Bet you don't believe alcohol can treat a cold? Well, it can't cure it but it can certainly assist making a cold better and can even increase your chances of not catching a cold in the first place.


Steps

1. Drink alcohol in moderation during the cold season. Studies have shown that while a cold cannot be healed by alcohol, it may be prevented by it. (See Carnegie Mellon study, 1993 -- this demonstrated that alcohol drinkers had increased resistance to catching colds.) Wine has been shown to be beneficial owing to its anti-oxidant effects. (See American Journal of Epidemiology, 2002.)
2. Drink alcohol to relieve symptoms of a cold once you have it. Again, don't go thinking that the alcohol will cure the cold, but it will alleviate some of the painful symptoms temporarily - such as sore throat and stuffiness. Good bets include brandy, whiskey and other spirit type drinks.
3. Drink wisely. This is about small shots of alcohol to alleviate symptoms temporarily or, in the case of trying to prevent a cold, follow sensible drinking according to official guidelines for men and women. Do not abuse alcohol or you risk medical problems that far outweigh the cold.

Tips

• Keep the shots small during a cold - too much alcohol can dehydrate you and will produce negative effects rather than beneficial ones.

Warnings

• Drink in moderation. This is not a substitute for proper medical care or for usage of appropriate medical drug treatment.
• Be totally certain that if you are taking any medications, herbal remedies, or just plain cough syrup, that nothing you're taking will have a drug interaction with alcohol (with possibly serious side effects).
• Do not use alcohol with children, immuno-suppressed people or those who do not wish to take alcohol.