How do you treat a cold? What really makes us feel better? Not all our great grandparents told us - was nonsense! Yesterday, science specialist Ed Yeates looked at myths without fact. But today, he's not so sure.

That's right --- like old recipes from pioneer apothecaries, some things really do work. Sometimes, doctors can't explain it - and sometimes, it's simply a matter of mind over body - the placebo effect! We call these Medical Myths with some merit.

Grandma said if you've got a cold, eat some chicken soup. A hot bowl of anything makes us feel better. But is there something specific in chicken soup? By accident, one university researcher placed the soup in test tubes and saw a reaction.

((PAUL WIRKUS M.D., KSL MYTH CONSULTANT: "IT INHIBITED WHITE BLOOD CELL ACTION, SO HIS READING OF THAT - IT MAY IMPROVE THE SYMPTOMS BUT IT MAY NOT HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE LENGTH OF THE DISEASE."))

At age 19, Zach Carver hardly remembers having colic as a baby. But his mother remembers well.

(("HE WOULD SCREAM EVERY AFTERNOON STARTING ABOUT 5 O'CLOCK FOR AN HOUR-AND-HALF. HE WOULD SCREAM. THERE WAS NOTHING YOU COULD DO TO COMFORT HIM."))

But any old myth passed down in her family really worked. Jenean gave her son a tea made from catnip and fennel.

((JENEAN CARVER, ZACH'S MOTHER: "AND I WOULD MAKE A LITTLE OF THAT AS SOON AS HE WOULD START SCREAMING. AND IT WOULD GIVE IT TO HIM AND IT WOULD CALM HIM RIGHT DOWN."))

Doctors remain skeptical, but..

(("IT'S HARD TO BE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT IT. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, IF IT HELPS, IT'S BETTER THAN ANY OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE TO OFFER FOR THE COLIC."))

"Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy - makes my high." Now there's a famliar song - a musical myth perhaps with some merit.

(("IT DOES MAKE ME FEEL REALLY GOOD - MAKES ME FEEL ALIVE."))

And it does! Sunshine stimulates chemicals in the body. In fact for people who suffer from a form of depression called seasonal affective disorder, light therapy really helps.

An old myth has surfaced again in health magazines. A massage boosts the immune system and rubs away those seasonal bugs. While researchers doubt the claim physically, they admit psychologically, massage may mirror the effects of meditation.

(("CLAIRE" UTAH COLLEGE OF MASSAGE THERAPY: -"I THINK IF ANYBODY HAS HAD A MASSAGE, THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT IT RELEASES STRESS."))

Stress YES. The common cold remains questionable.

Remember, grandma said eat your fruits and vegetables. This is NOT a myth anymore. Research is rapidly confirming we are what we eat! Fruits like kiwin and blueberries have some of the highest anti-oxidants which keep cells healthy. And cranberries are all grandma said they were.

(("IT LOOKS LIKE IT HAS BEEN SUBSTANTIATED. IT DECREASES THE NUMBER OF BACTERIA IN THE URINARY TRACT."))

And then there's garlic. A lot of people still believe you can ward off bacteria and sickness if you wear the cloves around the neck. It might be okay for the vampires tonight, but it's all myth. However, if you eat it - garlic fends off infection and may even fight cancer and reduce cholesterol levels. Biochemists confirmed their findings in a professional journal this week.