3 Myths You Should Stop Believing When You're Sick

Cold and flu season has finally hit. Most likely, you (or someone you are close to) will experience the stuffy nose, sore throat, or cough at some point over the next few months. Drinking fluids and eating healthy is very important when you are sick, but you should also know that some remedies are not as rooted in truth as you would have thought.

Click here for the 13 Surprising Ways to Avoid Getting Sick slideshow.

Supplements

Loading your body up with vitamins will not solve all of your cold and flu problems. In fact, too many supplements in the wrong doses can negatively impact your health. Obtain your vitamins and minerals from healthy sources of food instead, where you will really benefit.

Vitamin C

When your nose starts to pour, there is no doubt you will reach for some source of vitamin C. Unfortunately, there aren't enough science-backed studies that suggest vitamin C has real cold-fighting properties. However, vitamin C does strengthen your immune system, so if you have a cold, taking it could shorten the duration that it lasts.

Zinc

Zinc has a reputation for fighting colds, but a lot of the studies do not really prove that zinc lozenges or syrup could reduce the time you have a cold.