My Family Doctor
A family practitioner for over 25 years, Dr. Hubbard knows the medical world inside and out. Frustrated by managed care and the lack of time doctors were able to spend educating patients, he launched James Hubbard's My Family Doctor: The Magazine That Makes Housecalls, a national magazine written by health care practitioners that is his answer to hurried doctor visits, conflicting medical studies, and complicated treatment options.
Gargling Controversy: Tap Water as a Cold Remedy?
Newspaper questions study
The most popular article in our latest e-newsletter took on a simple, long-time first-aid remedy: hydrogen peroxide. Believe it or not, it may do your cuts more harm than good.
After our managing editor tweeted a link to it, Twitter follower Ross Kennedy asked, “What about gargling with diluted peroxide?” Good question.
I’m not aware of any well-done studies that have shown that gargling with peroxide helps prevent infections. It probably doesn’t hurt, as long as it’s well diluted. (Otherwise, it can cause a burn.) One study did suggest that gargling with plain old water might help keep you free of colds, but the validity of its findings has been questioned.
The great gargling controversy
Apparently, gargling is pretty popular in Japan. A few years ago, a loose-knit group of Japanese researchers known as the “Great Cold Investigators” published a study on it. They divided a group of people into three sets. One set gargled with tap water three times a day. Another gargled with an antiseptic. The remainder were told to maintain their usual routine.
In the end, the tap water group had fewer colds. The researchers speculated that the chlorine could have “inactivated” the viruses or that swishing the water got rid of some enzymes in the throat that help infections grow. In a later analysis, they found no evidence that gargling prevented the flu.
But late last year, this article from the Japan Times noted some interesting flaws in the study. For one thing, many of the people in the control group—the ones told to stay with their usual routine—ended up gargling several times a day! (Remember, gargling is popular over there.) Also, a higher percentage of people in that group were from a part of Japan that has more colds than the other regions, according to the article.
The bottom line is, gargle if you want. Just don’t go overboard. If it’s painful, don’t do it. Boring old good nutrition, hand washing, and plenty of rest still seem to be the gold standard for preventing infections.
By James Hubbard, MD, MPH
My Family Doctor Blog
[Originally posted March 3, 2010, James Hubbard’s My Family Doctor Web site.]
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