Will chicken soup solve your family’s sniffles? Should you feed a cold and starve a fever? And is it possible to become immune to painkillers if you take them regularly? Find out by watching this live WebTV show with GP, mum and author of numerous health books, Dr Sarah Brewer.

Research has shown that half of women believe in family health advice passed down through the generations, despite the fact this may have little or no medical basis. In fact, outdated health myths picked up from our mothers and grandmothers could prove futile or, at worst, even dangerous for our family’s health. For instance, one in five women uses butter to treat burns despite strong medical advice against this.

With the cold and flu season now upon us, this WebTV show is your chance to share your inherited family remedies and find out from a medical professional if they actually work. Dr Sarah Brewer will help us separate health fact from fiction, as part of Panadol Advance’s Health Hearsay campaign – a medical myth-busting drive by mums, for mums.

Joining Dr Brewer will be busy mum-of-two, Fiona Joyce, from Panadol’s Mums Panel, which has been uncovering the nation’s popular ‘health hearsay’ and working with medical professionals to bust common medical myths. Fiona will be sharing some of the most popular (and bizarre) health remedies put forward by mums from the Mums Panel at Panadol’s last Health Hearsay focus group.

H: Lis Speight, host
S: Dr Sarah Brewer, GP and author
F: Fiona Joyce, Panadol Mum’s panel

H: Hello and welcome to the Healthcare Show, I’m Lis Speight.  Now everyone has an old wives tale when it comes to health remedies.  My favourite has always been feed a cold, starve a fever – any excuse to eat in my opinion when you’re ill!  Well interestingly Panadol Advance’s research has shown that half of all women believe in the remedies that are passed down by their families, despite the fact these so-called cures may have little or no medical basis, and can even be potentially dangerous.  So today we’re going to look at all those old-wives tales, and some more modern ones too, and see which ones, if any, have any truth.  Well joining me on this medical myth-busting program is GP and author Dr Sarah Brewer whose come all the way from Guernsey to see us

S: Hello

H: Thanks very much for coming Sarah, nice to see you. And also Fiona Joyce, who is from Panadol’s panel of Mums. Welcome Fiona, great to see you here today

F: Hi

H: Now we are live of course so if you’ve got any question for our two lovely ladies then do get them into us, or any remedies of your own that you’d like to talk about then do pop them in the box that’s on the screen, put your name in there as well, press submit, it’ll come through to us here in the studio and we’ll try to get through as many as we can during the course of the show.  But let’s start by talking a little bit about the mum’s panel and the research that was done.  Fiona tell us a little bit about this mum’s panel – what does it do, what’s it all about?

F: Well the Panadol panel of mum’s is a group of mums, we’ve been working with the Panadol for about three years now, and we provide them with insight and understanding of what it is we really need to know around family health issues, and particularly in conjunction with pain relief

H: Right

F: And so we work with them to look at what’s the sort of information that we need to keep our families well and safe and healthy

H: So tell us about the research then – what was that all about?

F: Well we – during a lot of our discussions, one of the things that became really, really clear is how much confusion there is out there on all sorts of family health issues, not just the pain relief, although there’s a lot there as well, but on all sorts of areas, and we discovered that many of us believe the most wild and weird and wonderful things that have been passed down through the generations which were like –

H: If your mother tells you, you think it must be true!

F: Exactly, yes and you’re likely then to pass it on yourself

H: Right

F: So we investigated that and research was done across the nation to find out, you know, was this unusual and actually it’s sadly not – there is a whole load of stuff that’s believed out there that really is probably not the most helpful advice to pass on down the generations

H: And what sort of thing came up during the research?

F: Well one of my favourites I have to say was the using toothpaste to cure a love bite.  Now I’m convinced that some grandmother somewhere decided that was the best way to make sure that they could identify what their teenage children were up to, so these large clots of white toothpaste around the neck

H: Bit of a giveaway really

F: Well it was – was this really going to help, was it some form of disguise they were after.  So that was one of my favourites

H: But I remember that though, from being a teenager, I do remember girls having toothpaste on their neck and me thinking mmm what have they been up to?

F: Yes exactly

H: Bit beyond my remit.  So Sarah is this the sort of thing as a GP you come across?  I mean do you come across people coming into your surgery saying my mum said I should be doing this when actually it’s a load of old nonsense?

S: There are a lot of myths that come in yes, and perhaps one of the most common as you mentioned earlier was feed a cold, starve a fever.  I don’t know why that is, I mean what I recommend is if you feel hungry have something to eat.  You might not feel like very much but if your body gets some nutrition it’s better than nothing

H: So where do they come from, these – I mean that sounds medieval to me.  Do you think – is there any truth in any of them?

