My first semester at college brought a lot of new experience: living in dorms, living with strangers and living with more germs that I ever thought possible. Within weeks I had a cold that I could not shake, and I was not the only one. The cure, according to other ailing co-eds, was Zinc. Then, when I started my first full time job I experience more new things: working at a desk, eating a desk and more germs on a desk than I ever thought possible. Again, a cold ensued, but this time my coworkers assured me that Echinacea was the new cure for the common cold (though no one knew exactly how to say it, or spell it.) These non-traditional remedies were different from what I had taken growing up: Nyquil and vitamin C.
Now that cold season is creeping up on us yet again, I did some research to find out if any of the remedies I have tried in the past really worked, or if nature just took its course. This is some information regarding these “treatments” according to Mayoclinic.com:
Zinc- Most studies are flawed, giving inaccurate or incomplete results. In studies with positive results, zinc seemed most effective taken as a lozenge or nasal spray in the form of zinc acetate within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, but warns against Intranasal zinc may result in permanent damage to the sense of smell.
Echinacea- Studies on the effectiveness of Echinacea at preventing or shortening colds is mixed. Some studies show no benefit. Others show a 10 percent to 30 percent reduction in severity and duration when taken for seven to 10 days at the onset of the cold. A study from the University of Connecticut combined findings from 14 previously reported trials and concluded that Echinacea can cut your chances of catching a cold by more than half and shorten the duration of a cold by an average of 1.4 days. Another study from the University Of Virginia School Of Medicine stated that Echinacea extracts had "no clinically significant effects" on rates of infection or duration or intensity of symptoms.
Vitamin C- It appears that for the most part taking vitamin C won't help the average person prevent colds. However, taking 200 milligrams (mg) or more does seems to benefit those who engage in extreme physical exercise or who are exposed to extremely cold environments. Be careful about how much you take; amounts in excess of 2,000 mg a day may cause nausea and diarrhea.
Cough Syrup: Some contain ingredients that may relieve coughing, but the amounts are too small to do much good and may actually be harmful for children.
The latest remedy I tried was an over the counter product, Zicam. Coincidently, this product contains three of the previously mentioned agents in its Cold Remedy RapidMelts® with Vitamin C & Echinacea. If I could have eaten more than one of the RapidMelts they may have helped, but choking down the supplement was not worth the possible reward.
The moral of the story is it's tempting to try the latest remedy, but the best thing you can do is take care of yourself. Rest, drink fluids, and keep the air around you moist. Remember to wash your hands frequently. See a doctor if you symptoms persist longer than 10 days or your condition worsens.
Now that cold season is creeping up on us yet again, I did some research to find out if any of the remedies I have tried in the past really worked, or if nature just took its course. This is some information regarding these “treatments” according to Mayoclinic.com:
Zinc- Most studies are flawed, giving inaccurate or incomplete results. In studies with positive results, zinc seemed most effective taken as a lozenge or nasal spray in the form of zinc acetate within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, but warns against Intranasal zinc may result in permanent damage to the sense of smell.
Echinacea- Studies on the effectiveness of Echinacea at preventing or shortening colds is mixed. Some studies show no benefit. Others show a 10 percent to 30 percent reduction in severity and duration when taken for seven to 10 days at the onset of the cold. A study from the University of Connecticut combined findings from 14 previously reported trials and concluded that Echinacea can cut your chances of catching a cold by more than half and shorten the duration of a cold by an average of 1.4 days. Another study from the University Of Virginia School Of Medicine stated that Echinacea extracts had "no clinically significant effects" on rates of infection or duration or intensity of symptoms.
Vitamin C- It appears that for the most part taking vitamin C won't help the average person prevent colds. However, taking 200 milligrams (mg) or more does seems to benefit those who engage in extreme physical exercise or who are exposed to extremely cold environments. Be careful about how much you take; amounts in excess of 2,000 mg a day may cause nausea and diarrhea.
Cough Syrup: Some contain ingredients that may relieve coughing, but the amounts are too small to do much good and may actually be harmful for children.
The latest remedy I tried was an over the counter product, Zicam. Coincidently, this product contains three of the previously mentioned agents in its Cold Remedy RapidMelts® with Vitamin C & Echinacea. If I could have eaten more than one of the RapidMelts they may have helped, but choking down the supplement was not worth the possible reward.
The moral of the story is it's tempting to try the latest remedy, but the best thing you can do is take care of yourself. Rest, drink fluids, and keep the air around you moist. Remember to wash your hands frequently. See a doctor if you symptoms persist longer than 10 days or your condition worsens.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment