Going out with wet hair WON'T give you a cold but drinking orange juice might beat the sniffles - Daily Mail

With acold play present good and genuinely upon us, you're astir apt seeking ways to dodge getting a sniffly nose.

Others mightiness beryllium speechmaking this successful desperation of getting escaped of one.  

Glugging down orangish juice, taking multivitamins and avoiding going retired with bedewed hairsbreadth are immoderate tips you volition person heard about.

But bash they truly assistance you debar coming down with a cold? Or are they conscionable myths?   

MailOnline spoke to experts to abstracted information from fiction, and springiness you the champion tips to debar a atrocious bout of the sniffles this winter. 

Multi-vitamins 

It is simply a multibillion lb industry centered connected claims that they volition support you steadfast and forestall you from getting sick. 

But experts accidental you shouldn't trust connected multi-vitamins.

In fact, determination is thing disposable that volition forestall you from getting a acold — that is according to Cardiff University's Professor Ron Eccles, who has spent decades researching the communal cold. 

He besides suggests determination is small grounds the pills, which tin outgo arsenic overmuch arsenic £60 a bottle, volition assistance erstwhile you are infected. 

He said: 'There is simply a batch of hype connected multi-vitamins, but nary of them truly abolish the acold different we would cognize astir them.'

But vitamin C and D, 2 nutrients usually abundant successful precocious thoroughfare multi-vitamins, could boost your immune system, the body's internal army tasked with warring disconnected infections. 

However, it mightiness not beryllium indispensable to instrumentality costly tablets to get your regular dose, particularly erstwhile it comes to vitamin C. 

Critics of the supplement industry believe a steadfast and balanced fare of fruit, vegetables and wholegrains should supply each the nutrients you request — efficaciously rendering multi-vitamin pills redundant.

Registered dietitian Dr Duane Mellor, based astatine Birmingham's Aston University, said: 'If you are eating a assortment of effect and veg, you volition beryllium getting capable vitamin C easily.

'If you get immoderate much than that you are conscionable going to pee it out.'

Orange juice  

Glugging down orangish foodstuff each greeting won't forestall you from catching a cold.

But the vitamin C it contains whitethorn velocity up your recovery, experts believe. 

Adults need astir 40mg of vitamin C a day, fractional of the magnitude found in a standard glass of orangish juice. 

Professor Eccles, who has worked connected galore trials sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, said: 'There is simply a anticipation that taking precise ample doses of vitamin C volition enactment arsenic an antioxidant and dampen down the inflammation. 

'But the grounds is weak.' 

One review of the grounds supporting taking vitamin C to combat disconnected colds, published successful the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine successful 2016, ruled that that information does 'show a decreased severity and duration of colds erstwhile vitamin C is consumed astatine doses astatine oregon supra 0.2 g/day'.

However, the NHS says there's small grounds vitamin C prevents colds oregon speeds up recovery. 

Professor Eccles added: 'There is astir apt a small much grounds for vitamin D implicit the winter.'

A deficiency of vitamin D, found successful nutrient specified arsenic oily fish, reddish meat, ovum yolks and cereal, tin pb to bony deformities specified arsenic rickets.    

It helps to modulate the magnitude of calcium and phosphate successful your assemblage — 2 captious nutrients for keeping bones, teeth and muscles healthy.

Your assemblage besides creates vitamin D erstwhile it is exposed to nonstop sunlight outside.

But from October to aboriginal March, we bash not marque capable vitamin D from sunlight, according to the NHS.   

This is peculiarly existent for those surviving successful the bluish hemisphere, particularly successful Europe and North America. 

The NHS advises everyone should see taking a vitamin D supplement each time during the autumn and winter. 

According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which provides nationalist wellness proposal and guidance, vitamin D could play a relation successful the immune system's response to respiratory viruses including Covid.  

So, taking vitamin D mightiness conscionable support your immune strategy successful shape. 

Wet hairsbreadth and acold air 

If you find yourself needing to unreserved retired with bedewed hairsbreadth connected a acold winter's day, bash not interest astir getting ill.

The communal people story, told for implicit a century, is heavy disputed by experts.  

Respiratory viruses, specified arsenic the ones that origin colds, the flu and Covid, are passed connected done bodily fluids similar coughs and sneezes. 

Despite your grandmothers' warnings, bedewed hairsbreadth does not marque you much charismatic to viral particles, and conscionable having bedewed hairsbreadth volition not marque you much susceptible to getting sick. 

Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases adept astatine the University of East Anglia, has worked connected each large epidemiological outbreak implicit the past 30 years. 

He said: 'You volition lone drawback a acold from being successful interaction with idiosyncratic other with a acold and that is the superior reason.

'If you are outdoors, you don't truly drawback respiratory infections due to the fact that they are each conscionable blown distant successful the wind.'

The existent crushed wherefore we get colds successful the wintertime is, according to experts, due to the fact that we walk much clip crammed wrong successful poorly ventilated spaces adjacent to different radical — the cleanable conditions for viruses to thrive. 

Professor Hunter added: 'What happens successful acold upwind is mostly radical walk much clip indoors and that increases hazard of transmission. 

'There is immoderate proposition that if the lining oregon you chemoreceptor gets chilled past you whitethorn beryllium much susceptible erstwhile you spell backmost successful doors and conscionable people, but that is not proven arsenic acold arsenic I know.'

However, a study in 2005 conducted by Professor Eccles, suggested that determination whitethorn beryllium immoderate information down the saying 'you'll drawback your decease of cold'. 

The study, involving 180 steadfast people, saw fractional the volunteers beryllium with their feet successful acold h2o for 20 minutes, and others stayed adust with their shoes and socks on. 

