What’s the best way to treat the common cold?

660,561 views ・ 2024-09-17

TED-Ed


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翻译人员: Liwen Huang 校对人员: Tianyun Liu
00:07
Throughout history,
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从古至今,
00:08
one persistent ailment has inspired a variety of treatments.
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一种持续的疾病启发了各种疗法。
00:13
In ancient Egypt, doctors used incantations and breast milk remedies.
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在古埃及, 医生使用咒语和母乳疗法。
00:18
In 18th century Europe, bloodletting was a popular choice.
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在 18 世纪的欧洲, 放血是一个普遍的的选择。
00:21
And when President Calvin Coolidge was afflicted in 1924,
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1924 年卡尔文·柯立芝总统 饱受病痛折磨的时候,
00:26
his ill-advised solution was inhaling poisonous chlorine gas.
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他不明智的解决办法是 吸入有毒的氯气。
00:31
These are just a few of history’s many creative attempts
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这些只是历史上缓解普通感冒
00:35
to soothe the common cold.
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众多富有创造性尝试中的几个。
00:37
Today, pharmacies are filled with a seemingly mountainous assortment
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如今,药房里摆满了看似种类繁多的
00:42
of cold remedies.
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感冒药。
00:44
But how do these products work? And are they effective?
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这些药品是如何起作用的? 它们有效吗?
00:47
While colds are caused by a variety of viruses,
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虽然感冒是由各种病毒引起的,
00:51
their nasty symptoms aren't actually produced by the viruses themselves.
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但令人难受的感冒症状实际上 并不是由病毒本身引起的。
00:56
Rather, they’re the result of your body’s natural defenses.
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确切地说, 它们是身体自然防御的结果。
01:00
When a virus is detected, white blood cells release proteins called cytokines,
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发现病毒时,白细胞会释放出 叫细胞因子的蛋白质,
01:04
which recruit more pathogen-fighting immune cells to the area.
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这些蛋白质会召集更多的 抗病原免疫细胞到该区域。
01:09
To aid in this bombardment, blood vessels widen,
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为了帮助这一轰击, 血管扩张,
01:12
and it's this inflammation that leads to a blocked, stuffy nose.
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正是这种炎症导致了鼻塞。
01:17
The body dials up mucus production in an effort to trap and expel pathogens.
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人体会增加粘液分泌, 以困住和排出病原体。
01:22
But this mucus can irritate and inflame airways,
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但这些粘液会刺激气道, 使气道发炎,
01:26
causing coughing and a sore throat.
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导致咳嗽和嗓子疼。
01:29
Since the viruses causing colds are so varied,
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由于引起感冒的病毒种类繁多,
01:32
pharmacy products aren't designed to attack viruses,
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药房的药品目的不在攻击病毒,
01:36
but rather to alleviate the most common symptoms.
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而是缓解最常见的症状。
01:39
So which pill, syrup, or spray should you choose?
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那么你应该选择哪种 药片、糖浆或喷剂呢?
01:43
Or should you ditch the pharmacy and try a home remedy?
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还是应该抛弃药房尝试家庭疗法?
01:46
It depends.
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这要视情况而定。
01:47
Most pharmacy products contain a painkiller,
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大多数药房的药品含止痛成分,
01:50
in addition to one or several other active ingredients,
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以及一种或几种其它有效成分,
01:54
or those mystifying chemical names stamped onto the packaging.
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即那些印在包装上神秘的化学名称。
01:58
While there are over a dozen cold-related ingredients available,
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虽然有十几种 感冒相关的成分可供选择,
02:02
most fall into one of four symptom-fighting categories:
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但大多属于四种 对抗症状类别中的一种:
02:07
if you’re sick of dealing with the mucous-y mess oozing from your nostrils,
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如果你受够了应付鼻孔流出的粘液,
02:12
you may want to take nasal decongestants, like pseudoephedrine.
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你可能想用鼻减充血剂, 如伪麻黄碱。
02:16
This snot-fighter, found in pills and syrups,
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这种药片和糖浆中含的止涕成分,
02:19
promotes the release of norepinephrine,
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会促进去甲肾上腺素的释放,
02:22
a chemical messenger that reduces blood flow
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去甲肾上腺素是减少血液
02:25
to the vessels in your nasal passages.
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流向鼻腔血管的化学信使。
02:27
This frees air and fluid so that you can breathe more easily.
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这让空气和液体可以自由流动, 让你呼吸更顺畅。
02:32
Cough suppressants aim to quell those torturous coughs.
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止咳药旨在缓解那些折磨人的咳嗽。
02:36
Dextromethorphan, one of the most common suppressants,
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右美沙芬是其中一种最常见的止咳药,
02:39
