Boys get sick more often than girls
However, here we are talking about teenagers, and these are not really children anymore. Firstly, the average body temperature of the stronger sex is lower than that of girls. If the thermometer shows 37, then a man feels about the same as a woman at 37.5. With a sharp drop in temperature, boys often complain of weakness. This is due to the fact that during the illness, the activity of the sweat glands increases twice.
The girl is an expectant mother, so nature has tried and rewarded her with a strong immune system. The number of lymphocytes that fight pathogenic microorganisms in women’s blood will be greater than in men, which means that the disease will recede earlier.
It is more difficult to force boys to observe bed rest, and it is more difficult to force a teenager to see a doctor in time. But ARVI cannot be started, otherwise serious complications will arise in the form of bronchitis, pneumonia, etc.
Breast milk does not save you from the virus
In popular articles about medicine, there is a statement that an infant who is breastfed is less ill than his peer who receives artificial mixtures. In the first case, babies receive maternal antibodies with milk, but they will act against those pathogens that the mother encountered. Do not forget that there are a lot of viruses, they mutate, change the structure of surface proteins with which antibodies bind. Breast milk is the best nutrition for a baby, but not a panacea for colds and flu.
You can eat ice cream
Professor Ron Eccles in 2013 published a sensational report in which he stated that there is no connection between respiratory infections and cooling. «Don’t eat ice cream — you’ll get sick,» is an erroneous statement of all parents who frighten children in this way.
Yes, one of the early signs of SARS is a sore throat. Infected lymphoid tissue in the nasopharynx is located far away, it is unrealistic to cool it with ice cream. At the same time, the cells of the oral cavity and esophagus do not have the receptors necessary for the penetration of the virus, so they are not susceptible to the pathogens of SARS.
Vitamin C does not cure colds
An ode to vitamin C in the treatment of colds and acute respiratory infections was sung by Nobel laureate Linus Pauling. Given the cosmic authority of the chemist, they were simply afraid to argue with him. Well, modern researchers have proved that a sufficient amount of vitamins, minerals and trace elements really serve the immune system well, but they cannot fight viruses in any way. If you have already caught an infection, then no matter how much vitamin C you take, it will not help to cope with SARS faster.
Bed rest can do harm
Prolonged stay in bed can lead to congestion in the bronchopulmonary system. This is not just undesirable, but dangerous — bronchitis, pneumonia and other unpleasant consequences. Of course, it is not necessary to drag the child to the gym or to the sports section immediately after the sick leave. But walking in the fresh air, morning exercises — they should not be ignored, they will only benefit.
Drafts can really be dangerous
The common cold is a collective unofficial name for a variety of acute respiratory diseases affecting the upper respiratory tract. But, contrary to the opinion often encountered, colds are caused not by hypothermia, but by viruses or bacteria. They are transmitted by airborne droplets.
It would seem that drafts have nothing to do with it. But here the grandmother was still right: hypothermia can weaken the immune system, then the body will be more susceptible to infections. Therefore, it is still worth avoiding drafts. And also — how to dry your hair before going outside.
It is possible to be contagious without temperature
Elevated temperature is not accompanied by every acute respiratory infection. It should be remembered that in addition to temperature, there are other manifestations of acute respiratory infection:
cough,
mucous discharge from the nose,
sneezing,
redness of the conjunctiva of the eyes, etc.
A person with such symptoms is contagious to others, even if he has a normal temperature. Yes, and the baby too. In addition, it has been proven that with a number of viral infections, a person becomes contagious to others 1-2 days before he has any symptoms of the disease.
It is impossible to wipe the child with alcohol or vinegar
Another grandmother’s method of knocking down the temperature: wipe the child with a swab soaked in vinegar solution or diluted alcohol. After all, liquids are cooled due to rapid evaporation from the skin, but at the same time they give an unpleasant side effect — because they have a toxic effect.
To reduce the temperature, ordinary water at room temperature is enough, the emphasis should be placed (when wiping) on the armpits, elbow bends, popliteal pits, temporal areas, abdominal area.
