As a doctor of Oriental Medicine, I find it curious that the Chinese were quick to value and integrate Western merdicines but our culture resists using proven and effective Oriental medicines for the common cold and flu. I believe the Chinese doctors had specific remedies identied in the late 1700's that are continued today with remarkably consistent and positive results.
1
I remember my mother would mix honey, salt and onions and place it in a mason jar. She would give us a tablespoon at a time and would help with the cough and also help break up the phlegm, making the coughs more productive. I do this for my kids now and it work like magic. Also herbal teas and soup.
When I first met my Venezuelan wife and traveled to her country back in the late 80's I was surprised at the availability of non-prescription antibiotics. So, against my better microbiologist judgement, I tried them when I had a soar throat. Self-treatment quickly became apparent as the wrong way to go, as my throat infections became worse. Since then I fell back on my training and have been gargling with warm salty water ever since (the organism is especially sensitive to changes in sodium concentration). And yes, I can be taught!
Colds may last about a week, but kids get an average of 8-12 colds a year. When you do the math, the week of waiting out a cold is months of misery and lost sleep.
2
Whenever I took a sick child to the doctor 20 or so years ago, the first question I was asked was what medications I had given him, and if I said "nothing" it made me feel that I was being judged and found to be neglectful. So I gave them Robitussin and all that junk, never seeing any benefit. I hope that doctors and nurses will get this message that these medicines do more harm than good and also realize what messages they might be inadvertently sending to parents.
5
I discovered a great trick for colds with coughs that keep you awake at night: Wear a paper mask or a cotton scarf over your nose and mouth---it might feel a little claustrophobic at first, but it can stop the cough by keeping in the humidity of your breath, and lets you sleep. Then I find when I wake up, I'm able to do some really effective coughing to easily bring up the moist phlegm.
1
It is remarkable that in 2018 we are still talking about the evident uselessness, or rather: the potential to do serious harm, of over-the-counter cough medicines for children. As a pediatrician, it seems to me that decades of inappropriate prescribing, advice, and advertisements have taken their toll (serious and fatal adverse events, financial, environmental, false expectations) and now we have to retrace from the mess we all helped create. Why is it so difficult to understand that some kind of so-called 'medicine' sold at huge profits in shiny plastic bottles with attractive labels may not be what a child needs to get better? Why can pediatricians not resist the urge to prescribe or recommend some sort of 'medicine' and simply refrain from prescribing something that is known to be useless of harmful? I also take issue with the recommendation to use acetaminophen (or ibuprofen) in otherwise healthy children with a viral illness. This is not needed and it is misleading to label the potentially harmful administration of acetaminphen to children a 'comfort measure'.
3
When I was growing up (I'm 26 now), my mom only gave me and my siblings "honey lemon drinks" and a neti pot when we had colds-- no cold medicine. She didn't believe cold medicine was effective or good for us. Now that I take care of myself when I'm sick, I see the value in this. No cold medicine compares to a neti pot when it comes to cleaning out mucous and a honey lemon drink always makes me feel better, sick or not. Apparently she was ahead of her time. Your parents really do get smarter as you get older!
2
Yes. Neto Pots for everyone. And don’t forget the chicken soup.
“Boil up the chicken soup,” is the best advice in the article.
1
Heat pads with a sticky back that last 8 hours or more applied to the back or front of the neck can dry up a runny nose. I attach one to a small neck scarf and wear it for a day or two. It feels wonderful and may even shorten the cold.
1
Many years ago, my little sister, down with a miserable cold, complained to our mother that her "nose doesn't work".
2
The main problem with a cough whether it is a sick child or a sick adult, is that the cougher cannot sleep. Only doctors treating a sick adult seem to recognize this and prescribe something that either sedates or stops the cough reaction in the brain.
If you are the parent of a sick child, doctors don’t seem to care that no one is sleeping when there is a coughing child in the house. Many of the “treatments” mentioned here simply do not work either. My father gave me honey, hot water, and a big shot of whiskey. The whiskey knocked me out. Which is the same thing that robitussin dm does. Pick your poison.
1
When the doctors have no real treatment for a cough or any illness EVERYBODY becomes the doctor. Sometimes it’s best to: “don’t just do something, stand there” !
Old country lung doctor
1
May I recommend giving the child a bit of honey along with TLC? Whether the honey has any therapeutic value beyond the placebo effect might be an open question but let's not underestimate the value of the placebo effect.
