From colds to rheumatism, it seems that alcohol in the popular sense cures almost everything. So, for example, they offer to drink vodka in order to quickly recover from SARS, they also rub the lower back, which is suddenly seized, and disinfect the skin instead of an antiseptic, writes Doctor Peter.
However, doctors have dispelled these myths.
On the air of Sputnik radio, the doctor-therapist of the highest category, toxicologist Alexei Vodovozov said that the myths and legends around vodka developed at a time when there were no affordable medicines.
“Pharmacy preparations in the 17th-19th centuries could only be afforded by very wealthy people, while for others there was vodka. Therefore, at one time it was used both as an anesthetic, and as an antiseptic, and as other medicines, ”the expert explained.
However, according to the doctor, in none of these hypostases can vodka be compared with real treatment. Moreover, the consequences can be unpredictable.
“If we use alcohol in an attempt to help the immune system, then we are doing exactly the opposite,” said Vodovozov. – Scientists have very well described the immune-suppressing properties of ethanol – the main active ingredient in vodka. That is, during an illness, this drink will be on the side of the infection, and not the person.
Of course, there is always a person who is “always helped”, but exceptions only confirm the rule. The toxicologist emphasizes that more than one large-scale study has been conducted on this topic. And they all showed that the “wonderful” properties of vodka evaporate during testing.
“From a pharmacological point of view, ethanol works as a depressant, it dampens the activity of neurons,” warns Vodovozov. – A high dose of this substance can lead to a stop of the centers of respiration and cardiac activity. That is, ethanol coma and death are possible, such cases are described.
Source: Rosbalt
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