Blow your nose (don’t)!
‘Put on something warm, otherwise you’ll catch a cold’. Well-intentioned advice, only colds and flu are not caused by cold but by viruses. Another myth is that you should blow your nose. What is true of the many other folk wisdoms about resistance, flu and colds?
Vitamin pills increase your resistance
Various vitamins, including vitamins A, B6, E and C, play a role in maintaining the immune system. The same applies to trace elements such as zinc and selenium. Those who eat a healthy and varied diet will get enough of these substances. Swallowing vitamin pills probably does not help a healthy adult person much.
Small children, the elderly, pregnant women and the chronically ill can benefit from some extra vitamins. What is in any case a myth is that you can protect yourself by taking antibiotics. That is really completely pointless. They only help against bacterial infections, while flu and colds are spread by viruses.
You can’t pick your nose
Blowing your nose is better than blowing your nose. The virus that causes a cold multiplies in your nasal mucosa. By blowing your nose, you put a lot of pressure on that mucus and squeeze it into the various cavities in your head. The result: an increased risk of sinus, sinus or even ear infections.
If you turn your nose up, you are actually sucking the mucus (and therefore the viruses) out of your head cavities. Less pleasant for your environment perhaps, but better for yourself. If you prefer to blow your nose, do it nostril by nostril. Then the overpressure in your nose, and therefore the ‘press effect’, is a lot less.
Nasal drops can’t hurt
Nasal drops make the nasal mucosa shrink and ensure that you can breathe freely again. This effect is caused by the substance Xylometazoline.
The disadvantage of this product is that if you use it for too long, your nasal mucosa will swell even more as soon as the substance has worn off. To get some air again, reach for your nasal drops or nasal spray again and before you know it you won’t be able to do without it. You get ‘addicted’ to it, as it were.
The advice is not to use nasal drops for more than seven days. You can also opt for a physiological saline solution. They also help and do not have this side effect. Steaming with chamomile is another good alternative.
Put your hand over your mouth when you sneeze
Many viruses spread through the air. When coughing, sneezing or talking, tiny droplets containing the virus come out of your nose or throat and if someone else inhales them, they can become infected. Keeping your hand over your mouth when sneezing or coughing is therefore certainly a good thing.
However, keep in mind that all those sneezed viruses are now on your hand and a few of them are enough to infect someone. So if you then give someone a hand and rub it thoughtlessly over his mouth, he will soon be the loser too. So it is not only important to keep your hand in front of your mouth, but also to wash it well afterwards.
You won’t get the flu after a flu shot
A flu vaccine protects against about 80 percent of the flu viruses that are active. So it doesn’t help against every flu virus. In addition, new flu viruses are constantly emerging. Because the vaccine is only adjusted once a year, it offers no protection against the ‘latest’ variants.
If you think that with a simple shot you will be guaranteed flu-free this winter, you are wrong. You have less chance of getting the flu after such a vaccination. And often the flu is less severe if it does catch you.
Don’t get caught up in the draft
Many people think that you literally catch a cold from a draft or winter cold, but that is not true. A cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. That has nothing to do with low temperatures, but with too low a resistance. Cold viruses then have free rein and before you know it you will be sniffing and coughing.
Fever must be suppressed immediately
Fever is a signal that your body is fighting against pathogens. So it’s actually a good sign. Suppressing a fever is usually of little use. There is even a danger that you will feel pretty good again and start walking around happily, while it is actually better to stay in your bed. Then your body can at least put all its energy into the ‘war’ against the virus and you will be completely better sooner.
In infants and the elderly, fever requires extra attention because of the risk of dehydration. It is also wise to consult a doctor in the case of chronically ill patients. In other cases, this is usually not necessary. Only when the fever rises to above forty degrees or lasts longer than five days, it is wise to consult your doctor.