Avera Medical Minute: Cold and flu remedies

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - When you’re sick, you want to feel better as quickly as possible. Some people might turn to common sick-day remedies for fast relief, but do they actually work?

In this Avera Medical Minute, Dr. Ethan Leif, an Avera family medicine physician, explains what can help ease your symptoms.

There are a variety of home remedies to turn to when you’re sick. Can eating soup or drinking warm liquids help you feel better?

“First of all it keeps you hydrated and then second of all the saltiness of the broth can help you retain your water as well, help you hold onto your liquids, just because you are losing water every single day and if you’re not staying hydrated it can worsen your symptoms of dehydration and make your symptoms feel worse,” Dr. Leif explained.

What about taking a hot shower?

“Taking a hot shower could be beneficial in regard to the symptoms that you’re feeling, it helps open up your nasal passageways and can help thin the secretions that you are experiencing to help clear some things out as well,” said Dr. Leif.

Vitamin C helps support your immune system, so can it help if you’re already sick?

“Unfortunately, vitamin C at the initiation of a cold doesn’t provide much benefit, but if you commit to taking it every single day prior to a cold, we do have good data that tells us it may cause milder symptoms of your cold and shorten the duration of your cold,” said Dr. Leif.

Does gargling saltwater have any benefits?

“The salt is able to draw out the inflammation that is happening at the back of your throat, and then the warm and saltwater kind of wash away the irritants that you have, so once again it can provide some symptomatic relief,” said Dr. Leif.

So, do home remedies actually work?

“Home remedies definitely help from a symptomatic standpoint,” said Dr. Leif. “Are they going to cure your cold or flu? Not necessarily, but they are definitely going to help with your symptoms that you have.”

Overall, it’s important to rest, get plenty of sleep, and not overdo it to help your body recover.

For more information, go to avera.org/medicalminute.