Is coffee helpful in sickness?

[montre]

Should I curse the changing weather or myself for not wearing woolen clothes that now I'm suffering from cough and cold? I have been feeling down for the last 5 days Anyways, every situation brings with it an opportunity to learn something.

I did some research on the role of coffee in sickness and concluded that we should avoid drinking too much coffee when we are sick. We know that our body needs water to recover faster from the sickness. Since coffee is a diuretic beverage, it makes us lose water from our system. Hence, the process of recovery gets slower. Unless a person drinks more water separately, I suggest one should limit his coffee intake to one or just two cups in a day till he gets well.

Contrary to my findings, there are some articles I’m reading :images: which suggest to drink hot coffee (though not telling me how much) as it is helpful in killing the viruses which cause the sickness. That’s when and where all my confusion starts popping up. I wonder why there is no unanimity on this topic anywhere

 

[CoffeeJunky]

I am in the same boat. I have been sick for few days and I did not reduce my coffee intake. I think Hot beverage really helps in the morning.

When researchers publish finding, we have to see who is paying for the article or research. Why would anyone spend their precious time researching without getting paid.
The results are all different because they are trying to accommodate the fund source.

 

[PinkRose]

Montre,

As you've probably already discovered, whenever you research a health related topic, you will find conflicting responses. All the "yes, no, maybe so" findings and opinions from "research" is always enough to make your head spin.

You can curse the changing temperatures, and wish that you hadn't gone outside without your jacket, but that has little to do with why you caught a cold. The changing temperatures helps to lower your resistance to germs and viruses, but it doesn't cause you to catch a cold or flu.

I've seen it happen many times over the years. The weather gets warmer, people run around without jackets (and feel chilly and wish they had put one on). Their body's defence system is busy resisting the chill, and it gets temporarily warn down. They don't wash their hands as often as they should. They're around someone who is already sick and spreading germs, etc., and they get zapped and wonder why it happened.

You were exposed to a creepy germ or virus, and your body didn't put up a strong enough fight, (lower resistence) and it took hold, and multiplied, and zapped you with a cold (flu?).

Drink your coffee in addition to lots of water. Your body needs the fluids to help flush out the bad guys, but if you drink lots of other fluids in addition to the coffee, you'll be fine. Why be miserable without your coffee, especially when you're already not feeling well????

Hot coffee won't kill the virus, whether it's on it's way into your body or if it's already there. Don't believe those articles. Some people make stuff up as they go along.

I hope you'll be feeling better soon.

Rose

 

[janry]

I very much agree to flushing your body when you have a cold or some bugs and your normal coffee consumption can help with that but you do have to drink plenty of other fluids to replenish. I also think a good hot cup of coffee relieves a sore throat.

No scientific evidence to support any of this. Just my personal observations. Maybe it just makes me feel better emotionally.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

I very much agree to flushing your body when you have a cold or some bugs and your normal coffee consumption can help with that but you do have to drink plenty of other fluids to replenish. I also think a good hot cup of coffee relieves a sore throat.

No scientific evidence to support any of this. Just my personal observations. Maybe it just makes me feel better emotionally.

I agree with this very much...

 

[peterjschmidt]

I think that most people's idea of how the body uses liquids is misunderstood, as is borne out by the idea of 'flushing' your body with extra fluids. The body does all it can to remain in balance, be it the pH balance or with hydration, etc. Our bodies can only use so much water. Drinking more than it needs will flush through the digestive system and through the bladder, but that most likely is not what we think 'flushing' means, nor is it where we actually think we need more liquids. The cells where we may have a virus or germs won't get more water to them simply because we drank twice as much water as we need.

The truth of the matter is, many are in the state of dehydration simply because they don't drink enough water. For those, drinking the correct amount of water will get all of their cells to a state of proper hydration. Drinking sufficient water is the issue. But drinking more than the correct amount of water won't help 'flush' anything.




And last but not least, there are equally well-written research papers citing that caffeine is not a diuretic.

 

[PinkRose]

Lots of liquids, and using plenty of tissues helps get rid of the bad stuff in your system.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

I think I have used box of tissues last night alone... lol.... YuKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

 

[PinkRose]

I think I have used box of tissues last night alone... lol.... YuKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Good! That means that the "stuff" is working its way out of your body. You'll start to feel better soon.

By the way, I'm speaking from experience.

I don't take cold medicine unless I really have to (if I have to go to work, which I try not to do when I'm sick). Decongestants and other types of cold medicines get in the way of your body doing what it needs to do to get rid of the cold. I've discovered that the cold stays around longer when I take medicine to get rid of the stuffy head, nose, etc. If you can stay home, and drink lots of fluids, and use box after box of tissues, the cold seems to work it's way out of your system quicker, without using the medications.

You may not enjoy your coffee as much when you have a cold, but at least there is no harm in it.

Rose

 

[CoffeeLovers]

You should not drink coffee too much even when you are not sick. Thus everyone is warned to drink coffee moderately. There’s nothing wrong if you drink coffee when you are sick but don’t think that coffee can be an antibiotic that kills viruses. Coffee can give many health benefits but not a medicine to cure sickness.

 

[montre]

I agree with PinkRose, Janry and CoffeeLovers. It is better to avoid taking hardcore medication for any light sickness - like cough & cold - than taking them for most of the health problems and hence making your body immune to fight with the cause of the sickness. So, I don't take medicines when I'm down with fever, or cough & cold.

I'm feeling much better than before. Though the process of recovery is slow but I'm content that I'm not taking any medicines to get well. I'm recovering on my own. :smile:

Anyways, I think coffee should not be considered as a "medicine" for a sickness. It should rather be taken as a preventive measure for getting sick in the future. That's the difference, I guess!

 

[PinkRose]

I'm feeling much better than before. Though the process of recovery is slow but I'm content that I'm not taking any medicines to get well. I'm recovering on my own. :smile:

Anyways, I think coffee should not be considered as a "medicine" for a sickness. It should rather be taken as a preventive measure for getting sick in the future. That's the difference, I guess!

Montre,

I'm glad to gear that you're feeling better now. It's a slow process, but soon it will be a distant memory.

I don't see how coffee can be a preventitive measure from getting sick in the future. Unless you're referring to coffee's contribution to the fluids that people are routinely supposed to be drinking on a daily basis???

Rose

 

[ferdinand]

You should not drink coffee too much even when you are not sick. Thus everyone is warned to drink coffee moderately. There’s nothing wrong if you drink coffee when you are sick but don’t think that coffee can be an antibiotic that kills viruses. Coffee can give many health benefits but not a medicine to cure sickness.

I agree with coffeelovers. Some of coffee is benefit for health

 

[montre]

The reasons why I termed coffee as a preventive measure for getting sick are two -

First, coffee has some health benefits which we are already well acquainted with. E.g. it reduces the chances of getting heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia... and the list goes on for serious health issues!!!! :smile:

Second, having a hot cup of coffee in the winter season prevents one from catching cold easily. Though there is no strong evidence to support the point but I have seen many coffee drinkers who regularly drink two-four cups of hot coffee in winter rarely get any cold.

 

[PinkRose]

Second, having a hot cup of coffee in the winter season prevents one from catching cold easily. Though there is no strong evidence to support the point but I have seen many coffee drinkers who regularly drink two-four cups of hot coffee in winter rarely get any cold.

Or maybe they just wash their hands more often and stay away from sick people.