
Is my girlfriend crazy, or is it possible to "sweat out a cold"?


No, sweating out a cold does nothing. Your body is surprisingly good at maintaining a stable internal temperature despite being in a sweat-suit all day. So, nothing she does on the outside will change her temperature on the inside.
She needs to go to bed and rest. Not chores. Fluids, no dairy. Some people swear by chicken soup, hot and sour soup, or anything with garlic and chilis - seems to be easy to eat and helps thin the congested mucus so it can come out. Take over-the-counter meds as directed or speak to your doctor or pharmacist. The most you can really do is lessen the symtoms of the sinus congestion, chest congestion, sore throat, general pain and fatigue - it takes your immune system to cure you.
How the common cold really goes away? The rhinovirus gets into your system and your immune system mounts an immediate defense, creating anti-bodies to fight the virus. It takes a couple days to get up and running, and a couple/few/several days of hard war of anti-bodies fighting virus. And a few days of clearing all the dead cellular material out of the body and recovering from the fatigue and respiratory symptoms.
Just saw this, thank you!
yes. apparently that works for some people.( because they are the people I know). I see that it works for them well. however there is also people who get better by just sleeping a lot and eat when they can. ( don't really want to admit but I'm in this group too).
When you get a cold listen to your body. whatever it tells you to do, just do it. (this is different for each individuals.) For example for some people their body will tells them to go out and exercise and when they do they get better but for some people their body tells them to just rest and rest a lots and when they follow it they get better. So it's important to listens to your body when you get a cold.
For your girlfriend she is probably in a group where she feels if she excercise she will get better. anyway tell me the result of her action if you can because I would like to know if that works for her. thanks.
Myth: You can sweat out a cold
Verdict: When you're feeling fluey, you're willing to try anything to get rid of the aches and pains and stuffy nose, and while having a hot bath or rugging up may mean you feel better, it won't make a difference to your recovery time. "You won't get rid of a cold by sweating it out," Dr McCoy says.
Dr Hampson says that sometimes our body naturally develops a high temperature in order to get rid of an illness, but forcing it to heat up won't help.
www.bodyandsoul.com.au/.../1d65ef67c3d3b7a1cf998d629dc325c3
I think I'm with the boys on this one, sweating naturally is fine and okay but the way she's doing it might make her have super high fever and she might have other stuff happening aside from just a simple cold.
Drinking lemon tea with honey and wait until it's gone naturally is far better for you.
Add ginger to the lemon tea with honey.
There are natural ways. You can boil water, then pour it into a glass and add camomile in it. After that put the cup on the table, take a towel. Look down on the cup, cover your back of the head and neck with the towel, and breathe in the water with camomile for 10-15 minutes. Just be careful when the water is hot, when you think it is too hot, don't breathe it in until its a little colder. This method works and my mom always told me to do this when I was younger. There is an another method: eat a lot of vitamin C. You can squeeze one or two lemons into a cup and then drink the whole glass of lemon juice/acid. The cold will go away in no time.
No and I would highly recommend stopping her now. Words from a doctor in training. When you sweat you release water and minerals that is it no germs. It's not physically possible for sweating to help a cold because if anything it makes a cold worse. By sweating you dehydrate yourself which is bad when you have a cold because your body needs water to fight the bacteria water is key when ill so keeping hydrated helps a lot. All she is doing is helping the bacteria fight against her body.
ummm I think she's crazy, and I'm not doctor, but if you are a "doctor in training" you should probably know the difference between a bacteria and a virus...
Yes I do.
Opinion
93Opinion
Sweating works for a infections that are caused by a Bacteria. Cold and Flu are both Viral infections, Viruses are non-living organisms (yep people hard to believe, but this is the reality, I'm sorry if you believe otherwise. You're teaches should be ashamed so should you parents).
Your Girlfriend looks silly and is doing herself no good. In fact she is Dehydrating herself via sweating. One thing that tends to ease Cold/Flu is Chicken Noodle soup, do to some odd vitamins and minerals in it that help the body in fighting off the Cold virus. And you can't forget drinking plenty of fluids, as well as some Tea with Lemon and Honey, works as well.