1
@Ronald Aaronson, Did you read the article? There is evidence for honey given in the article.
2
Placebos should be safe. But they are not useless. When treating symptoms, a placebo effect is a good thing. To say that a remedy for symptoms is no better than placebo or that it just has a placebo effect is a nonsensical critique. Treating symptoms (including the mother's fear) is a good thing. Reassurance is one of the main jobs of pediatricians. As pointed out in the article, even honey can be very dangerous.
Can we not come up with a cheap safe placebo?
Recently, i was watching TV and an ad came up for Robitussin..with guess what honey. the advert also said your grandmas honey and lemon is not as effective....its all marketing, truly it is...Please note all viral illnesses usually get worse on Day 3 - 5 and then get better. Marketing is ahhmazing. From a pediatrician.
India is a land of home remedies. Every other household will swear by easily accessible herbal remedies.
1) Turmeric & Honey: The kids love honey and it actually has healing and soothing properties so mix it with a pinch of turmeric powder which also has antiseptic properties and can fight the infection in the throat well. Small dose is given.
2. Tulsi & Ginger with Honey: While Tulsi is not exactly basil. It hast excellent medicinal properties. Wiki calls it the Holy Basil, very good for fighting infections. Mixed and pounded with ginger and served the paste with honey. To make it palatable for children few drops of honey is added.
3. Ajwain(Carom Seeds/Thymol seeds/Thyme leaves): Nothing like if one can encourage kids use to the taste. Useful for combating sore throat, Provides relief from bronchitis , asthma and appetiser.
6
I grew up in a cigarette smoking household and always had a cough… Remind parents not to smoke in the house if they must smoke.
2
I've worked with kids in my clinic (and my own at home) for the past 25 years. Chinese herbal medicines and other Asian medicine treatment methods such as acupuncture and cupping work extremely well to reduce intensity of symptoms, curtail symptoms, prevent sequela and restore wellbeing. Though Western medicine may not be further along than 60 years ago, there are effective options for treatment from other traditions of medicine.
1
@margot rossi
There is no such thing as "Western" nor "traditional" medicine. There is medicine, which is treatment that has been studied, tested, and shown to work (under specific directions) and then there is a bunch of stuff that has either not be tested yet, or has been tested and proven not to work. This NYTimes article is talking about how the benefits of cold medicines a few and far between compared to the risks of side affects.
Your comment, however, is suggesting something dangerous. Cupping has not been proven to help anything – from colds to athletic performance. It has, however caused permanent damage to skin and other types of skin infections that actual medicine has had to treat.
It's one thing when adults choose to opt in to this quackery, but suggesting it for kids is appallingly dangerous. Acupuncture is also nonsense, but at least it's nowhere near the danger level of cupping.
The New York Times should not let people use it's platform to promote dangerous false "therapies" like this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupping_therapy
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/cupping-olympic-pseudoscience/
5
My mother (England, 1950s) gave us a hot drink made of lemon juice, honey and of course hot water. I still remember sitting up in bed and drinking this. It was very soothing. To this, I would add gargling with warm salt water, but only if the child knows how to gargle.
8
I think this article wasn't specific enough about the type of cough. My kids get asthma and their coughs need to be treated quite differently to the way described in the article. Prescribing rest and fluids isn't going to cut it with them.
9
My child has asthma too, and honey isn’t going to help him. While this article talks about colds only, you should have addressed childhood asthma, which is under diagnosed and can cause long term damage if not properly treated.
Nasal irrigation will help take away most of a cough that is due to drainage/tickling of the back of the throat. Remove the congestion that is draining and you will have less of a cough.
1
@txjill Nasal irrigation and gargling with salt water or tea help me a lot. The cold is largely just washed away. Gargling clears the back of the throat so post nasal drip can be felt. When I feel it I gargle again. It means staying by a sink for several hours, but the cold will give up if you catch it early enough.
A doctor warned me to boil then cool water for the nasal irrigation.
Not to come across as too much of a downer, but has it occurred to no one else that the word ‘medicine’ comes from the name Medici? There is a reason to be skeptical of solicitous healthcare treatments, and there is a reason for children to develop bacterial antibodies.
@ubique This is untrue. The word medicine comes from the Latin word medicina, which has the same meaning as the modern variant. Medicus is the Latin word for physician.
