Eli5 : how does cold medicine work? It alleviates symptoms so well and quickly, but doesn’t “cure” and I don’t understand how or why.
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You get a cold when germs have made their way into your body and successfully start to multiply. When the germs multiply, they are using your body’s tools and supplies and can cause damage. This is unwanted and once your immune system detects this, it starts to fight these germs to stop it, destroy them and get them out of your body. The weapons your immune system uses are largely what causes the symptoms (fever, sore throat, mucus, couching, headache etc.). Each of these things helps to slow or stop multiplying or to destroy the germ. For example, a fever is your body turning up the temperature to try and cook the germ like an egg so it can no longer multiply. While these things are happening white blood cells, which are basically your immune systems soldiers are on the front lines battling head-to-head with the germs to netralize them, surround them, destroy them and ship them out of the body. The only way to be cured is for your immune system to complete that task. Cold medications are chemicals that basically turn off or reduce the use of some of your body’s weapons systems or turn on other things that temporarily block them. As a result, you don’t feel as sick. The white blood cells are still doing their thing, but without the assistance of these other supports. There is ongoing research into how medicating symptoms affects the immune system and the length of a sickness.
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