5. Honey And Lemon Actually Works
Usually, if somebody is trying to get you to take a "natural remedy" in lieu of proper medicine, you should tell them where to stick their arnica. However, it turns out that your mum was probably right about honey and lemon to soothe a bad cough or a sore throat. Whilst it won't magically cure a cough or cold, nothing does, there's evidence to suggest that the ancient concoction is helpful in reducing some of the more irritating symptoms. Honey is a demulcent, meaning that it coats the back of the throat and relieves the irritation as well, if not better, than most expensive cough medicines. Steam and humidity are also known to be effective in treating congestion, so just taking a deep breath over a hot honey and lemon drink could help clear you up. Sniffing hot cough medicine, however, is just as unpleasant as it sounds. All this said, suppressing a cough isn't necessarily a good thing after all. It might be irritating, but coughing is your body's way of keeping all that gunk away from your lungs. A persistent cough is also an indicator that something could be really wrong, and simply suppressing the cough is just going to mask the symptoms.