Due to the wave of flu, pharmacists are facing shortages of cough syrups, throat lozenges and painkillers, and some medicines are temporarily unavailable. Do you really need such medicines if you fall ill? How useful is it to fill your apothecary cabinet with this? Or are you also concerned with home garden and kitchen remedies? We asked Eva Lems, lecturer-researcher Biology Food & Health.
Drinks with thyme, pastilles against the cough, drops to add to the water during steaming: the shelves are usually full of them. Not everything is necessary and useful, says Professor Eva Lems of Aeres Hogeschool Almere.
Nasal spray for starters: homemade saline solution works almost as well. “The nasal spray from the shop contains the substance xylometazoline. That works a little better, but is therefore also intense and you can only use it for a week. The spray squeezes blood vessels in the nasal mucosa, making your nose wider. This allows you to breathe better after spraying.”
Good to know: “Not all nasal sprays in the store contain xylometazoline, there are also other types or saline solutions. They are cheaper.” Salt also dissolves the mucus. “Put a teaspoon of salt in a lemonade glass of lukewarm water. It is then best to pour it into a bottle with a pipette.”
there are quite a few drops and capsules on the market that you can add to the water, with eucalyptus for example. But that doesn’t help.
Drops when steaming ‘a waste of money’
Steaming also helps to dissolve the mucus. You do this by taking a shower, or leaning over a bowl of hot water with a cloth over your head. “There are quite a few drops and capsules on the market that you can add to the water, with eucalyptus for example. But that doesn’t help, so it’s a waste of money. It gives a nice smell, which is nice, but you don’t have to expect more from it.”
Cough syrup ‘not necessary’
“Cough drops are also not necessary,” says Lems. “Tea with honey, or a spoonful of pure honey, is just as soothing. Like sucking on a licorice. It’s about the moist, the viscous. That relieves the complaints.”
Throat lozenges from an expensive brand are also a waste of money, she thinks. “A bag of cheap licorice is just as good.” If you have a bad cough, your doctor can prescribe codeine tablets. “But that has side effects, so it is not always prescribed. In the case of the flu, for example, it will usually not be necessary.”
Fruit juice not so helpful
What helps with a cough and also with a fever: “Drink a lot, tea or water. No soda. Drinking a lot of fruit juice for the vitamin C can feel healthy, but you’ve already caught the flu, so that doesn’t make much sense. And it also contains a lot of sugar, just like soft drinks.”
You may fall asleep after drinking a grog, but the alcohol also makes you sleep lighter. And you can’t sweat the flu out or anything.
And a grog? Is that drink with alcohol (often rum), hot water, sugar, lemon and spices useful? “I don’t think so, especially if you drink it before bed. Maybe you fall asleep because of the alcohol, but alcohol also makes you sleep lighter. And you can’t sweat the flu out or anything, it just takes time.”
Chicken soup is not a panacea
Chicken soup is also often on the list of home garden and kitchen remedies. In an earlier article, science expert Martijn Peters said that you should not expect miracles from this. “Maybe it could make for some milder symptoms, but the evidence is rather limited. Soup does have many other benefits.”
Paracetamol can help
What you could get at the drugstore is paracetamol. “That helps with pain. It does not speed up healing. Taking it before going to sleep is especially useful if you suffer from (head) pain. Do not take too much as it is not good to become dependent on it. It also doesn’t help with an overall lame feeling. Lying in your bed and watching a series is better for that.”
When does a fever become dangerous? And what can you do about it? Professor explains: “Don’t reach for antipyretics too quickly” (+)
Is turmeric really such a miracle cure for health as claimed? Experts warn: “Be careful with dietary supplements”
Many people have stomach flu symptoms. How do you prevent the disease? “There are indications that the virus even spreads through the toilet” (+)
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