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Monday, November 02, 2009
Grandma's cold remedies pass the test
By Robin Erb
McClatchy Newspapers
While nothing stops a cold in its tracks, some of Grandma's remedies really do have the power to make you feel better.
Doctors say tricks that Grandma brought from the old country or something Mom concocted in the kitchen may make that long slog to recovery a bit easier.
"For the most part, these home remedies are out there because, on the medical side, your doctor doesn't have a cure in a back pocket," says Dr. Brent Bauer, who evaluates alternative medicine therapies for the Mayo Clinic.
Researchers continue to sort out various folk remedies, creating a so-called teeter-totter of conflicting research, so discuss concerns with a health professional, he and others say.
Beyond rest and hydration, doctors say these home remedies could work for you.
CHICKEN SOUP: In 1993, a University of Nebraska at Omaha researcher took his wife's chicken soup to the lab to see if he could find a scientific link to why it seemed to make sick relatives feel better.
He found the mixture slowed the movement of white blood cells in lab samples and theorized that it reduced the activity in the respiratory system that was causing symptoms.
Sure, Dr. Stephen Rennard is the first to acknowledge the limits of his soup study and the "very modest" impact it had on the cells. And doctors suggested the steam has more to do with unclogging passages.
If you want to believe in the power of your Grandma's chicken soup, "well, our research does support that," Rennard says.
NETI POTS: Sure, it's gross. The doctors will tell you that — just before they tell you it's one of the best ways to clear out a stuffed nose.
Dr. Richard Weiermiller of Royal Oak, Mich., treated a suspected sinus infection last year by streaming a saline solution through his nostrils three times a day. He believes it saved him from having to turn to antibiotics.
GINGER ALE: There is no proof that the cool, fizzy liquid settles a belly made jittery by a flu or cold virus. While studies suggest ginger may reduce nausea, ginger ale has only the tiniest amounts.
ATTITUDE: Deborah Sampson, a nurse practitioner and assistant professor at the University of Michigan, says attitude is everything.
"A positive attitude has a significant effect on our ability to heal our bodies," she says.
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