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There are many home remedies out there that purport to help you feel better when you\u2019ve got the cold or flu, from eating chicken noodle soup to drinking glasses of OJ.<\/span><\/p>\n But perhaps no folk tonic is more enjoyable to partake of than the hot toddy. Traditionally made with whiskey, hot water, lemon, and honey, this warm, comforting cocktail remains firmly entrenched in some people\u2019s psyches as being a miracle cure for sniffles and coughs.<\/span><\/p>\n The question is: Does it really work? Might you even use it as a kind of all-natural substitute for something like NyQuil? Or is it just an excuse to enjoy an alcoholic beverage when you aren\u2019t feeling so well? Below I walk you through the answers to those questions.<\/span><\/p>\n The big question surrounding whether it\u2019s good to drink a hot toddy when you\u2019re sick is whether or not its alcohol content has a beneficial or detrimental effect on your health.<\/span><\/p>\n In high doses, alcohol certainly falls into the latter category.<\/span><\/p>\n Multiple servings of alcohol dehydrate you, disrupt your sleep pattern, and suppress your immune system — all effects you certainly don\u2019t want when you\u2019re sick! Alcohol can also exacerbate the symptoms of a cold — increasing your congestion, worsening your head and body aches, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n However, in small, single doses — around 1-1.5oz — you can not only avoid these negative effects, but reap a few positive ones:<\/span><\/p>\n First, alcohol can dilate your blood vessels, easing inflammation and increasing the blood flow \u2014 including beneficial illness-fighting cells \u2014 to infected areas. (It should be noted that hot water does the same thing.) <\/span><\/p>\n Second, alcohol can relieve pain and (again, in the form of a single drink) help you sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n Third, alcohol can help alleviate congestion. If you\u2019ve taken a whiff of a bottle of whiskey, you\u2019ll know how well it clears out your sinuses. Combined with the steam of hot water, it becomes doubly effective.<\/span><\/p>\n Fourth, alcohol can help stave off bacterial infections with its natural antibacterial properties. Most colds are viral in nature, but <\/span>can<\/span><\/i> cause secondary infections of the bacterial variety.<\/span><\/p>\n So bottom line is that alcohol has a beneficial rather than detrimental effect on your body when you\u2019ve got the cold or flu, <\/span>as long as you keep the dosage small<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n That a small amount of alcohol is comforting when you\u2019re sick is why NyQuil is made with 10% of the stuff. (Though the official line from the company is that the alcohol is there simply to act as a solvent for the other ingredients. Sure.)<\/span><\/p>\n But rather than drinking a concoction made with chemical thickeners, multiple artificial colors, and high fructose corn syrup, or, for that matter, just taking a shot of, say, plain old vodka, the hot toddy is arguably the best alcoholic drink to reach for when you\u2019re sick. Why?<\/span><\/p>\n First, the lemon in the cocktail provides a vitamin C boost, which, while it doesn\u2019t prevent colds, can help lessen the duration of their symptoms. Second, honey has been used for centuries to soothe coughs and scratchy throats. It may also help you fight off a virus; while it\u2019s often said that sugar generally lowers the immune system, when you actually have an infection,<\/span> glucose can help you fight it off<\/span><\/a>. Both lemon and honey also have antibacterial properties.<\/span><\/p>\n Plus, a hot toddy is served, well, hot, and its warmth and steam can help with your congestion and just feel generally soothing. There\u2019s no real \u201ccure\u201d for a cold, and whether you\u2019re drinking a hot toddy or taking a dose of NyQuil, you\u2019re just looking to mask the symptoms, so you can be more comfortable and get some restorative sleep. A hot toddy has both the taste and the temperature to put you at ease.<\/span><\/p>\n Nyquil, of course, isn\u2019t just alcohol — it also contains an antihistamine, a pain reliever (acetaminophen\/Tylenol), and a cough suppressant. So if you\u2019re feeling really under the weather, you can\u2019t just sub its medicine for a cocktail. <\/span><\/p>\n Instead, to get the same effects as NyQuil, you\u2019d need to take a separate pain reliever, antihistamine, and\/or cough suppressant with your hot toddy. But mixing cold medicines with alcohol is something you need to do with care.<\/span><\/p>\n In general, if you\u2019re a reasonable person who\u2019s taking a couple Tylenols with a single hot toddy (or other drink), you\u2019re not going to run into any issues.<\/span><\/p>\n That said, you always hear about the dangers of mixing alcohol and medications, so we talked to Doctor Mike A. to get the real scoop on the risks of drinking and taking other cold medicines at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n When it comes to mixing alcohol and pain relievers, Dr. Mike agrees that, as just mentioned, having a couple pills of Tylenol with a single drink won\u2019t be a problem for most people. What is a problem is overdosing on either (or both). Doctor Mike did also note that Tylenol (which is processed through the liver) isn\u2019t recommended for anyone with any sort of liver problem, so in that scenario, mixing it with alcohol (also processed through the liver) can exacerbate some pre-existing health problems. When it comes to pain relief, then, the doc recommends taking Advil instead of Tylenol, which is processed through the kidneys rather than the liver, making it safer for consumption with alcohol.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re in need of cough relief, the doc says you\u2019ll be alright taking something like Mucinex DM with your (single) hot toddy.<\/span><\/p>\nIs It Okay to Drink Alcohol When You\u2019re Sick?<\/h3>\n
Why a Hot Toddy Is Good for What Ails Ya<\/h3>\n
Is It Okay to Take Other Cold Medicines With a Hot Toddy (or Other Kinds of Alcohol)?<\/h3>\n