Is it possible to starve a cold

Fever dehydrates the body, in part through increased sweating from the elevated temperature. Vomiting and diarrhea, two common symptoms of the flu, also quickly dehydrate the body. Dehydration makes the mucus in the nose, throat, and lungs dry up, which can lead to clogged sinuses and respiratory tubes. Replacing fluids is critical to helping the body battle the virus. Water works just fine, as do fruit juices and electrolyte beverages.

If you feel nauseated, try taking small sips of liquids, as gulps might cause you to throw up. However, you should avoid coffee, caffeinated sodas, and alcohol, because caffeine and alcohol both contribute to dehydration. And while nothing can cure a cold or the flu, some remedies can ease your symptoms and keep you from feeling so miserable. For starters, frequent hand washing is one of the best things you can do to avoid catching whatever bugs might be going around.

The key to making it count is using lots of soapy water and scrubbing for at least 20 seconds. If you're in a public restroom, use a paper towel instead of your bare hand when you touch the door handle. At home, you should regularly disinfect doorknobs with Lysol spray or disinfectant wipes. And don't forget about your germy computer keyboard and mobile phone. It's a good idea to regularly run a disinfectant wipe over those keys and your phone. Taking in warm liquids such as chicken soup, hot tea with lemon or honey , or warm apple juice can be soothing and the warm vapor rising from the bowl or cup can ease congestion by increasing mucus flow.

Chicken soup is everyone's favorite, but it's not a miracle cure. It does provide needed calories and salt, as well as some nutritional benefits. Chicken soup is also generally easy on the stomach. Gargling with salt water helps get rid of the thick mucus that can collect at the back of the throat, especially after you've been lying down.

It can also help ease stuffy ears. Please note that children younger than 6 years old will be unlikely to be able to gargle properly. See hospital and staff awards. Winchester Hospital was the first community hospital in the state to achieve Magnet designation, recognition for nursing excellence.

Learn why. Our tremendous staff gives back to our community by coordinating free health screenings, educational programs, and food drives. Learn more. A leading indicator of our success is the feedback we get from our patients. Whichever it was, is there truth any truth to these kindly admonishments? The idea of feeding a cold and starving a fever most likely originated during the Middle Ages when people believed that there were two kinds of illnesses.

Illnesses caused by high temperatures, such as a fever, needed to be cooled down, so refraining from eating was thought to deprive the furnace of energy. Most doctors today reject this idea. Recently, however, a Dutch research team conducted a small, preliminary study that provides some indirect support for the old myth.

Researchers asked six healthy male participants to fast overnight before providing them with a meal on one occasion and just water on another occasion. While these are intriguing findings, they say little about how a person suffering from a cold or a fever can expect to actually feel when fed or starved. Although the study was small and inconclusive, the idea that food consumption may have a short-lived effect on the immune system is a new one, as previous studies have focused on more long-term effects.

An infection—particularly one associated with fevers— is no time to deny your body the nutrients and fluids it needs. Like any bodily system, the immune system requires energy to function properly. To provide an extreme example, severe malnutrition is the major risk factor for life-threatening consequences of serious infections in less developed countries. And, drinking fluids helps counter the dehydration caused by sweating and mucus production.

Colds and flu are caused by viruses, for which there is no cure. The best you can hope to do is support your immune system as it struggles to prevail. Fever or no, starving yourself is no way to show your support. Clarke T. Annie Appleseed Project website. Good nutrition and calories provide this energy. Moyad says. Again, the answer is no. One classic University of Nebraska Medical Center study published in the journal Chest suggests that traditional chicken soup made with vegetables contains many beneficial substances that help ease inflammation and other cold and flu symptoms.

And even earlier research in Chest found that eating hot chicken soup made it easier to blow germ-carrying mucus out of your nose. More importantly, soup is hydrating, and taking in lots of water, juices, or broth is crucial for preventing dehydration when you have a fever , says Soma Mandal, MD , an internist with the Summit Medical Group in New Jersey.