Chicken Soup for the...Common Cold

This past weekend in Los Angeles was a reminder of what beautiful California sunshine is all about.  The birds were out chirping, the kids were out running, and my friends were out soaking in some sun at the beach.  I was home.  Coughing.

Catching a cold every year is expected, especially while working in the medical field where dodging a patient's precisely-guided cough is an essential skill.  Unfortunately, most of us have to accept defeat after a direct hit while trying to examine the throat with a tongue depressor.  (Note: when asked to say "aahh," it is entirely possible to do so without coughing.)  After my latest date with the common cold or sinus infection, I found myself bed bound and hopped up on Sudafed and Mucinex.  I'm sure most people can attest to the bad taste medication leaves in your mouth after a couple of days, and I was willing to try anything different.  I had heard a lot about chicken soup as a possible home remedy and the great taste was surely a huge plus as well.  So I tried to find out what was so special about chicken soup, and here it is.

When chicken is cooked into soup, it releases an amino acid called Cysteine.  This amino acid is actually a part of a medication known as N-acetylcysteine that is used to help break down secretions or mucus in the lungs.  Therefore, the cysteine from chicken soup is thought to aid in the process of mucus breakdown during the common cold or sinus infection.  I would say that the whole concept of cysteine seems theoretical but in reality it is actually manufactured into a medication.  This gives it significantly more credibility.

While there probably won't be any studies to back up the finding of chicken soup for the common cold, there also aren't any studies for many home remedies.  At the end of the day, we all know that a viral illness has to play itself out and there isn't much we can do to expedite it.  However, we have to try to treat the symptoms to maintain our own sanity.  So the next time you have a cold and want to keep it natural, head over to the poultry aisle and make some broth.  Cattle and pigs...carry on.