8
A Steroid nasal spray (Flonase or generic) works miracles, is non addictive, has no rebound, and has been shown to be very safe. As soon as you feel symptoms, two squirts up each nostril, then one per day for a week or so. i promise that's all you'll need to clear the congestion, which will in turn minimize coughing and allow you to sleep.
@truth Flonase will clear up symptoms in about a week. Sure. So will hopping on one foot in the bathroom or crossing your eyes twice a day. Especially if you wait a day or two to start.
Colds only last about 7-9 days. If it lasts longer, it's likely an allergy, for which Flonase is a a good treatment.
When I was young my roommate brought home a little Irish man, I think he was a lepracon. I had a terrible cold. He made me a hot toddy: dark booze, honey, lemon in tea. Oh my. It was amazing. Instantly felt better. Who wouldn't! Have taken this toddy ever since. Try it, you'll like it.
7
Keep your house humidified (40%).
Drink hot Chicken Soup and a lot of hot tea with lemon and honey.
Gargle with salt water.
Pour honey down the back of your throat.
Take Guaifenesin for lung congestion.
Take Allegra for sinus and nose congestion.
Take Aspirin with at least 8 oz. of liquid for a headache;
2
@David J. Krupp
I would think those OTC meds are not for children.
This article is about kids, not teens or adults.
3
I was given Sudafed. A small red pill. You cannot purchase it any more for some strange reason.
@JM Hopkins it contains pseudoephedrine,which is a component of methamphetamine. Therefore, to discourage manufacture of meth, Sudafed is now sold from behind the counter.
1
I believe you can buy it, but it's held behind the counter. You have to ask for it now.
2
@Carl
As I mentioned in a reply to earlier recommendations for OTC meds, this article refers to not medicating kids. Those meds mentioned are not for young kids.
3
I am surprised menthol/camphor products were not mentioned. They are good decongestants, mild expectorants and they smell good!
8
It's interesting that Dr. Klass didn't mention giving honey to infants is generally regarded as unsafe. She also didn't mention that what type of honey can make a difference: Raw local wildflower is generally regarded as superior in efficacy to clover or other honey, or non-local more processed honey. Honey purchased in plastic containers may be less safe than honey purchased in glass containers because of the leeching of plastics into the honey.
While drugs for treating colds rarely has more than temporary palliative effects, there is no mention here about he mission of the doctor to "alleviate suffering" as well as to "restore health to the sick". Just telling people their suffering is time-limited is a sorry excuse for doing nothing when you don't know what to do. Try telling that to someone passing a kidney stone.
There is voluminous research literature about the benefits of using supportive herbs and nutrition to help reduce symptoms of cold: nettles, goldenrod and echinacea for coryza symptoms, goldenseal, ginger, garlic, elderberry and licorice to support the immune system and for their antiviral effects. Research has also validated the use of Aconite and Oscillococcinum, homeopathic remedies) for the onset of the cold.
In short there is no shortage of effective remedies for colds, all safe and at least as effective as any drug if not more so. Dr. Klass mentions none of these, because they are not accepted by conventional medicine, to which she belongs.
1
She did say not to give honey to a very young child.
8
@Samanthashe did state not to give honey to babies less than 1 year old
1
@Samantha the safety of honey, or lack thereof, in children under age 1 has little to do with the container holding it, but everything to do with botulism spores and an immature immune system.
This is yet another one of those cases where one study causes doctors to jump to conclusions and give ridiculous advice. I had Robitussin as a child, and it had alcohol back then, and it was a reliable and necessary remedy. Sometimes, tea with honey, lemon and whiskey was the remedy. But to say these medicines don't work as a blanket statement is utterly ridiculous. I nearly died when I was three from the flu, because I could not breathe. This is bad avice.
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@Grittenhouse
A quick Google scholar or PubMed search yields more than 30 journal articles addressing the efficacy of OTC cough and cold medicines for children, published over decades. Not the "one study" you mention in your reply.
Advising parents to avoid unnecessary medication that has been proven repeatedly not to help is far from ridiculous. It's actually protective.
I'm quite certain Robitussin never saved anyone from death from the flu.
13
@Grittenhouse Today we know much more about the developing brain and the risks of introducing mood-altering drugs, such as alcohol. You may have been fine, but giving children alcohol is risky business. Everyone has different genetic variables. Don't put booze into your baby's brain. Alcohol isn't a medicine for colds or anything else. You're just drugging baby.
