Will Onions Stave Off the Swine?

1109onions.jpg Since you probably can't Snap, Crackle & Pop yourself away from Swine Flu, what can you do armed with only a complete lack of scientific proof and the goods in your cupboard? The Wall Street Journal revisits some old wives tales.

They note that "during the flu epidemic of 1918 that killed 40 million people, a doctor visiting a farmhouse where everyone stayed healthy observed that the family kept an unpeeled onion in each room. He examined one under a microscope and saw that the onion had indeed absorbed flu virus." Allegedly this tale is being spread around to inboxes nationwide, along with a modern day anecdote that a hairdresser also put onions around her shop, and only then did her employees stop getting the flu. Ergo, this onion thing probably works, right?

Not so fast, believers. The CDC claims "There is no scientific evidence that any herbal, homeopathic or other folk remedies have any benefit against influenza." Still, if you're going to get the dreaded H1N1, and you will, then maybe some of the things on this list (can't go wrong with chicken soup!) will help ease the pain.

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Comments (4) [rss]

When I was younger my mum used to feed me onions bolied with sugar if I was ill.

Shes a sadist.

Eat an onion or two a day and no one will come near you. That should reduce the probability of coming down with H1N1 and a number of other communicable diseases. What it will do to your social life is another story.

My grandmother eats onions like apples -- bites right into them, held in hand. She turned 91. Maybe there's something there.

Change your Diet. Eat Healthy. Make sure you have sufficient Vitamin D. Problem Solved.

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