Nope. Potatoes in your socks can’t cure a cold or other ailments, like coughs, runny noses, or sinus infections. Keep reading to learn more about this anecdotal remedy, and how you can put potatoes to better use. Origins of the folk remedy It’s not known where this remedy came from.
Full Answer
How to get rid of a chesty cough?
To get rid of a chesty cough, try taking a hot shower with the door closed and breathing in the steam. If your cough still won’t go away, drink hot beverages like tea, warm water, broth, or soup. For additional relief, try using a menthol rub like Vick’s VapoRub, rubbing it on your chest and around your nose.
Can potatoes in your socks cure a cold or flu?
Try home remedies for a cold and flu like: Putting potatoes in your socks cannot cure a cold or other ailments. There’s no medical research that shows that it works. Eating potatoes, however, may help boost your immune system and help you beat a cold or flu. Bake, steam, or boil potatoes in their skins for the most nutrition.
How to use potatoes for fever relief?
I’ve recently learned about a folk remedy for fever using potatoes. If you suffer from fever, all you need to do is put a slice of chilled raw potato at the bottom of your feet. Put it in your sock and leave for a 2-3 hours to break the fever.
Can sliced raw potatoes help cure a cold?
The claim is that putting sliced raw potatoes against the bottom of your feet — and wearing socks to hold them in place — can help cure cold and flu symptoms likes coughs, runny nose, congestion, and fever. The reason why potatoes (and onions) are put against the feet may come from a therapy in traditional Chinese medicine called reflexology.
Does potatoes help with cough?
Even drinking raw potato juice can help boost your immune system. But can potatoes cure a cold or other ailments if you put them in your socks? Nope. Potatoes in your socks can't cure a cold or other ailments, like coughs, runny noses, or sinus infections.
Will a potato draw out infection?
A substance in the common potato, the investigators found, prevents invading bacteria from latching onto vulnerable cells in the human body. "Without attachment [to human cells], 99% of infections can't [occur], " Marjorie Kelly Cowan, PhD, tells WebMD.
Do potatoes reduce fever?
Dr. Shu says there are a few home remedies that might work to bring down fevers, but potatoes aren't one of them. "Drinking or eating cool foods can cool a child from within," she says.
Does onion in sock work for cough?
Many people claim that the onion in sock remedy is an effective treatment for a cold or the flu. Despite these claims, there is no scientific evidence to support this. There are no proven health benefits to this remedy, but it is not known to be harmful.
How long do you leave a potato poultice on?
Place on the affected area for 20 minutes.
Are potatoes good for healing?
Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, Potassium, fibre, B vitamins copper, tryptophan, manganese and even lutein, notes the book 'Healing Foods' by DK Publishing. It also works wonders for curbing inflammation in the body and boost immunity and healthy blood circulation.
Why do potatoes turn black?
This process, which is called oxidation, happens because potatoes are a naturally starchy vegetable. And when exposed to oxygen, starches turn gray, brown, or even black. An oxidized potato is completely safe to eat, the process doesn't affect the flavor or texture of the vegetable.
How get rid of a cold fast?
Cold remedies that workStay hydrated. Water, juice, clear broth or warm lemon water with honey helps loosen congestion and prevents dehydration. ... Rest. Your body needs rest to heal.Soothe a sore throat. ... Combat stuffiness. ... Relieve pain. ... Sip warm liquids. ... Try honey. ... Add moisture to the air.More items...
What to put in your sock when you're sick?
According to the folk remedy, if you come down with a cold or the flu, all you have to do is slice a red or white onion into rounds, place them on the bottoms of your feet, and put on a pair of socks. Leave the socks on overnight as you sleep. In the morning, you'll wake up cured of your illness.
What is the fastest way to cure a cough?
How to Calm Daytime CoughingTake an Expectorant. ... Reach for a Cough Suppressant. ... Sip a Warm Beverage. ... Step Up Your Fluid Intake. ... Suck on Hard Candy. ... Consider a Cough Medicine Formulated for Nighttime Use. ... Have Some Honey. ... Zap Your Cough With a Vaporizer.More items...•
How can I stop coughing at night naturally?
The following 10 tips may help a person reduce or ease their nighttime coughing:Try a humidifier. A humidifier machine may help if the coughing is caused by dry air. ... Decrease allergens. ... Manage GERD. ... Drink tea with honey. ... Consider over-the-counter medicine. ... Elevate the head. ... Gargle with warm salt water before bed. ... Quit smoking.More items...
What does putting an onion in your room do?
Summary. While many home remedies involve placing a cut onion in the room of someone who's sick, there is no evidence that this works. Onions do not have the ability to absorb germs and toxins floating around in the room. Instead, your immune system attacks any invading viruses or bacteria entering your body.