Also, important to note: This article was about the common cold, but certainly discussed the differences between a cold and the flu and other exceptions, and what these diseases require for treatment.
6
The article was about treating the common cold. Not the flu. Thank you for listening to my TED Talk.
1
Thank you for your very sound advice, although some people can’t read between the parentheses (wink wink), redundantly asking that you “please don’t over prescribe antibiotics ... “, I take it that the stuff (zithromax) that you prescribed to one of your patients was probably a last ditch effort when the poor sod wasn’t responding, or was demanding a stronger solution. 
I’m wondering why nobody has mentioned simple table salt, NaCl, ; If I feel a little scratchy throat, sniffly, etc. (and if I remember to do it), dumping about a half tblspoon at the bottom of 1/2 cup , or as little water as possible (microwave to raise the temperature and it will dissolve) And GARGLE! Sometimes with this Strong. saline solution it ravages the throat/nasal area for some days but it sure beats Going through the whole cold cycle of: a. multi non-specific reactions (chills & sweating, etc) b. Bed ridden for possibly a day or more. C. you know the rest.
I just have to remember next time, not be so heavy handed with the salt shaker, and then my throat will not feel so raw after I KILL the cold!
2
@Nasty Curmudgeon fr.I'm so glad you brought this up. As a child, it was my mother's go to remedy for a scratchy throat. Worked every time. Like you, I still use it today.
4
Coughing has a biological purpose, and if we suppress it with medication, we are suppressing part of our natural defense mechanisms. There are extremes where we must interfere, but generally we should not reach for the drugs but let nature take its course. The same is true for fever that speeds up our immune response.
19
This article should have pointed out that those medications with potential bad side effects for children can also have bad side effects for adults - and they are not particularly effective for adults, either. (Many of the familiar OTC cough-cold products predate FDA regulations, and were grandfathered in without the requirements for efficacy studies that apply to new medications.) Go with the old standby home remedies for adults, too!
14
@george So right! And many OTCs can be particularly dangerous for older adults, age 60+. For info on this, research the Beers Report on Medications and Older Adults.
Two words ESSENTIAL OILS! They works wonders. Can’t wait for the day they become more mainstream
2
@R. Not so good for people with asthma. Someone used them near me once and I needed my rescue inhaler.
Steve's wife, Roberta.
5
@R. Interestingly, the only clinical trial in humans that has shown any true benefit or effect is of peppermint oil and dyspepsia.
1
Sucrets, lovely pale green lozenges, wrapped in silver paper and contained in a tin, were the go-to “medicine” for our childhood coughs.
2
In Japan we fend off colds with honey, amazake, and kuzu yu made with ginger and honey. It works for us!
2
Just one word of caution about honey: we always make sure it is raw organic honey — alas, much of what is sold as honey in supermarkets has been mixed in with corn syrup, dextrose, or other undesirable ingredients!
2
Buy some ginger, grate it, and make tea. You’ll feel much better.
2
We know, cough, a little 3 years, cough, old little lady that we see about, cough, every two to three, cough, weeks. The doctors told her parents, the same thing, cough, that you say in your article. Cough, cough. She has been like that since about, cough, a year ago. Yes, her parents are, cough, good and caring.
We had a combined family of 4 sisters and 10 brothers. And in addition three sons. We don't remember something like what we describe above. No problems with cough after one or two weeks, in cold weather. We used over the counter remedies at that time. Yes, we are old persons. Grandparent anyone?
2
OK, no cough or cold meds. Administer honey, alone or mixed with hot water and lemon juice.
How about applying Vicks Vaporub to the sufferer's chest and back? IIRC it did clear up our stuffy noses very well.
1
I think Vic's vaporub is as effective as that stuff that used to be sold for iron poor blood. Name escapes me but it was constantly advertised for decades.
Best cure for a cold is to sleep through it. That is if you can afford the time off. If you're a politician it's a free trip to the Mayo Clinic on the taxpayer's dime of course.
2
@Tessa Do not use Vicks Vaporub on young children under 2. Use the children's version on children over 2, and test a tiny area, first, to see how they react.
1
The only OTC medicine we ever received from our mother was as piece of an adult aspirin, crushed and mixed with sugar water, for fevers. But we did get ginger ale. She believed children should eat healthy foods and drink milk and water, plus a 4-oz. glass of orange juice with breakfast. Except on special occasions, that's what we got. 'Sick' was a special occasion, and called for a nip of Dad's mixer.
