Myths About The Common Cold You Probably Believe

Now that winter is finally here and in full swing, so is cold and flu season. You know what that means, right? It’s time to start carrying around your Purell and tissues, eating oranges with every meal, avoid kissing anyone, and eating tons of chicken noodle soup (preferably the kind homemade by dear old mom). Err..wait, do we even know if half of these myths about the common cold are true?

Thanks to this super informative Buzzfeed video, we’re learning things about the common cold we’ve never known. It turns out, many of the common cold cures and prevention tips that we’ve been swearing by all our lives are nothing but myths. Myths. Seriously? Who knew that guzzling orange juice and Vitamin C actually doesn’t do anything to help prevent or cure your cold. SO basically for years I’ve been holding my nose and chugging orange juice (I hate orange juice..pulp freaks me out and the no-pulp kind tastes fake) for nothing. Another myth is that smooching and sharing drinks spreads the cold rapidly. LIES! It’s 8,000 times harder to spread the cold through swapping spit than many other routes. So go ahead ladies and gents, smooch away!

The one home remedy for the common cold that has been proven to work, however, is eating chicken soup by the bowlful. Chicken broth actually helps clear your sinuses and rid your body of mucus better than many other liquids, so keep eating your chicken soup, kids! This may help, but not even the best chicken soup will cure the common cold. As much as I hate to say it, the only true cure for the common cold is time and patience. Next time you feel a cold coming on, hop into bed with a book, some movies, and some chicken soup!

How many myths did you believe?