Top 10 cold myths

The most common myths about a cold usually sound like this: drafts, cold wind, wrong clothes – these are the main reasons for the development of SARS. In addition, many of us seriously believe that it is possible to get a cold only once a season, and in order for a cold not to turn into the flu, it is necessary to drink antibacterial drugs in handfuls, so to speak, for prevention. It’s time to dispel all these prejudices unsupported by scientific facts!

We present the top 10 most popular misconceptions about the common cold, because of which you can not only aggravate the course of the disease, but also get a “pack” of complications.

10 Colds can’t be cured

On average, the main symptoms of SARS in a sick person last about 3 days, but if you rely on the fact that the body will overcome the disease on its own, then you can increase the period of the disease to a month or even worse – provoke the occurrence of complications. If symptoms such as shortness of breath or difficulty breathing appear, then this is a real reason for urgent medical attention.

9. When you have a cold, you just need to lie down

Lying in bed for a long time can lead to the development of congestion in the respiratory system and in the limbs. Undoubtedly, during the illness one must adhere to a certain moderation in the matter of physical activity, but it is not necessary to completely turn into an immovable body until the last symptom disappears.

8. You can get rid of a cold in just a day

There is a category of people who sincerely believe that if you drink a shock dose of medicines, you can overcome a cold in just one day. And this is a rather dangerous misconception. Any organism in which the ill-fated ARVI virus has settled needs time to recover. If the patient is stuffed with strong enough drugs with a number of side effects that only reduce the severity of symptoms, then a serious burden on his cardiovascular system can be created. The result of such treatment can be significantly worsened health. In addition, if you exceed the dose of such a harmless drug as paracetamol, you can provoke liver failure in yourself.

7. Colds sometimes turn into flus

Colds and flu occur as a result of human infection with different types of viruses, so the first ailment cannot progress to the second.

When a person first becomes ill, he cannot always see the difference in the main manifestations of these two diseases. You can understand that you are sick with a cold, and not the flu, as follows. First, a cold begins to manifest itself gradually. Its hallmark is a gradual increase in symptoms, such as sore throat, runny nose, fever. Influenza, on the contrary, starts rapidly and is manifested by severe symptoms. Secondly, sneezing is a hallmark of a cold. When infected with the flu, this symptom will not occur.

6. Needs to be healed to the end

Residual cough and runny nose can take place for a maximum of a month, so you should not wait until absolutely all the symptoms of a cold go away. If you rate your health as satisfactory, then you may well return to a normal lifestyle.

5. Colds can be cured with antibiotics

Antibiotics are designed to fight bacteria. Against viruses that have a slightly different structure, they are powerless. In addition, the use of such drugs for ARVI will not only benefit, but also cause harm: the manifestations of a cold will not disappear, and the pathogen will remain in your body.

Remember! You can not take antibacterial drugs “at random” without a doctor’s recommendation. The result of such experiments with health will be just the opposite: you will harm your immunity, thereby weakening your body, and giving the “green light” to the virus. In addition, with the frequent use of antibiotics, the risk increases that they will not really help at the right time, as the bacteria will simply become immune to them.

4. A cold is not a reason to go on sick leave

Many of us, especially residents of the countries of the post-Soviet space, have made it a habit to stoically experience the acute period of SARS, as they say, “on our feet”, without leaving our workplace. Some even sincerely believe that if you do not recognize the fact that you have a cold, then the disease will recede much faster. In reality, the process of recovery in this case only drags on and becomes more complicated.

The most correct decision in this situation would be to take sick leave for at least the first 1-2 days, and after that you can already return to your job duties. In addition, appearing at work in an unhealthy form, a cold person poses a threat to his colleagues, so staying at home the most acute moment of a cold is not his privileged right, but a sacred duty.

3. If you appear on the street with a wet head, you will definitely get sick

This is a very common misconception and is completely untrue. Remember, there are only 3 mechanisms of infection with a viral infection: airborne, airborne and household. However, hypothermia can “knock down” your own immune system, thereby making the body more susceptible to pathogens. Therefore, nevertheless, you should not once again test your immunity for strength, risking your health.

2. Hypothermia provokes a cold

The main opportunity to “catch” a cold is to “let in” a virus into your body. And he absolutely does not care whether you are warmly dressed or not. Therefore, all these slanders that people have been pointing to the wind and drafts for centuries have no scientific justification.

If you decide that you must definitely get ARVI after you had to freeze, then you should know that these are unfounded speculations that have nothing to do with reality. The only thing that a cold wind can affect is the degree of moisture in your mucous membranes. If they are too dry, then it will be much easier for the pathogen to penetrate the human body.

1. You can get SARS only once a season

This statement is both true and false at the same time. On the one hand, the human body is able to develop immune protection against the type of virus that a person has already had time to get sick, so in this case, the likelihood that he will again become infected with the same virus is reduced to zero.

However, it should be borne in mind that science knows about two hundred types of ARVI pathogens, so having had a cold once provoked by a certain type of pathogenic microflora, do not think that now you are protected from other forms of pathogenic agents.