addresses the head of the command chain,
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它可以控制指挥链的头儿,
02:42
moderating brain regions responsible for coughing.
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稳定引起咳嗽的大脑区域。
02:45
While it’s not fully understood how this ingredient manages to quiet coughs,
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虽然还不完全了解 这种成分是如何止咳的,
02:50
we know it interacts with receptors that neurons use to communicate.
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但我们知道它会与 神经元用来通信的受体相互作用。
02:55
Drugs like ketamine and PCP engage similar receptors,
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氯胺酮和 PCP 等药物 会作用于类似的受体,
02:59
which is why it’s important to take dextromethorphan as directed,
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这就是为什么按指示服用 右美沙芬很重要的原因,
03:03
as high doses are notorious for causing hallucinatory effects.
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众所周知,高剂量会致幻。
03:09
But not all coughing is bad when you have a cold—
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但感冒的时候, 并非所有咳嗽都是不好的——
03:12
expelling mucus can help clear out infectious debris
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排出粘液可以帮助清除传染性碎片
03:16
and ease uncomfortable congestion.
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并缓解难受的充血。
03:19
By lubricating airways, our third class of ingredients, expectorants,
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通过润滑呼吸道, 我们的第三类成分,祛痰剂,
03:24
aim to help improve coughing rather than eliminate it.
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旨在帮助改善咳嗽而不是消除咳嗽。
03:28
Guaifenesin, the most common expectorant,
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愈创甘油醚, 最常见的祛痰剂,
03:31
is thought to hydrate mucus by upping fluid secretions in the respiratory tract,
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它被认为是通过增加呼吸道的 液体分泌来水化粘液,
03:36
making it less sticky and easier to clear out.
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使粘液的粘度更低,更易清除。
03:40
Finally, we have antihistamines.
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最后,我们还有抗组胺药。
03:42
As advertised, these inhibit the effects of histamine,
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正如宣传的那样, 它们会抑制组胺的作用,
03:46
the chemical messenger behind allergy symptoms.
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组胺是过敏症状背后的化学信使。
03:49
While histamines aren't involved producing cold symptoms,
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虽然组胺不产生感冒症状,
03:53
studies suggest many antihistamines can still help dry a runny nose.
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但研究表明,许多抗组胺药 仍然可以帮助止涕。
03:58
Benadryl, for example, contains diphenhydramine,
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例如,Benadryl, 含苯海拉明,
04:02
which blocks both the effects of histamine and a neurotransmitter
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可以阻断组胺和一种神经递质的作用,
04:06
which regulates the flow of mucus in our airways.
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这种神经递质调节气道中粘液的流动。
04:10
Unfortunately histamines also regulate wakefulness in the brain,
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不幸的是,组胺还调节 大脑的清醒程度,
04:14
so many of these drugs can make you drowsy.
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因此其中许多药物会让你昏昏欲睡。
04:17
In this fight against cold symptoms, there’s still a lot we don’t know.
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在这场与感冒症状的对抗中, 还有很多我们不知道的。
04:22
Since these ingredients don’t attack the viruses themselves,
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因为这些成分不攻击病毒本身,
04:25
it’s unclear if any speed up your recovery.
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所以不清楚它们是否会加快康复。
04:29
Further, many were first introduced to the market decades ago,
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此外,许多药品是 几十年前首次引入市场的,
04:32
when studies were less rigorous.
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当时的研究不那么缜密。
04:35
So, scientists continue to reevaluate how well each ingredient relieves symptoms.
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因此,科学家们不停地重新评估 每种成分缓解症状的效果。
04:41
Similar questions remain around holistic remedies.
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整体疗法仍然存在类似的问题。
04:44
Many people use zinc, but research on its effectiveness is inconclusive.
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许多人使用锌, 但对其效果的研究尚无定论。
04:50
And while vitamin C has many benefits,
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虽然维生素 C 有很多好处,
04:52
the value of taking large doses to fight a cold is likely overhyped.
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但大剂量服用抗感冒的好处 可能被夸大了。
04:58
Yet studies suggest that honey can improve cough
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不过研究表明蜂蜜可以改善咳嗽,
05:01
and may even shorten your illness by a day or two.
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甚至可以将病程缩短一两天。
05:05
Who knows what the future of cold treatment will look like.
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谁知道感冒治疗未来会是什么样子。
05:08
Until then, better understanding these products can help you choose
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在那之前,更好地了解这些药品 可以帮助你选择
05:12
the right ones for your symptoms—
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对症的药——
05:14
and know which remedies can best reduce the sting of a nasty cold.
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知道哪种药最能减轻感冒带来的痛苦。
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