S: I think there’s truth in some, like for example carrots help you see in the dark.  They do have things in, something called beta carotene which is converted into a pigment in the eye which can help you see and might improve night vision, so possibly there is some truth in that one for example

H: Ok. I’ll just run through some of the others that were in the survey.  You can get piles from sitting on a cold floor.  31% of mums thought that and I actually remember my PE teacher saying that to me, I was sitting on the steps waiting to go in for netball, is that true?

S: If you have piles then sitting on a cold, hard step will make them more uncomfortable so you’re aware of them, but if you don’t have piles then that is not going to cause them

H: So you can all sit on the cold floor, no problem about that.  Not htat you’d do that any more.  Aftershave can help to cure cold sores.  31% of people thought that - that sounds very painful

S: Well the alcohol is an astringent that would help to dry them out, but you’re right, it does sting.  It’s not very pleasant, I would think having very strong after shave around that area

H: No, ouch

S: So it’s much better to use one of the treatments that’s provided for that – you know for that condition

H: Right ok.  Banana skins to help cure a wart.  16% thought that.  There’s a lot of myths surrounding warts aren’t there – all sorts of funny things. Banana skins, do they have anything to do with curing warts Sarah?

S: I think anything that you rub into a wart stimulates it and might disrupt a cell and help the immune system get in there and attack it

H: Right

S: Because the virus is hidden away if you like, and the immune system can’t readily recognise it

H: Oh ok

S: But I don’t know of any evidence that says there’s anything in a banana skin that helps to cure the wart virus.  Sadly

H: Well.  And what about wrapping up warm to help prevent a cold?  42% of people thought that.  If you put a hat and gloves on will it stop you getting a chill, as my mum used to say?

S: Well it’s interesting because there might be some truth in that. There was some research done recently which people were asked to sit with their feet in a bowl of cold water, and then they were exposed to the cold
virus and in  - in some research laboratory – and those that had their feet exposed to cold were more likely to develop symptoms

H: Oh interesting

S: Than those that didn’t.  So possibly there is something in that.  Perhaps the immune – the body is stressed if you like, by cold, then your immunity is not as good as it should be

H: That’s it, so is there a grain of truth in a lot of these things?

S: There can be yes but I’m not sure who would want to volunteer –

H: For the research

S: To be exposed deliberately to the cold virus, it’s a hard one to do

H: Now we are live so get your questions into us, or your comments.  We’d love to hear from you.  Quite a few of you have been writing in already and one of those who has is Diane.  She says “is it silly to go out with
wet hair in the cold?”  Another thing my mum always said, after I’d been swimming, you must dry you hair because otherwise you’ll come down with some hideous illness.  Is there any truth in that?

S: It might be similar to the fact that if you’ve got cold, wet feet you’re more likely to develop symptoms.  Possibly it has some effect on stressing the body and stress does reduce immunity, apart from anything else you’re not going to look very good

H: No that’s true.  That’s true.  Ok well it’s all interesting stuff isn’t it, we’ve all got our favourites haven’t we? But let’s move on to some sort of modern day myths as well.  Quite a lot of myths surrounding painkillers – they’ve sort of become part of our culture haven’t they, myths about painkillers?  Fiona tell us what your research found

F: Well there was some interesting ones, and you kind of recognise them yourself, and I have to say suffering from tension headaches I was quite relieved to find some of them were absolutely not true

H: Right

F: One of the real favourites is that you should under dose, so read the back of the packet and then take less because that will be better for you.  Now the good news is that’s absolutely not the case

H: Right

F: And it’s much better to take the correct dosage and repeat it at the correct intervals which are more likely to get rid of the pain you’re feeling, whether it’s a headache or back pain or whatever.  And another one that I think’s really interesting is also that if you take painkillers regularly, so if you’re a headache sufferer or a lower back pain sufferer, you know not – to avoid taking painkillers until you absolutely need it, when you’re in dire need.  Again that’s a lot of rubbish

H: So you can’t get immune to them basically?

F: No.  No

H: The more you take, you don’t need to take even more to make it work

F: You need to make sure you’re taking the correct dosage over the correct intervals, not taking too many.  But you don’t become immune to them.  So again, very useful thing to find out because you do hear people saying that don’t you

S: Exactly

H: But you do – you must trust the manufacturer at the end of the day, they’ve done the research haven’t they?

F: Exactly

H: If it’s written on the back of the packet then it’s going to be alright.  You’re better off trusting the manufacturer than trusting your mate down the road aren’t you?

