7 self-healing myths we continue to believe

Candidate of Medical Sciences, therapist.

1. The increased temperature must be brought down

As soon as the thermometer crawls over 37 degrees, you start taking antipyretic drugs? And in vain – an increase in temperature, paradoxically, is a good sign. This means that the body has a healthy immune system. This is how the body protects itself: the high temperature is unpleasant not only for us, it also destroys viruses.

If your temperature rises, drink as much warm mineral water as possible, blackcurrant fruit juice, cranberries, lingonberries, and raspberry tea. Heavy drinking increases perspiration, which in turn removes toxins and ultimately lowers temperature. Antipyretic drugs should be taken if the temperature has risen above 38,5–39 degrees. This temperature already puts a strain on the heart, and it needs to be knocked down. It is necessary to deal with temperature even if you can’t tolerate even the slightest increase in it: you begin to feel nauseous or vomit.

2. A sore throat will be cured with lemon and kerosene, and a runny nose – with onions and garlic

Do you think that if earlier in the villages all diseases were treated with kerosene, then now it will help a lot? Such folk remedies not only do not benefit, but also bring harm. With pharyngitis or angina, it is strictly contraindicated to lubricate the throat with kerosene: kerosene fumes cause a burn of the respiratory tract. In general, trying to lubricate the throat with something at home is very dangerous: a tampon with a “medicine” can come off the stick and clog the larynx or bronchus, causing suffocation.

Also, oddly enough, you can’t drink hot tea with lemon. Hot, sour, spicy, salty and strong drinks irritate the inflamed mucous membrane and cause aggravation. So warm vodka with pepper is not an option either. If you have a runny nose, do not pour the juice of garlic, onion or aloe with honey into your nose. This will only lead to a burn of the mucous membrane, and will not give a therapeutic effect.

For gargling, infusions of herbs or soda dissolved in warm water are well suited. 1-2 drops of iodine can be added to a glass of soda solution. And cut the garlic into slices and arrange around the apartment.

3. Honey can be eaten in unlimited quantities, it is most useful with tea

There are not as many vitamins in honey as is commonly thought. It is a really great source of energy for the body. However, it is only slightly less nutritious than sugar. 100 g of sugar contains 390 kcal, and 100 g of honey contains 330 kcal. Therefore, you cannot eat a lot of honey, especially for diabetics. It is not recommended for allergy sufferers either. We used to drink tea with honey. But at temperatures above 60 degrees, all nutrients, enzymes, vitamins are destroyed in it, it simply turns into water, glucose and sugar. Don’t put honey in hot tea, eat honey only with warm or cold drinks. The consumption rate is 60-80 g per day, and this is provided that you no longer lean on any other sweets.

4. Low back pain will take a hot bath or heating pad

In no case should you put a hot heating pad or climb into a hot bath when for some reason you have a sore back or stomach. Hot warmers and baths are contraindicated in many gynecological ailments, diseases of the cardiovascular system and vessels of the lower extremities, pyelonephritis, acute cholecystitis, acute pancreatitis, acute appendicitis, exacerbation of osteochondrosis. Water procedures can provoke a severe and dangerous exacerbation.

Lower back pain can be masked by a more serious problem – see your doctor. A hot bath or heating pad is actually a powerful pain reliever, such as for kidney stones or ureter stones. But you must be absolutely sure that the pain is caused by this particular problem.

5. Banks will save from bronchitis and pneumonia 

It used to be that banks stimulate blood circulation, cause a rush of blood to diseased organs, renew cells, improve metabolism, promote rapid absorption of foci of inflammation, and bruises at the banks of cans increase the body’s defenses. Ardent adherents of such treatment put banks not only for bronchitis and pneumonia, but also for pain in the lower back, back, joints and even the head. More than ten years ago, American scientists, and after them, ours recognized that cans do more harm than good. According to their studies, bruising appears not only on the skin of the back, but also on the pleura, and this weakens the activity of the bronchi and lungs. Moreover, the infection not only does not stop, but, on the contrary, spreads even more throughout the body: for example, with bronchitis, bacteria from the bronchi make their way to the lungs. And it’s absolutely dangerous to put cans in pneumonia. They can provoke pneumothorax, that is, rupture of the lung tissue.

6. Immunostimulating drugs will perfectly protect against colds and viruses.

In the season of colds, some have made it a rule to swallow herbal immunostimulants for preventive purposes, and to drink a course of chemical preparations in case of illness. A chemical immunomodulator is a potent remedy suitable for emergencies and should be prescribed by a physician. Even herbal remedies, such as those based on echinacea, seriously affect the immune system and should be monitored. Otherwise, the cunning organism will get used to outside help and will forget how to independently activate the immune system.

7. Having a cold or flu, you do not have to visit a doctor

Of course, having some experience, you can draw up a treatment regimen yourself, especially since buying drugs at a pharmacy without a prescription is easy. But no one can independently assess the state of their health, which means they can decide whether or not to take antiviral drugs or antibiotics. The doctor makes an examination and monitors the development of the disease. This is very important, because the main danger of influenza is precisely that it can cause serious complications: otitis media, sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia and other diseases. Just now a strong virus is wandering, which leads to a long illness.