It's easy to get lost in the amazing array of products promising to clear sinus pressure, dry up sniffles and stop plaguing coughs. Some concoctions even offer it all in one magical pill. But doctors say the science behind some of those claims is lackluster.
"There's just not much that's very effective for treating the common cold," said Dr. Lauren Eggert, clinical assistant professor in the Pulmonary Allergy and Critical Care Division at Stanford University.
"Most of the things out there — antihistamines, decongestants, cough medicines — none of them have a lot of evidence that they're super effective at improving cough or common cold symptoms."
Isn't it great to know that shit we've been buying - and taking - for decades isn't worth much of anything? Our own gullibility may be to blame because we want - actually almost have to - believe what people say about the products they produce. It's a classic case of 'if it sounds too good to be true it's probably bullshit'.
Go figure, huh?
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I'll just wait for a Pfizer shot. As long as I keep getting weekly doses there is a fair chance that I won't die from 'the cold'. I feel much better already.
ReplyDeleteA good Hot Toddy, full of hard booze and sugar, is more effective than any over-the-counter cold medicine. Sugar/Honey/Orange Juice coats and soothes the throat, the alcohol opens the sinuses and the lungs and helps the drinker sleep better.
ReplyDeleteYep it's' cold and flu season and they still want to push the shot felt around the world
ReplyDeleteJewish penicillin....chicken soup....always makes me feel better....
ReplyDeleteI call bull hockey on Eggert. He/she is a "clinical professor"- that is, a regular doc, no special expertise in pharmacology, and probably unpaid as well (that's what the title means). There are some things (now off the market) that worked very well; and some (phenylephrine!) that are on the market and just don't work. But: pseudo ephedrine (Sudafed), gen 1 and gen 2 antihistamines, and ASA/APAP absolutely do ameliorate SYMPTOMS for most people, to some degree. I was personally involved in the clinical reviews, and lemme tell ya, Doc, the data for keeping them in the OTC monographs was extensive, carefully reviewed, and most important replicated many times in thousands of patients and dozens of studies. Unlike the recent clot shot. Ditto, vitamin C and zinc, if pushed hard early, will help some. Cure? nope. Shorten the duration? Probably not much. But make a miserable situation better- you betcha.That is, they WILL help with symptoms, in most people, to some extent. And Beans is right as well: a hot toddy is a great idea too. The proverbial two-hat cure: put a hat on the bedpost, drink til you see two of 'em!
ReplyDeleteI do a flu shot as well. Rarely more than 30-50% effective (you gotta guess the strains a year ahead), but worth the bother to drop the risk. The WuFlu shot? No bloody way. Call me when there's actual data.