F: That’s right

H: Now a lot of people as well, 47% thought that you should never mix two types of painkiller – is that true?  Sarah?

S: It can actually be helpful to take more than one painkiller if you have pain that isn’t controlled by one painkiller.  But you need to know what you’re doing.  I always say start with Paracetamol first, because that’s the painkiller that is most likely to suit you.  It can be given to children which some of the other painkillers can’t.  It’s less likely to interact with other drugs that you might be taking, and any other medical condition you have, Paracetamol is the one that’s likely to suit you

H: Ok

S: But if taking you might need to take something else as well, then obviously talk to your pharmacist or your doctor.  But some people who are taking Ibuprofen for example, you only take that every 8 hours, but you can take Paracetamol in between it

H: Oh ok

S: So you’re sort of having a pain ladder, if you like, you’re sort of building up. But I would always say start with Paracetamol, if that isn’t enough then have a word with your Pharmacist.  The important thing is not to take more than one painkiller that contains Paracetamol

H: Right

S: Then you might take too much

H: You’ve got to be careful with flu remedies and what have you as well, that – they’re getting so good at labelling now aren’t they and if you buy something the pharmacist always says, don’t they, you must know that you can’t take these two together because you do have to be a little bit careful with Paracetamol don’t you?  Katie has sent a message, comment in – she says “is there one particular painkiller that’s safest for me to give my kids?”  Sarah maybe?

S: I would say start with Paracetamol

H: Right

S: That’s the one that’s most likely to be suitable for children.  Aspirin you shouldn’t give to any child under the age of 16 unless you’re told to by your doctor so Paracetamol is the one to start with really.  It reduces pain, and it also can lower a fever

H: Ok.  And another comment in from Caroline.  She says “will taking Paracetamol damage my kidneys and liver?”

S: If you’re taking the correct dose  then it won’t affect your kidneys and liver at all.  If you take too much then obviously as with any drug, then you might run into problems, so the important thing to do is to take the correct dose, check with your pharmacist if you’re not certain and if you’re taking any other medication or if you already have problems with your kidney or liver then you might want to check.  But for most people I would recommend Paracetamol as the safe, first line option.

H: Ok, good advice there.  Now those of us with children know that it is really quite scary if they get ill.  Fiona you’ve got two children is that right?

F: I’ve got two children yes

H: How old are they?

F: I’ve got two little girls, 7 and 10

H: Oh lovely.  Have you had any major illness scares?

F: We’re very lucky actually, we haven’t had any major illness scares – fears or anything like that yet, so touching wood, but you know we have friends who have had illnesses and it’s very worrying. But for me we’re very lucky actually because we have fantastic local pharmacists

H: Oh right.  That’s a bonus isn’t it?

F: So whenever you have any – the occasions when we’ve had something mild or we’ve wanted to go and look at is something a verucca or verucca or can we take this or shouldn’t we?  We pop down to Jack – and
we’re on first term names now – and he’s great, so it does mean that we’re not queuing up in the doctor’s surgery for every little bib and bob that the kids have, or my husband or myself have – we pop down the road, ask him first and he’s a great source of information, and I think more and more people should be using their pharmacist

H: Yes a friendly pharmacist – because they are more than happy to help aren’t they?

F: They are, yes absolutely

H: When should you actually go to your doctor Sarah, because I’m sort of always worried about wasting their time, and particularly when you’ve got kids, it is a bit worrying.  How bad does it have to be before you go to your doctor’s?

S: I think mums have got very good sense about when their baby or child is ill, and I think if you’re concerned in any way at all then pick up the phone and talk to the surgery, or you can ring NHS Direct and ask for advice there but I think with children it’s always best to be safe rather than sorry, if you like

H: Right

S: So if you’re concerned, especially if they seem to be getting worse rather than better or something seems to be carrying on too long or if they’re listless, they’ve got a high temperature, if they’re not acting themselves, then just find some advice

H: Yes and GPs are usually pretty good aren’t they? They’re rather you went in and it be nothing than not go in and it be something

S: Yes chances are that there isn’t anything serious wrong, but sometimes you can’t tell and sometimes things can go wrong very quickly.  So I always trust the mum.  If the mum says somebody isn’t right then they need to be checked

H: Yes, yes.  Now we’ve got Christmas just round the corner.  A joy to some but it can be very stressful can’t it, especially people like Fiona who gets tension headaches.  Have all the family round, you’ve got the Christmas dinner, there’s bound to be some sort of row, and then somebody ends up getting flu or something. What should we have in our cupboard – Fiona, what do you keep in your medicine cupboard for emergencies at Christmas?