Drink liquids
Drink lots of fluids. It sounds cliché, but you likely hear this advice so often because it works.
Use a humidifier
Steam can also help loosen mucus and clear up congestion. Depending on your needs, you can make your own steam room or humidifier at home.
Take honey
Researchers in one 2007 study found evidence to suggest that buckwheat honey may be more effective than traditional medication at relieving cough.
Take a decongestant
Decongestants are available in liquid, tablet, or nasal spray form at your local drug store. Common OTC options include:
Slather on a vapor rub
Vapor rubs also contain decongestive ingredients, but they’re applied topically instead of ingested.
Discuss a prescription decongestant
If you find that the mucus lasts for more than three to four days, or that your condition gets worse quickly, you can ask your doctor for a prescription decongestant.
Discuss a prescription nasal spray
If the congestion is also in your nose, nasal decongestant sprays can help open up your nasal passageway.
1. Acute bronchitis
Bronchitis is inflammation of the tubes that carry air to and from your lungs. It’s sometimes referred to as a chest cold.
2. Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an infection of the air sacs in your lungs. It can be bacterial, viral, or fungal. Pneumonia causes increased mucus production, which can trigger coughing. Persistent coughing, in turn, causes chest pain.
3. Pleurisy
Coughing and chest pain might be due to pleurisy. This is inflammation in the tissue lining your lungs and chest cavity. Inflammation can cause sharp chest pain that worsens when you breathe, sneeze, or cough.
5. COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term to describe progressive, chronic lung diseases. It includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and refractory asthma. The main symptom of COPD is breathlessness.
6. Asthma
With asthma, inflammation causes narrowing of the airways. This narrowing can make it difficult to breathe, causing a chronic cough in some people.
7. Acid reflux
Acid reflux is a digestive disease that occurs when stomach acid back flows into the esophagus. It can cause regurgitation and nausea, as well as coughing. Heartburn is a classic symptom of acid reflux. It can feel like burning in the chest.
8. Pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism is a blood clot that travels to the lungs. It can cause shortness of breath, chest pain, and a cough. A blood clot in your lungs can feel like a heart attack, and you may cough up bloody streaks of sputum.
What is a chest cold (acute bronchitis)?
A chest cold occurs when the airways of the lungs swell and produce mucus in the lungs. That’s what makes you cough. A chest cold, often called acute bronchitis, lasts less than 3 weeks and is the most common type of bronchitis.
Causes
Acute bronchitis is usually caused by a virus and often occurs after an upper respiratory infection.
When to Seek Medical Care
baby icon See a doctor right away if your child is younger than 3 months old and has a fever of 100.4 °F (38 °C) or higher.
Treatment
Acute bronchitis usually gets better on its own—without antibiotics. Antibiotics won’t help you get better if you have acute bronchitis.
How to Feel Better
Below are some ways you can feel better while your body fights off acute bronchitis:
Over-the-Counter Medicine and Children
Be careful about giving over-the-counter medicines to children. Not all over-the-counter medicines are recommended for children of certain ages.
Prevention
You can help prevent acute bronchitis by doing your best to stay healthy and keep others healthy, including:
Overview
A dry cough doesn’t produce mucus. Because there isn’t mucus blocking the lungs or airways, nothing comes out when you cough. This lack of mucus (phlegm) makes it an unproductive cough.
Possible Causes
Colds and flu tend to cause wet, productive coughs when you’re sick. Later, dry coughs may linger during recovery.
Care and Treatment
Most dry coughs clear up when you treat the underlying cause. Over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines aren’t usually that helpful. And children younger than 4 years of age shouldn’t take any cough medicine because of the risk for serious side effects.
When to Call the Doctor
Many conditions can cause a dry cough. Often, an irritating dry cough will go away when you identify and treat the underlying condition. You can use home remedies to soothe dry coughs that develop after a respiratory illness like a cold. Coughing can inflame lungs and air passages, leading to chest tightness.
Symptoms
Causes of chest pain when coughing may include muscle exhaustion, pleurisy, and asthma.
Treatments
The right treatment for chest pain when coughing depends on the cause. When a person has a mild cold, a doctor may recommend rest and fluids. Some other home remedies can help with viral illnesses, such as the flu, bronchitis, and even mild pneumonia. A person can try:
When to see a doctor
A person with mild chest pain can usually wait a few days to see a doctor. If the person has symptoms that do not improve within a few days, is an older adult or an infant, or has a respiratory condition, it is best to see a doctor immediately, even if the symptoms are not severe.