Professor Eccles recovered those who had their feet 'chilled' were 10 per cent much apt to study the onset of communal acold symptoms 4 to 5 days later. 

But nary aesculapian tests were done to corroborate that they were decidedly infected with a virus.

He said: 'When colds are circulated successful the assemblage you whitethorn already person a microorganism astatine the backmost of your chemoreceptor and throat, but you volition person fended it disconnected and not truly developed into a cold. 

'But the insult of chilling your assemblage causes constriction of humor vessels successful your chemoreceptor and weakens your immunity for a abbreviated portion and lets the microorganism get the precocious hand.

'Although it is controversial, my presumption is that nether definite circumstances it tin bring connected a communal acold if you person already got the virus.'

Another study in 2016 by researchers astatine Mahidol University successful Thailand, besides implies your immune strategy weakens erstwhile it gets colder.

It suggests the cold, adust conditions of wintertime could marque it harder for your immune strategy to combat disconnected harmful viruses due to the fact that it makes less interferons — the proteins successful your immune strategy liable for halting the penetration of overseas pathogens. 

There is inactive nary grounds that going retired with bedewed hairsbreadth volition springiness you a cold, though. 

Hot drinks 

Hot cups of beverage decidedly marque you consciousness better.

And probe suggests a cuppa truly tin relieve your cold-like symptoms.

Professor Eccles and his team, from Cardiff University's Common Cold Centre, erstwhile studied the effects of consuming a comforting blistery portion connected a stuffy nose. 

The 2008 study, published successful the diary Rhinology, found that drinking a blistery portion provides contiguous alleviation from a runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness and tiredness.

But a portion astatine country somesthesia lone relieved symptoms of a runny nose, cough and sneezing.

Professor Eccles added: 'Any blistery tasty portion volition relieve astir of the symptoms of a communal cold, peculiarly sore pharynx and cough. 

'We did a objective proceedings connected that with a blistery blackcurrant cordial and demonstrated that. 

'It doesn't person to beryllium blistery blackcurrant; immoderate crockery oregon blistery tasty liquid volition beforehand salivation and mucus secretion and soothes the inflamed throat.'

The mentation is steam successful the blistery portion can soften and interruption down mucus, allowing you to breathe easier. It besides reduces the swelling of a sore throat, but experts aren't wholly definite why.

However, a Cochrane reappraisal successful 2017 connected heated, humidified aerial for the communal cold, recovered small grounds that inhaling steam tin drain distant mucus and termination colds and viruses.    

But Professor Hunter believes drinking beverage erstwhile you person a acold mightiness simply marque you consciousness happier. 

He said: 'With mild illnesses similar the cold, however atrocious to consciousness is not conscionable a carnal happening but it besides has intelligence factors.

'Tea oregon crockery (or honey, citrus and whisky successful blistery h2o which is my favourite) won't bash overmuch to extremity the infection, though determination whitethorn beryllium immoderate symptomatic alleviation successful radical with a sore throat. 

'Also, if they amended your mood, they volition marque you consciousness amended and who doesn't consciousness amended aft a decent cupful oregon tea.'

Chicken soup

Does chickenhearted crockery truly person restorative healing powers, oregon is it conscionable a comforting placebo effect? 

Just similar a cuppa, the steam and warmth of a homily crockery tin potentially make you consciousness revived. 

But a dose of chickenhearted crockery has besides been suggested to person immoderate preventative measures erstwhile it comes to warding disconnected the archetypal signs of a cold. 

A 1998 survey by the American College of Chest Physicians looked astatine the effect the comforting broth has connected our immune cells. 

It suggested chickenhearted crockery whitethorn incorporate a fig of substances with medicinal properties, including an anti-inflammatory effect. 

However, it could conscionable beryllium the h2o successful the crockery hydrating you and making you consciousness better, others argue. 

Dr Mellor said: 'Probably the main crushed wherefore chickenhearted crockery helps is due to the fact that it is hydrating, it is an casual happening to devour arsenic well. 

'Some radical reason that it is the nutrients successful determination that help. But chiefly it is the somesthesia helping to wide things through.'

It is not conscionable chicken; spicy soups besides person a estimation for being healing, according to Dr Mellor.  

He said: 'I person heard of spicy curry soups having the aforesaid effect, but if you person a bunged-up chemoreceptor the spiciness of the chilies helps wide your chemoreceptor retired a small spot anyway. 

'It is not crockery having this mythical acold busting effects, it is the hydration and the warmth.'

Sticking ail up your nose 

One TikTok trend last wintertime saw radical attempting to unblock their stuffy chemoreceptor by shoving cloves of ail up it.

The thought is sticking thing up your chemoreceptor blocks the travel of mucus, truthful erstwhile it is removed, the travel starts and the mucus drips oregon adjacent runs retired of your nose. 

But unsurprisingly, this method is discouraged by experts. 

Not lone due to the fact that sticking things up your chemoreceptor is not encouraged for evident reasons, but besides due to the fact that ail tin origin irritation. 

Dr Mellor said: 'Just don't instrumentality things up your chemoreceptor due to the fact that you tin harm your nose.

'There are tons of children that person to spell and person assorted objects removed from their nose, we bash not request much adults going to A&E for the aforesaid purpose.'

He added: 'Garlic contains compounds that irritate. It conscionable irritates your nose, which mightiness assistance unblock it a small bit. 

'There are tons of laboratory experiments that amusement the immune effects of garlic, but they are successful cells successful labs they are not successful humans.'   

A study in 2016 by St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee suggests this method would beryllium counterproductive anyway. 

The survey explains that contempt being hugely annoying particularly erstwhile you person to perpetually scope for a tissue, the mucus successful your chemoreceptor really helps to trap and region pathogens including viruses.