Have you heard it and is it tru? (ie should I eat all day because I am getting a head cold? lol)
2006-06-28 04:02:25 · 13 answers · asked by McRach 3 in Health ➔ Other - Health
I always tell people about it and they just look at me like I'm crazy.
Glad to know there are other crazy people like me out there.
2006-06-28 04:05:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
The original maxim is "feed a cold, starve a fever." In other words, eat plentifully to fight a cold, and resist food if you have a fever. To avoid confusion, we recommend steering clear of both versions of this myth.
The Straight Dope dates the practice of fasting to combat fever to a 1574 dictionary. As do many other medical practices from the Middle Ages, starving yourself when you're sick seems to us to be a pretty questionable tactic.
However, opinions on the issue differ. A 2002 article from New Scientist cites a Dutch research team that ran an ad hoc experiment and came to the conclusion that "eating a meal boosts the type of immune response that destroys the viruses responsible for colds, while fasting stimulates the response that tackles the bacterial infections responsible for most fevers."
2006-06-28 11:07:16 · answer #2 · answered by wanderklutz 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your version of the proverb is the traditional one, but you can find citations in the literature that have it the other way around. The idea, if not the exact wording, dates back to 1574, when a dictionary maker named Withals wrote, "Fasting is a great remedie of feuer."
One somewhat dubious explanation has it that the proverb really means "If you feed a cold now, you'll have to starve a fever later." A more plausible interpretation is that the feed-a-cold idea arose out of a folk understanding of the disease process, namely that there were two kinds of illnesses, those caused by low temperatures (colds and chills) and those caused by high temperatures (fever). If you had a chill, you wanted to stoke the interior fires, so you pigged. If you had a fever, you didn't want things to overheat, so you slacked off on the fuel.
2006-06-28 11:08:08 · answer #3 · answered by brattiness73 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It doesn't mean to "eat". It means you need to drink lots of clear fluids. Clear fluids rob the fever and aid in bringing it down plus they keep the body hydrated which can be a real problem when you have a cold because you typically can't smell anything so your less likely to want to eat or drink. It works - it will drive the bug out faster.
2006-06-28 11:09:41 · answer #4 · answered by Sonie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've heard it the other way around: starve a fever, feed a cold.
2006-06-28 11:06:17 · answer #5 · answered by lachicadecafe 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its hte other way around feed a fever and strave a cold
2006-06-28 11:05:18 · answer #6 · answered by Lucinda 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, It's an old wives tale with no scientific proof.
2006-06-28 11:15:00 · answer #7 · answered by sybil_re 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes I've heard of it, but I think Resting is best if you are sick.
2006-06-28 11:06:28 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
i have heard of it. do not follow that. if it is a virus it will just run its course and all you can do is wait and treat the symptoms.
2006-06-28 11:06:23 · answer #9 · answered by Shelby Cobra 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah my mum says it all the time. I really don't know if there's any truth in it, but i found this site...
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_154b.html
2006-06-28 11:05:20 · answer #10 · answered by Bog woppit. 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