What she is doing now on the other hand... Well temporary moment of Insanity based on some functional information she may have heard somewhere or read from some shady internet source like the Onion or maybe 4Chan message boards, or was told by a friend who clearly has a Ph. D in infectious diseases and works or CDC.
You can "exercise" out a cold. Maybe not sweat it out. Exercising gets your heart going and breathing up. This can help to clear congestion. It also release hormones that help you feel better. But as for siting in a sweat suit all day, I'd say that'd make it feel worse especially if you don't replace enough fluid. It raises your core temperature and the stuffiness could add to congestion.
I find that I can do exercise and it helps to relieve cold symptoms. But as a cold is a virus, it is literally to get rid of the cold itself like this as the viruses live in cells.
So she's not wrong, but far from correct. Get her to take the silly, uncomfortable suit off, go for a run (or any exercise that suits her fancy) have a nice steamy shower. That will do her the world of good!
Hope this helps!
Well the older generation always said to sweat out a cold. Used to make up hot toddys. A wee bit of whisky or rum with a spoon of sugar and hot water. You can't just dismiss things people have been doing for tmyears as superstitious or unfounded bullshit. These things, at some time, were based in fact. We just assume they don't know what they're talking about. They came up with poltices and all that stuff and they're proven to draw out infection from a wound. She should be lay up under the quilt though not dressed like an artic explorer
Not crazy... misinformed. In the past it was believed that sweating out the cold is the way to cure it faster. Sweating may be good but it's different when it naturally sweats at night while you're asleep and your body rests. Like this... It may stress the body, make it worse and probably pass out at some point If she doesn't drink enough water and stop this shit.
Inhaling hot steam and drinking hot tea would had been a better idea. The immune does all the fighting. She just needs to rest, eat and drink plenty water If she wants it to cure faster.
Good possibility of her to, become dehydrated.
Signs of mild or moderate dehydration include:
Thirst
Dry or sticky mouth
Not peeing very much
Dark yellow pee
Dry, cool skin
Headache
Muscle cramps
Signs of severe dehydration include:
Not peeing or having very dark yellow pee
Very dry skin
Feeling dizzy
Rapid heartbeat
Rapid breathing
Sunken eyes
Sleepiness, lack of energy, confusion or irritability
Fainting
Symptoms for babies and young children can be different than for adults:
Dry mouth and tongue
No tears when crying
Dry diapers for 3 hours
Sunken eyes, cheeks, soft spot on the top of the skull
Sleepiness, lack of energy, or irritability
Severe dehydration is a medical emergency and needs to be treated immediately.
there's no science that shows sweating out a cold, which is really sweating out a the aches and pains from fever, will improve recovery time
but you can potentially feel better. like taking a very hot bath may help sooth the aches and pains, but the sweating aspect won't help reduce recovery time
thanks for MHO
I have never tried it with a cold, but I think it does help when I have a fever. I will avoid taking any medication that reduces fever (assuming it is not dangerously high) and do as much physical activity as I can stand. I've been outside splitting firewood by hand with a temp of 102. When I'm about to be over it, I break out in a heat rash on my neck and torso. I feel like it cuts a day or two off of it.
The again, maybe it's in my head. I dunno.
You cannot do anything to counteract a virus. Cold Eeze zinc lozenges and Emergen-C will lesson the symptoms but not the duration. It must run its course.
Wearing a rubber suit can cause dehydration at a time when you really need fluids.
These are medical facts. She is not helping herself.
~JSmith
While sweat removes toxins from the body, dehydration will only make matters worse. Plus the sweat is being kept close to the skin with clothing like that. The only thing that will truly cure a cold is adequate nutrition, proper hydration and excess rest. Medicine helps symptoms, but our bodies do the work and actually cure us. She would have to sweat completely naked, like in a sauna which saps the strength your body needs to fight off infection.
Sweat doesn't remove toxins, that's a myth. Toxins are removed from the body by the intestines, liver and kidneys.
