READER’S DIGESTMay• 2019 | 938 Another cost-free way to get bet-
ter a little more quickly is to find a
caring friend or relative to nurse you.
A 2009 study showed that patients
who rated their doctors with a perfect
score on an empathy questionnaire
were sick one day less than patients
with less sensitive doctors. Patients
with the most empathetic doctors
also showed double the levels of IL-8,
a protein molecule the body releases
to fight colds.
9 Chicken soup might really work
to help ease a cold – though your
mum’s special recipe isn’t the reason.
In fact, most clear soups help because
it is thought that the warm liquid eas-
es congestion and increases mucus
flow. “I think chicken soup is great for
hydration – hot liquids, salt and elec-
trolytes,” says Dr Lausier.
10 Don’t rely on vitamin C. In a
2013 review of 29 separate trials, reg-
ular vitamin C supplements failed
to reduce cold incidences across the
board. Huge doses to ease symptoms
had small effects in some but not all
studies.
11 Zinc, on the other hand, may
reduce symptoms. According to re-
cent studies, zinc lozenges or syrup
can reduce the length of a cold by
one day, especially if taken within 24
hours of the onset of symptoms. “Zinc
is necessary for the immune system to
perform, so yes, you can definitely up
the dose during the onset of a cold,”
says nutrition specialist Dr Jonny
Bowden.
Of course, you should check with
your doctor first to make sure it won’t
interfere with any of your medica-
tions.12 The cold virus can survive
up to 24 hours or longer outside the
human body, so give your hands a
good scrubbing after touching that
doorknob or kitchen tap at work.
In fact, a small 2011 study showed
that people infected with rhino-
virus, the most common cause of
colds, contaminated 41 per cent of
the surfaces in their homes – includ-
ing doorknobs, TV remote controls
and taps. An hour after touching
the infected surfaces, the fingertips
of nearly 25 per cent of people still
tested positive for a cold virus.13 Grandma was right: gargling
can help, maybe even as a preventa-
tive. In a single study from Japan,
some volunteers were asked to regu-
larly gargle with water while others
were not. After 60 days, the gargling
group had a nearly 40 per cent de-
crease in colds compared with the
control group.
To soothe a sore throat, gargle with
one-quarter to one-half of a teaspoon
of salt mixed with 250 millilitres of
warm water. The salt will draw out
excess fluids from your body.