Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ya-ta Boy]

I've had a bad cold for two weeks. Every Korean I've talked to has said, "Don't drink cold water. Sleep on a traditional ondol floor (not the modern ones)." Even Koreans who say they never take medicine insist I should get some medicine for a cold.

What's the logic/rationale for this? Anyone know?

[Wrench]

Actually your not supposed to drink cold water ever.. It should always be luke warm/ room temp. Cold water shocks the body. As far as sleeping on a heated conrete floor I think thats some stupid Korean superstition.

[Leslie Cheswyck]

Any kind of H2O is good for you when you have a cold. Room temperature is best.

Hot liquids going down the tube inhibit the reproductive process of the virus there (the same way cold showers do on the human reproductive process ), giving the body's natural defences an edge. Hot lemon tea is my favorite. Even coffee, for all the diuretic effect of caffeine, will do in a pinch.

[canuck in Ansan]

I've heard that you can burn extra calories by drinking cold water, cause your body has to heat it up.

but no, I agree. I have a cold, and my co-workers act shocked when I drink cold water, and they keep asking if I've been to the hospital yet.

....isn't that a little drastic for a cold?

[peppermint]

If you go to the doc cause of a cold here, they give you a shot in the bum, and several baggies of multicolored pills. I've got no clue what's in that shot, but the one time I got it I felt drunk for the rest of the day, and somewhat functional the next day

[schwa]

There are two rationales at work there, eastern & western.

Asian medicine stresses keeping the body warm when you have a cold. Hence facemasks -- not to prevent spread but to keep the breath warm. Likewise ondol & the benefits of the sauna.

Western medicine serves the mindset of functioning at work at all costs. Instant fix, even if it makes you stoned.

Meanwhile the normal cold, wherever you are on earth, runs about a week or 10 days & actually makes you stronger if you ride it out without pharmaceuticals. Maybe warmth helps. I'd say liquids of any description do.

Get well soon!

[elynnor]

...

[plattwaz]

[shortskirt_longjacket]

I once had a Korean recommend to me that I not take a shower at all during the particularly bad days of a cold/flu.

What's that all about?

I've always found that a shower makes me feel better (if I can tolerate standing erect for that long in a hot shower). What's the reasoning behind recommending no showers?

[Nowhere Man]

Just don't leave the fan on.

[I_Am_Wrong]

refrigeration was developed so that you can keep certain foods for a longer period of time without them going bad. Ie. milk, cheese, eggs, meat. Somewhere along the line thinking got distorted and people thought that everything you drink should be super cold too. When it's warm outside luke warm water will refesh you faster than cold water because your body doesn't have to waste energy. Water also helps to keep us warm in the winter. If you drink cold water then your body wastes valuable energy that could be used to keep you warm. Of course, no of this really matter because we all live lives of gross excess.

[peemil]

Hot whiskey or rum before bed, just to knock you on your head always helps.

[princess]

[Porter_Goss]