I dont think you want to have this debate with me. I can scientifically prove to you that sweat removes toxins from the body. Whoever told you that it doesn't is wrong. When you sweat, your body is trying to maintain internal homeostasis to keep your body at its proper temperature. Salt, nitrogen, zinc, copper, iron and other impurities in your body as well as microscopic dust particles and bacteria are removed and excreted out of your pores along with the production of sebum to keep your skin lubricated and healthily moisturized. Sweat is one of the ways the endocrine system works with your lymphatic system and kidneys to keep your body clean. If it didn't remove toxins things like pimples and blackheads would occur from from clogged pores, dirt and bacteria. (Not just external bacteria either because pus accumulates internally in infected pimples and abcesses.)
No the reason why we sweat is to control body temperature thats it. The only thing we lose through sweat is water. The Kidneys and Liver remove toxins from the body not sweat.
Zinc, copper and iron are required for our bodies to function properly and copper is found in our bones, muscles and liver. Nitrogen is found in our bones and teeth, none of that is excreted through sweat.
You don't sweat out a cold or fever.
The sneezing, coughing and fever are symptoms. That means they are the results that your body is reacting to the illness. They are not the actual disease. Treating the symptoms makes you feel better but doesn't do much for the actual disease.
The disease is caused by virus or bacteria screwing around in your body. Your body reacts to these Invaders and causes the symptoms.
I've done that my whole life. Not the outfit, but sweating out the common cold and the flu. I'll stay under my blankets and sweat like hell (pun). I'm generally sick only two days. The only thing is, you have to remember you have to drink plenty, PLENTY" of water to help! I try to get 2 gallons, ice cold water.
if it works it works. you can't tell her what to do. get on with your day
lol, you are right about that... can't it be bad for her to wear it though?
Um I dont really think that works your immune system has to work on its own since a cold is a virus and you want take antibiotics she's needs to hydrate and rest and probably be with a tissue box all day for congestion purposes she needs to get all the shit out of her (snot and all that)
@Androdead really I thought the cold would help but then again the body shows symptoms of high fever during a cold too
@Androdead by the way I didn't call it stupid
@Voidlife22 antibiotics only work on bacteria. A cold is a virus. There is no medicinal cure to the virus, only medicines to relieve symptoms.
@ThatGuy123456789 I meant to put dont 😂😂😂
Oh Right. I think this site needs an edit function. But I find it amazing that we can cure some cancer and do brain surgery but we can't cure the common cold.
Myth: You can sweat out a cold. Verdict: When you're feeling fluey, you're willing to try anything to get rid of the aches and pains and stuffy nose, and while having a hot bath or rugging up may mean you feel better, it won't make a difference to your recovery time.
A wetsuit? Yeah, I don't think that's what's going to cure a cold. LOL
How 'bout plenty of liquids, a couple of IB's, some cough drops, and sleep, or rest.
A cold is a virus - it has to be dealt with on a cellular level within your body - there is no magic bullet. You have to develop the antibodies that kill the virus cells. It takes some time, and has to run it's course. Antibiotics do nothing for this.
No, that won't make a difference and it might make her more uncomfortable. Make sure she gets rest, lots of fluids, and takes the proper cold medicine on time.
I'm trying to tell her that it doesn't work, but her mom and grandma both swear that you can "sweat out a cold"... is there any truth to telling her that it might make her cold last longer? Then maybe I can convince her to change...
Her mom and grandmother probably believe in a lot old wives tales. Well you can bend the truth and say it will be productive for her to take a hot shower regularly.
first of all HILARIOUS second i do not know how her technic works but i know that intense fysical activity can result in cardiac arest i think the best idea is to get a lot of sleep that is what I do when i start feeling sick i take like a day off because i know if i don't i will be in efficient or sick for a long time
I don't think thats how it works, colds are viral infections.. not water that your body naturally sweats out lol She could end up giving herself a fever.
Many people believe the old wive's tale about sweating out a cold. We know that colds are caused by viral infections and those don't get sweated out.
