cold season will likely reduce your chances of getting a cold. It makes a significant difference for people who are exposed to a lot of cold weather or who are often involved in strenuous exercise. In studies, those who consistently took Vitamin C were much less likely to get a cold, and when they did, it didn’t last very long. The results were particularly noticeable in young children. When it comes to this guard against getting a cold, you need to have foresight. It doesn’t do nearly as much good when you start taking Vitamin C after getting a cold. It works best if you take it regularly in advance to help you not get a cold in the first place. Your body can’t really store up a lot of Vitamin C, so you should try to take get it from different sources throughout the day. You can find it in lots of vitamin rich snacks like citrus fruits, broccoli, potatoes, and chili peppers.
Some people use zinc lozenges to ward of colds. These don’t show substantial benefits in fighting the common cold, although in some cases they have provided some help. You can get some benefit from them, but don’t go overboard, because too much zinc in your system can cause problems.
Another popular guard against the common cold is Echinacea. It is know as a means of increasing your immune response to diseases. While it does typically help, it doesn’t make much sense to take it consistently every day, because it seems to lose its effectiveness with drawn out periods of use. Some evidence suggests that it can also suppress other aspects of immune function. So, unlike Vitamin C, you’re better off saving Echinacea for when you really need it. If you’re unusually stressed, or traveling, or a cold is going around at your workplace or in your home, you’ll be a lot more vulnerable to the catching a cold. At these times, you can really benefit from Echinacea supplements. After 2 months at the most, you’ll want to lay off the Echinacea in order to maximize its effectiveness.
If you want to make sure you have a consistent guard against getting a cold, it is a great idea to take a daily multivitamin that contains Vitamin C. Of all of the research that has been conducted so far, studies show that Vitamin C is the best protection from the common cold.
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