An added benefit to this treatment is that as an adult I associate soda with disease, and shun it completely.
8
My immigrant mother refused to use any of the conventional OTC cough medicines that were constantly advertised in favor of her own tried and true methods.. lemon, hot water, honey, pimento-infused rum applied topically, which worked magically.... She could have been accused by the ignoramus wider culture of being negligent, willingly cruel, imposing needless suffering on her children, ignorant of science etc.. thank God she was able to just use her good common sense to take good care of us.
13
Growing up, my pediatrician would only prescribe medication if you were on death's door step... and even then, only if you begged. It gave me a mindset for only taking medication if you absolutely can't muddle on without it. Now that I'm a mother, it's agonizing to watch my toddler suffer through a cold... but I know that it's just part of life.
10
As kids, my dad would mix lemon juice with honey in a small glass and tell us to spoon a little in and it seemed to work as well as any cough drop. A saline gargle before bedtime also can soothe the throat and break up glop from the cold and that can help you get to sleep.
On the adult side, hard candy (peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, cinnamon, lemon) works about as well as cough drops and is much cheaper. Just remember to take care of your teeth with the extra sugar.
17
@David Gregory Altoid peppermints are great at clearing sinuses. Tic-Tac's also.
@Jodi P
A hot steamy shower is great at clearing nasal congestion.
There's no cure for the common cold! And cough medicines don't work too well. I should know - been coughing nonstop for the past four weeks and it's only now finally beginning to get better - all it takes is TIME, alas.
5
I just got this same advice from my kids Dr. for a bad case of bronchitis.... but the DM cough medicine was the only thing letting my 7 year old daughter rest at night. After her not sleeping the next night, and her condition getting worse, we went back to using the DM at night. I'm usually a 100% compliant patient/care giver - I listen to Docs advice. But in this case, suppressing that cough was the only way for our kid to get some rest, and rest is what she needed to get better.
14
as a pediatrician, i would tell you that it is more likely that there is an antihistamine in your medicine sedating your child than that dm made a difference.
18
@Ed Have her try sleeping on her stomach or side.
If she frequently has bronchitis, try eliminating milk and ice cream. I had bronchitis 6x per year my whole life until I figured out it was milk allergy at 27.
3
My mother’s sore throat remedy was nighttime dose of vanilla ice cream topped with amaretto or crème de menthe.
This was in the ‘80s.
In retrospect, I think this was more of a help for parent than child.
39
I think you needed most was rest. And looks like you got a little bit of extra rest along with a treat!!
1
When we were children, we rarely went to see a Dr, unless it was absolutely necessary. For the worst colds she made us fresh squeezed lemon with very hot water mixed with honey. It always worked. Childhood cuts scrapes and bruises were left alone to heal by themselves. We grew up to be very healthy adults 12 of us.
19
@JG However, you must clean the cuts and scrapes with soap and water and cover with a bandage,
1
It's astonishing to see the progress we've made with toys: self-driving cars, games, drones, smart phones, etc. Yes, they're useful, but they're basically based on Dick Tracy watches, Star Trek communicators and so on.
At the same time zero progress seems to have taken place in the realm of treating respiratory illness before it evolves into something that does call for more aggressive action. The "treatment" here outlined is not just identical to what was available 60 years ago, it is the same advice available to my great-grandmother and every ancestor before. Isn't it time to figure out something new to help ease the misery of a sick child?
23
This "we can put a man on the moon why can't we..." line is over used and frankly boorish. If you're so concerned I suggest that you get right on working on a cure instead of expecting everyone else to serve your whims.
4
My Mom's remedy for a cold was a cup of hot milk laced with a bit of Jameson's Irish whiskey and some TLC. She learned the remedy from a girlfriend's mother when she was a kid growing up in Hell's Kitchen, back when it was a rough Irish neighborhood.
10
I forgot to mention that it worked every time.
6
Don’t give alcohol to children. It affects them differently than an adult. It is not a safe practice. Alcohol is not a medicine. It is a potentially very addictive drug.
7
@Bob Castro - I'll bet it also worked in between bouts of a cold ...
2
Honey and other natural cough suppressants are not necessarily placebos or "supportive care;" compounds therein may very well actually have mild numbing properties. To oversimplify: when the throat is numbed, stimulation of the cough reflex may become less active. The study comparing honey to dextromethorphan in children's cough has been known for some time and I often tell patients about it. The article is a timely reminder to resist the urge to give anyone with the sniffles a Z-pak.