You can sweat out a cold but just layering up and sweating won't work if she were to go to a gym and have an intense workout and sweat that way or if she were to hit a sauna then it would work. Your body when sweating will also release some of the toxins in the body so yes your girlfriend is right but only if she puts on an extreme sweat.
I don't believe it will work, but how is the sauna different from her suit?
the steam sauna can either be mild or depending on how much water you splash in the sauna makes it hotter and hotter making you sweat more just a plain suit you have to put in the work to make yourself sweat the sauna is more intense. I used to sit in the sauna before a big wrestling meet if I had to drop weight and an hour of sitting burns off everything
When I want a cold gone really I just chug back a gallon of orange juice two days before my sickness starts and if I'm already sick I drink orange juice and water all day hit the gym as hard as I can get a pre sweat going then hit the sauna for an hour next day I don't have a cold anymore
You cannot sweat out a cold. She looks ridiculous. Tell her to lay down and drink fluids and wait it out like everyone else does.
As long as she drinks enough, it at least won't hurt her.
thanks, that's actually good to know!
She isn't CRAZY. When you have a cold you are willing too try anything too get better. It won't make a difference to your recovery time. "You won't get rid of a cold by sweating it out.
beings a cold is an infection of bacteria or virus. you would have to get hot enough to kill said virus or bacteria. I'm certain she would die before the infection did. so I'm no doctor. bit I say NO !
No your body increasing its temperature is a reaction to the pathogen, your immune system kills bacteria and inactivates viruses.
The rise in body temperature is to slow the virus so your immune system can rid of it easier.
Forcing yourself to sweat or exercising when you are sick won't help lol.
is she still alive? does she still have the cold? and does she now have any additional problems? .. like heatstroke
lol she definitely looked overheated but she is fine and feeling better today but she is doing it again (one last time she says...)
yes, it works. I do the same. if she believes it helps, it may be helping her psychologically, if not physically.
There is no way you do the same as her lol... she seems to have gone overboard... lol
Hahaha couldn't help but laugh this is too cute. I'm not sure but I hope she feels better soon
Actually, elevating body temperature MAY help.
www.sciencedaily.com/.../111101130200.htm
Not sweating by itself. And also, one doesn't want to elevate one's temperature way too high.
She is - amazingly - correct. By sweating it means a rise in body temperature has occured. This increase in temperature will actually kill some germs.
It shouldn't be a huge increase. Only a slight one which is enough to affect germs but proteins should be fine
No your body raises it temperature in reaction to a virus it has nothing to do with getting rid of it. Germs is not an actual term it is bacteria and it is a cold we are talking about so it isn't bacteria its a virus.
Your immune system kills bacteria and inactivates viruses with white blood cells and then your Kidneys and Liver filter the waste from your blood.
I don't know. My go to technique is a vitamin C shock. I take lots of them for a couple of days, then it just goes away.
This is pretty damn funny though XD
Yep. Get some Grappa and put it in warm milk. Get under a pile of covers, even better if you have a heated mattress pad and crank it. sweat like a pig and you will feel great.
It's possible, but never seen it done that way. A simple cold is generally a 9 day thing. 3 days coming, 3days full blown and 3 going. I take hot rakiya (fruit brandy) with cloves, lemon and brown sugar before i go to bed. That seems to work for me.
yes you can. most common cold virussus can't survive above 33-35 degrees celcius. but making your arms and legs sweat doesn't help. increasing temprature in nose and throat does
She's actually much better off staying hydrated & resting. Like sleeping. Her body needs to be taking in more at the moment not letting it out.
Lmfao I'm dying but years that's true. She's not crazy lol. Hilarious 😂
I meant yes not years lol
really? I came on here expecting every to agree with me and call her crazy, but now everyone is saying she is right... lol... I don't even know what to think lol can't it be bad for her to spend hours in that suit?
