Top of 10 popular means which will not help at flu

The next flu epidemic leads to the next panic, from year to year we give in on these manipulations: professionally alarming voice of the announcer in news, reports with calculation of the died patients, an interview with people in white dressing gowns and advertizing of anti-influenza means of different degree of inefficiency. All this reminds the Hollywood movies of epidemics threatening to destroy our planet. However, there is also one more similarity to cinema: everything comes to an end well. So, how to deal with the events, not to panic and not to become the trustful buyer of all enterprising "sellers of health" try to sell to us? The following list is drugs which are not capable to help at flu, but are from year to year presented as effective remedies. Among them there are as best-sellers of pharmaceutical industry, and "folk remedies checked centuries".

1. Arbidol and other "stimulators of immunity"

Immunity is protective forces of an organism. The immunity is stronger, the, respectively, the organism is steadier against infectious influence. Now the whole arsenal of the drugs which are allegedly increasing immunity, respectively is offered, they are positioned as effective protection against seasonal infections including flu. The truth in what is valid immunity plays a key role in fight against flu. A lie that it can be strengthened, having spent on drink fashionable immunostimulators. All these drugs, including sensational "Arbidol", have unproven efficiency, that is there are no bases to consider that they in general somehow act. But specialists consider that they it and to the best as the drugs which are really influencing immunity are extremely powerful, are applied carefully only at a serious illness, for example, in oncology as have serious side effects.

To meanwhile strengthen immunity quite perhaps, and tablets for this purpose are not necessary at all. For this purpose it is necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle, to eat, get enough sleep properly. Well the hardening helps, here it is only necessary to be engaged in all this in advance, but not when the disease began.

2. Polyvitamins

Reception of vitamins is capable to eliminate only one, the truth very important problem – hypovitaminosis, or, in other words, a vitamin deficiency and only if with their food arrives too little. Neither flu, nor other viral diseases fashionable vitamin complexes treat, and can treat. Doctors do an exception only for the one and only vitamin – vitamin C which promotes strengthening of walls of vessels while the influenza virus influences them negatively. However and with it you should not be overzealous, accept it follows carefully, on doctor's orders and in the absence of contraindications.

3. Antibiotics

Antibacterial drugs, or antibiotics, have no effect neither on an influenza virus, nor on viruses in general. To accept them at a viral disease not only it is useless, but also is harmful as their reception weakens immunity a little and as we remember, immune system struggles with viruses.

4. Aspirin

Aspirin is forbidden to be taken at flu as its influence in combination with a virus can lead to development of severe damages of a brain and liver. In children's practice it can be deadly!

As febrifugal at flu and other SARS drugs on the basis of paracetamol and an ibuprofen which have no similar effect will approach.

5. Mustard plasters

Long time was considered that mustard plasters stimulate superficial nerve terminations and improve blood circulation in superficial capillaries, thereby activating protective forces of an organism. Actually all they are capable of, it to warm the site of skin. At some pathologies it can be useful, but in case of a respiratory viral infection absolutely inefficiently. Any protective forces as it became clear, it does not stimulate, and unpleasant feelings causes much. Mustard plasters in this case is a no more than distracting therapy, but whether here it is worth distracting from one troubles other troubles?

6. Hot foot baths

By efficiency this ancient means is comparable with mustard plasters. Everything that hot foot baths can make, it to warm. No more and not less. But the blanket, warm clothes or a cup of hot tea can quite cope with this task.

7. Onions and garlic

Onions and garlic contain biologically active agents which are capable to have antibacterial effect that was confirmed with researches. However viruses very much differ from bacteria, antibacterial drugs do not affect viruses (see the Antibiotics point). Some researchers assumed antiviral activity of onions and garlic, however it was not succeeded to prove it. Use of onions and garlic for treatment of flu at children, especially direct contact with a mucous membrane (for example, at an instillation of juice or even inhalation of evaporations of onions or garlic in a nose), is undesirable as can become the reason of strong irritation, up to a burn.

8. Goose, bear and badger fat

In traditional medicine salutary properties are attributed to fat of some animals. Depending on the area and traditions, it can be fat goose, bear, badger. It is offered to grease with fat a thorax, allegedly it removes an inflammation of respiratory tracts. Fat has no effect on respiratory tracts and cannot render. Even if it also incorporated medicinal substances, further skin they would not get. We hope, to at least one badger, and can be even to a bear, this information will save life.

9. Expectorating and antibechics

Cough is the protective mechanism which serves for removal from respiratory tracts of products of an inflammation. To suppress cough – means to try to leave all what the organism tries to get rid of, inside.

Mucolyticums, or expectorants, promote fluidifying of a phlegm, thereby facilitating its removal – at first sight, it what is necessary. Actually it leads to strengthening of already severe cough, of course only if work as efficiency of many of them is not proved. But the fact that use of these drugs for small children (up to 2 years) led to development of heavy complications from respiratory system in this connection their use is forbidden in a number of the countries (for example, in Italy and France) in pediatric practice is proved and it is not recommended to all other age groups.

Doctors recommend to try to obtain mitigation of cough and acceleration of removal of toxics from respiratory tracts maintenance of high humidity indoors, moistening of a mucous membrane of a nasopharynx and plentiful drink.

10. Homeopathy

Homeopathic medicines concern to group of drugs with unproven efficiency too. Unlike many other drugs attempts to prove their efficiency were made many times, and all were failed. James Randi's fund urging to use scientific methods of knowledge of the world founded an award in 1 000 000 dollars to the one who will undertake to prove convincingly effectiveness of homeopathic remedies, and this award still waits for the winner. There is a part of people including the doctors believing that the homeopathy works the belief, as we know, does not need proofs. But even if to recognize ability to cure diseases behind homeopathic remedies, it is necessary to remember that one of the principles of effect of similar drugs proclaimed by homeopathists – action through an aggravation. It is how reasonable to provoke an aggravation at an acute disease when the immune system already works with big loading – a question which everyone who tries to treat flu by means of homeopathic remedy has to set to himself.