VOA慢速英语2011--What Do You Know About the Common Cold?

Health Report - What Do You Know About the Common Cold?

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语健康报道。

Do you think getting cold can give you a cold? Is it bad to drink milk when you have a cold? Can chicken soup cure a cold?

你觉得越来越冷会让你感冒吗？感冒时喝牛奶不好？鸡汤能治感冒？

Ranit Mishori is a family medicine doctor at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington. She says colds are more common in winter, but not because of low temperatures. The cold weather just means people stay inside more.

瑞丽特·米歇里（Ranit Mishori）是位于华盛顿的乔治敦大学医学中心的家庭医学博士。她说，感冒在冬季很普遍，但并不是因为气温低。寒冷的天气仅意味着大家呆在室内的时间更长。

RANIT MISHORI: "People tend to congregate 1 and be together and the way the common cold virus is transmitted from one person to another is through handshakes, through sneezing, or coughing on one another."

米歇里：“人们往往聚在一起，这样，普通感冒病毒通过握手从一个人传播到另一人，或通过打喷嚏、咳嗽互相传播。”

Adults generally get two to three colds a year. Children are likely to catch four or five. Dr. Mishori says some people mistakenly believe they can become resistant 2 to colds.

成年人一般每年感冒2~3次，儿童可能感冒4~5次。米歇里博士说，一些人错误地认为他们可以抵抗感冒。

RANIT MISHORI: "There are about two hundred different viruses that cause the common cold. People think that once you get infected one time you develop immunity 3 for the rest of your life. This is wrong."

米歇里：“有大约200种可以导致普通感冒的不同病毒。人们认为一旦感染一次感冒就能终身免疫，这是错误的。”

There is still no cure for the common cold. But Dr. Mishori says there are ways to feel better sooner.

目前仍没有治愈感冒的良方。但米歇里博士表示，有些办法可以让你更快好转。

RANIT MISHORI: "So if you get a cold and on day one and you start taking about two grams of vitamin C a day, there is evidence that it might shorten the number of days that you will be suffering with these symptoms."

米歇里：“所以如果你患了感冒，从第一天开始每天服用约2克维生素C。有证据表明，它可以缩短感冒持续的时间。”

She says honey can also help.

她表示蜂蜜也有帮助。

RANIT MISHORI: "There is increased evidence that it helps shorten the duration of the common cold sometimes even by two to three days."

米歇里：“越来越多的证据表明，蜂蜜有助于缩短感冒持续时间，有时甚至可以缩短2~3天。”

Dr. Mishori says honey seems to be especially effective in children with colds. But the Agriculture Department says never to feed honey to babies less than one year old. It says even honey in prepared foods may contain substances that can make babies very sick.

米歇里博士说，蜂蜜对患感冒的儿童似乎特别有效。但美国农业部称，不要给一岁以下的婴儿喂食蜂蜜。该部门表示，即使是食物中的蜂蜜，也可能含有导致儿童不舒服的物质。

Some people believe in treating a cold with chicken soup. Does it work?

一些人相信鸡汤可以治疗感冒。这有效吗？

RANIT MISHORI: "Chicken soup has anti-inflammatory properties, so it helps reduce the duration of the cold but also it helps clear the mucus."

米歇里：“鸡汤具有抗发炎的特效，因此它有助于减少感冒持续时间，还有助于清除黏液。”

Mucus is the sticky substance that can make you cough and have trouble breathing during a cold.

黏液是感冒时使你咳嗽和呼吸困难的粘性物质。

Have you ever heard the old saying "feed a cold, starve a fever"? Dr. Mishori says this is not necessarily a good guideline to follow. She says if you have a cold but do not feel hungry, then don't eat.

你听过这样一句老话吗？“感冒多吃点，发烧多饿会。”米歇里博士表示，这没有一个必然的准则可循。她说，如果你感冒了，但又不觉得饿，就不要吃。

RANIT MISHORI: "But you have to drink a lot and you can drink water or you can drink tea -- anything that gets fluids into your body. That's very important."

米歇里：“但你要多饮。你可以喝水，也可以喝茶 - 或任何进入身体的液体，这是非常重要的。”

But what about drinking milk during a cold? Some people think it only causes more mucus. Dr. Mishori says yes and no.

那感冒期间喝牛奶如何呢？一些人认为喝牛奶只会导致更多黏液。米歇里说这个观点正确，但又不正确。

RANIT MISHORI: "Dairy products do not cause increased secretions 4, but they can thicken the secretions. So it's possible that discomfort 5 is somewhat more enhanced when you drink milk. But obviously, if you're a baby and that's all you drink, you should not stop giving babies milk."

RANIT MISHORI：“乳制品不会导致分泌物增加，但会导致分泌物变厚。因此可能喝牛奶会更加不适。但很明显，如果是一个只能喝牛奶的婴儿，就不应该停止喝奶。”