Well staying in it for hours isn't good. 1 hour is good enough but when you sweat it takes the cold/Fever away cause it comes out with the sweat. It's good to sweat for a bit to release all the germs but to long is over doing it. So fucking funny though 😂
I disagree. Colds are viral infections that are basically untouchable. I swear by rest in bed and soup.
soup is freaking amazing for when you are sick, a good soup is good for when you are sick or cold or just need a good meal
Yup. Soup is hot, easy to swallow and little chewing. It slinks down with no effort. Plus it's tasty.
Sadly it doesn't have healing properties haha. When I'm sick I stay in bed, tv on low volume, and consume only soup and tea with honey in. My boyfriend is pretty good - he knows how I like it all. Likewise when he's sick I know he needs a blanket while he games, or total silence while he naps, and hot chocolate with honey and cream at room temperature (he won't have hot drinks) and homemade turkey veg soup or a simple sandwich.
she will become more sick. If this was the flu, then it might have worked. But a cold has to be treated differently. I have steam through your nose from boiled water for example. Eat raw garlic. It will kill the symptoms off.
yes in fact there are scientifical evidences of enzymes, biophysical processes and bacteria working better giving a higher temperature. however working is very counterproductive. you should still rest.
No lol
You can't sweat out a flu. That doesn't even make sense if you think about why we catcg a flu and how it effects us
That's nuts. A cold is a virus. You just have to wait it out.
Our body responds to the cold virus by creating a fever. Raising our body temperature kills the virus. The old timers used to swear by it. Creating a hot toddy type drink going to bed with mounds of covers over you sweating like a pig and waking up the next morning feeling fine. Raised your body's temperature killed the virus.
@Regular1 Raising your body temperature does not kill a virus, you can't kill a virus because it isn't technically alive. Your white blood cells bind to the virus to stop it from replicating and then the dead white blood cells are removed from the body through your blood by the Liver and Kidneys.
@Regular1 Yes it is
@Regular1 Did you take Biology im school?
^*in
Your immune system is responsible for removing pathogens and your liver and kidneys filter the body of toxins and waste.
@NightOwl_23 -viruses reproduce inside the body. They prefer cooler temperatures. That's why viruses replicate faster in your nose than in the core of your body. Raising the body temperature, as in a fever, doesn't kill viruses but it slows/halts their reproduction- allowing your normal body functions to excrete whatever virus remains. And, I took biology in college.
Yes the Rhinovirus does prefer cooler temperatures and your immune system deals with the virus.
What did, I say that was incorrect?
T and B lymphocytes deal with viruses
The B cells produce antibodies that bind to the virus stopping replication and T cells help B cells produce antibodies and get rid of virus infected cells.
What internet reading? I learned this in Biology
You are correct about the increase in body temperature slowing the virus but your immune system does most of the work.
i go in the sauna when I have a cold. Not sure if it shortens the duration, but it does a wonder on the symptoms
I do this. I take a really hot shower, then I layer up in sweatshirts and pants. And I sleep under two blankets. The sweating is uncomfortable but I feel better as the days go on.
It's 100000% possible and correct.
Going to a sauna could for some people if caught at the right time help clear it up!
No the body gets rid of viruses through the immune system, Kidneys and Liver.
Any physical exercise or making yourself sweat when you are sick is a bad idea, it will dehydrate you and make it harder for your body to get rid of the virus. When you are sick you need bed rest and plenty of fluids.
Untrue. You don't need to dehydrate your self of fluids while doing so, continue to drink water while in the sauna which in turn helps with sweating it out.
Again if you read what I wrote it is all about timing and catching it before it gets hold. If you do then it is possible. If you do it once you dead sick then of course you need to rest.
Thats not possible a virus is in your system for 24 hours before you start showing symptoms.
You can't get rid of a virus in advance or force yourself to get rid of it faster. Your body will get rid of it on its own with bed rest and plenty of water
and a cold will not necessarily give you a fever.
It is true because it's been done!!!
just let her take some medications and she will be ok ,,, she could eat some chicken soup and vitamin c to help ,,
Biological explanation - Fevers are meant to raise the body temperature high enough so that viruses and bacteria may die, so her raising her temperature to sweat is not a terrible idea.
Actually, she would be better off having a steam shower (half hour) followed by a good wash. That way all the germs etc are getting washed away.