F: I mean it’s the – there’s all the joys that go with Chirstmas but if you are a tension headache person then that will be on the increase, and with lots of different – you know you have lots of different people popping into the house over the Christmas period, whether it’s the in-laws, whether it’s the nieces or the nephews or the husband whose bound to get man flu over the Christmas –

H: Teenagers with hangovers

F: Yes absolutely.  But having something, particularly in the pain relief department, that I know that I can trust I can give to different people is really important to me

H: Yes

F: And learning about Paracetamol was really useful because it doesn’t react with other medicines and it does suit most people so that’s a really good staple, and for me the new product, Panadol Advance which disperse 5 times faster is a great relief and I know I will be pretty dependent on making sure that’s in my handbag and in the cupboard over Christmas.  Hopefully I won’t have to use it but you never know

H: But if it works and it works quickly then that’s what you want isn’t it?

F: Absolutely

H: Yes that’s what you want.  Now we all use painkillers don’t we, and some people are a little bit funny about them but I have to say if I have a headache I do take pain relief for it,  but there are so many different types on the shelves aren’t there?  You go into the supermarket and there’s just so many different ones.  So Sarah can you tell us a little bit about the different types of pain relief and how they actually work, if that’s not too complicated? 

S: Well they all work in slightly different ways, Paracetamol which is the usual first line treatment has a direct effect on the brain to reduce pain sensation and also to lower a fever, and that’s the one that’s most likely to
suit most people, so that’s the one I always recommend first. There are other painkillers like Aspirin for example, they also reduce pain but in a slightly different way.  They work in a similar way to Ibuprofen and those two can cause problems with the stomach, irritate the stomach lining for some people

H: Right

S: And they can interact with other drugs and there might be medical conditions which they aren’t suitable. So if you’re not certain what’s right for you then check with your doctor or with a pharmacist, but for most people first line Paracetamol is the best option

H: My mum always used to say before I took an Aspirin that you should have a glass of milk because then it sort of lines your stomach – is that another old wife’s tale?

S: There possibly is some truth in that, I mean milk is slightly alkaline so that might help but if you know it’s going to irritate your stomach, don’t take it

H: Don’t take it, no

S: Take Paracetamol

H: Instead!  Ok now we’ve had quite a lot of your comments in and we’ve got this one from Sean from Wembley, I’m not absolutely sure whether this is for real but anyway – it’s worth a go.  “Is it true that sex cures a headache?”

S: Well there’s actually some research that shows if you have sex when you have a headache the headache is more likely to return the next time you have sex, and that might continue for at least 6 months

H: No!

S: So if you have a headache I would not recommend taking that –

H: So there you are Sean, if she’s got a headache, she’s got a headache, alright?  Stop trying it on, just leave her alone!  My goodness me.  Poor woman.  Right, one in from Amy, she says “is it true that mustard on the chest helps a cold?” Oh yuk can you think of anything worse when you’ve got a cold?  Sarah?
S: I guess that’s the old poltus treatment isn’t it, which is put on – I would not recommend it, no.  I mean if you’re going to put something on then rub in something that’s got an essential oil in it, which you know helps you to breathe, reduces congestion but no, keep your mustard for your beef!

H: I suppose a lot of these things come from the days when you couldn’t just pop down to the pharmacist, when, I don’t know during medieval times or during the war, people didn’t have 24 hour shopping and if you’d got a cold on a Sunday and you didn’t have anything in the cupboard, well mustard was maybe the best thing, so maybe that’s where a lot of them come from

S: Very odd

H: It’s interesting isn’t it?  Right Shelley Cooper has sent this one in which is an interesting one – “is it true that a diet full of tomatoes can help prevent cancer?”  Sarah?

S: Well tomatoes contain a substance called lycopene and that does have some anti-cancer activity, especially against the male prostate gland, but it appears that in order to absorb it you need to have cooked tomatoes, so the sauces that you get on pizzas, and the ketchups for example, they can have some benefit, but – yes obviously lots of other things have an effect as well, so  -

H: Eat healthily

S: Yes

H: That’s the best

S: A healthy lifestyle and choose your parents carefully because genes are very important as well

H: It’s a bit late for me on that front I’m afraid!  Well that’s about all we’ve got time for today actually so Sarah and Fiona thanks so much for coming in, it’s been really interesting. For anyone who sent us in a question on Swine Flu or the vaccine then please check the NHS Direct website, and if you want more advice on what isn’t a medical myth you can visit mypainrelief.com.  Well let’s hope we all have a happy and healthy Christmas.  Thanks very much for watching, bye bye