How Germans fight colds

Can a boiled beer defeat the common cold? Generations of German mothers say it can. Though cherry-picked science supports this view - humulones and isohumulones in hops have antiviral properties, for example - even researchers at Japan's third-largest brewery, Sapporo, had to admit: It'd take roughly 20 liters of the stuff for any antiviral "benefit" to apply.

If you see a bed-ridden German with damp cloths around his calves, it's a sure sign he's battling a fever. And actually beating it back. Since legs have more surface area than the forehead, a damp cloth around the calf reduces temperatures more quickly. Two common caveats from German doctors: Use lukewarm water (not ice!), and remove after 30 minutes.

Indoors, a scarf worn loosely is fashion. Cinch it tightly, though, and it's a sign of illness. Germans use scarves to alleviate sore throat symptoms (correctly) and to prevent that virus from becoming tonsillitis (incorrectly). More importantly, that strip of fabric protects one of the most intensely "vulnerable" patches of skin on the German body ...

... the back of a German neck. Germans will tell you that a draft of air, or "Zug," across this fragile skin swathe causes neck pain, headaches, colds or influenza. "Complete nonsense," says German virologist Ortwin Adams. There is neither evidence that an exposed nape can drop one's temperature faster than elsewhere, nor that being cold contributes significantly to catching a cold or flu virus.

Here's another tip-off to nearby illness: Twice-baked bread biscuits called "Zwieback" or fistfuls of pretzel sticks. Germans consume them en masse after diarrhea or vomiting. They would add that it all goes down best with Coca-Cola classic. But while the foodstuffs are in fact a good idea - particularly the salt on the pretzels - forget the bottle of Coke. Caffeine is a known diuretic.

Cold symptoms - and even aches and pains - seem to evaporate when the German body comes into contact with chamomile salts and bathwater. But this is true for everyone. Chemical extracts from the flower have been shown to reduce inflammation by inhibiting COX-2 enzymes, as steroids do. Bath steam, meanwhile, alleviates coughing and congestion. Just 20 minutes, though, say Germany's doctors.

But what about zapping a virus entirely? Could a hot sauna session (or scalding bath) create a "fake fever" and thereby nuke the common cold or flu virus? No, says virologist Adams."Fevers are not virus-destroying - they're ineffective." Similarly, saunas are not capable of raising body temperatures to a level that would kill the rhinovirus or influenza.

For that dry, nagging cough, how about a warm cup of milk and honey? The science is in on this German old wives' tale ... and the second ingredient actually does work. Separate US studies in 2007 and 2012 showed that moderate doses of honey reduced overnight coughing in children more than honey-flavored placebos.

Onions. Unfounded rumors that this raw vegetable can magically vacuum up airborne viruses have also taken hold in Germany. Here, onion juice - the product of a stovetop boiling - is served to sicklings. Though the beverage does rehydrate, there is no scientific evidence to support the use of onions over ginger root or herbal tea. Anecdotally, onion juice can also cause nausea.

Any German woman will tell you: When a man gets sick, he becomes a sniffly little crybaby whose whining makes him insufferable. Are they right? A Stanford study examined 160,000 hospital records in which patients ranked pain on 250 diseases. The result: Women experienced pain more intensely - or at least admitted to it on paper. As for which sex is most vocal about pain, the science is still out.