Yeah actually my mom used to do something like "sweating out" a cold. She would bathe is in very hot water... not boiling but hot. Then she would give us chamomile tea and some Tylenol or an antibiotic then like the next day I would feel way better
Thats not true that is anecdotal evidence and antibiotics kill bacteria not viruses and would be completely useless in getting rid of a cold.
I actually believe it works cause when I get sick at night o sweat like crazy and on the morning I'm pouring in sweat but I feel a lot better
Well.. if she had a fever, you'd better make sure that she stops doing that because it actually is contra productive..
Its similar to basically enducing a fever. A fever with high temps helps kill the virus.
No a virus can't be killed because it isn't living, a virus is dna and rna in a protein shell. Your body gets rid of pathogens so bacteria amd viruses with your immune system, Liver and Kidneys.
@NightOwl_23
I didn't think i needed to explain the whole process of what happens when you get a fever.
www.sciencedaily.com/.../111101130200.htm
The temperature itself doesn't actually kill the virus that is what, I was telling you.
The temperature may help the immune system which is what the article suggests, the immune system is what gets rid of the virus
*inactivate not kill
@NightOwl_23
Like I said, didn't think I had to explain the whole process. Just act and result. The baseline. But thanks for jumping down my throat anyway.
Like honestly get over yourself
Im sorry, I didn't read what you posted, there are too many ignorant people in this thread.
A lot of people on here need a biology lesson 😂.
@NightOwl_23
I dont think anyone on this question actually believes that the virus will come out your sweat glands. But they understand that the heat helps the body fight it. They just aren't getting specific. So lay off a little, ok?
Ooh. I had a great time reading This argument! 😂
Thanks, Im retarded 😔.
In a sauna maybe but not by wearing certain clothes
Colds are caused by viruses. You can not sweat a virus out your body.
That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard. It stresses your body out more and will make your cold worse
She should just try exercising instead or steaming/sauna which is really sweating out a cold the proper way
You can't sweat out a virus, pathogens such as viruses and bacteria are stopped by your immune system and the waste is removed from the blood by the Kidneys and Liver.
Your body naturally heats itself up to slow the pathogen.
Forcing yourself to sweat will actually make it worse.
You will recover faster if you dont exercise or go to saunas.
The only way you could male your body get rid of a virus faster is to take antiviral drugs but those aren't given out for colds.
^*make
Swating is a bad thing when you're ill because you're only dehydrating yourself. Proper hydratation is crucial in the recovery process. The more dehydrated you are, the slower your orgnaism is going to be.
Why do you think your body gives you a fever when you get sick? Viruses and bacteria need a very specific tempature range to survive, so your body increases your tempature to kill them. That said, it is a pretty weird though.
Even if it worked, that's not the right way to sweat out.
yup she's 100% having a fever or creating a sweat is the best way the best way to rid a cold or flu
Agree
No making yourself sweat won't do anything but make you feel worse she needs to drink lots of water and get plenty of rest.
You can't sweat pathogens out of the body, pathogens are stopped by your immune system and then the dead white blood cells are removed from the body through your blood by your Kidneys and Liver. Did people on here not take a basic Biology course in school?
honey i have health education of a very high level.. first things first always keep hydrated particulaly when you first feel you are getting sick.
having a fever is the bodys natural way of ridding bugs. weather that is by rest and keeping warm and slowly sweating it out in your sleep.
by hot baths. and others exercising works for them the awfulness they feel for a short term gives a long term benefit.
also seek advice from your doctor.
more of it is mind set think that makes you feel a little better by rugging up in blankets or clothing
Yes the body increases its temperature to stop or slow the virus but your immune system does most of the work. If you make yourself sweat you would only be making it harder for your body to get rid of the virus by dehydrating yourself.
Making yourself sweat won't allow you to get rid of the virus any quicker.
Maybe it could help her mentally through some kind of placebo but I highly doubt this would help a cold medically.
It's a shark suit to keep you from having sex with her. Just tell her she can sweat WITH you.
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