22
I am at that age when I say, "When I was a kid" quite a bit, and so it is here.
When I was a kid in the late 50s and early 60s, colds inevitably meant a severe cough, one that lasted weeks and sounded like a platoon of seals barking. (I had the misfortune to be born into a family with a history of lung/breathing problems on both sides.) I do not remember now what the OTC products were, save one: White Pine Cough Syrup.
Googling it now leads to directions for making it at home, as well as at least one article declaring it dangerous because it contained chloroform (not uncommon in OTC products then). It tasted unbelievably foul. But I tell you this - it worked when nothing else did.
This is not to say that we ought to bring it back; it probably was dangerous on several counts - but to suggest that honey and fluids will work just as well is ridiculous across-the-board advice. Dismissing an entire age group of patients isn't any more helpful than the sickly-sweet elixirs now available at big-box pharmacies.
8
..."“The bottom line,” he said, “is that for all of the over-the-counter cough and cold medications, there is limited to no evidence of efficacy for any cold symptoms, particularly in those under 6 years.”"....
Multiple studies, according to this article, have called cough and cold meds' efficacy into question and FDA's response is to look into improving dosing instructions? Perhaps the NY AG should jump on this! Of course the pharmaceutical companies have way more influence and power than any supplement manufacturer, so that's not going to happen.
Decades ago I became a vegetarian because of sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics used in feedlot cattle. Back then those of us (including biologists such as myself) who voiced concerns about the over-use of antibiotics were laughed at - today we would be labeled "anti-science" - yet here we are with antibiotic resistant bacteria and super bugs taking their toll.
I was dismayed at another post from a doctor, about facing the decision to prescribe or risk a dissatisfied patient and the resulting demerits from the clinic owner. When will this draconian system be fixed?
There's a time for drugs and there's a time for avoiding them. Stopping the body's natural virus shedding reactions isn't always the best path.
16
Both of my kids have had persistent coughs that I was told to wait out and both ended up in the hospital with reactive asthma. When my daughter was a baby she had a cough that was really bronchilitis from RSV. Coughs can be dangerous and parents need patience from physicians because we can’t always tell the difference. The responses from doctors on this post are irritating.
31
continuous coughs are concerning. the only appropriate responses here are that none of the over the counter cough medicines does anything for cough from colds, or for the conditions that your children had.
7
I have long been under the impression that the only medication worth getting, and only for certain types of coughs, is guaifenesin, with nothing else added. I try that when my son has a cough down in his chest and I'm trying to make it more productive. I was hoping this article would mention that drug, because now I wonder whether I am wrong and even that particular symptom would be better addressed with honey and lemon in either a thyme or licorice tea.
17
@JD It takes several days of treatment with guaifenesin to have any effect. On the other hand, several days of no treatment typically has the same effect as the guaifenesin. Go with the honey and lemon!
2
@JD
Same here, plain jane guaifenesin seems to work wonders, would love to read more too.
1
@JD, plain Mucinex or its generic equivalent seems to help me avoid having a cold turn into a case of bronchitis. It's a useful medication.
I cannot emphasize enough how much of a difference a humidifier at night makes. Night and day. Humidity humidity humidity. Soothes the throat, helps prevent the cycle of irritation and coughing that exacerbates the condition, making it worse and worse. Meanwhile they heal faster.
36
@Dave --Humidifiers help if one is utterly strict about keeping them clean, which isn't easy for busy parents. Otherwise, they are efficient ways to spread bacteria, mold, etc. all over a room.
12
@Dave
And with young children and babies, simply filling a tun with hot water, or running a shower, and sitting in the steam with your child can bring relief.
7
@JB that's only if you get a fancy model that tries to do too much and acts as a humidifier plus filter plus air purifier etc. etc. combo. If it's a basic, simple humidifier and all it does is pump steam into the air, then it doesn't have any sketchy filters that are hard to clean. Ours is very basic and cleans easily. You just rinse it under the tap (I routinely forget to do even that, and in the 5 years we've had it, we haven't suffered any dire consequences). Not that big of a deal even for two working parents.
15
As a Family Practice doctor in the urgent care setting, I can only say "Good Luck" with Dr. Klass's line of discussion.
Unless you have unlimited time with a patient, there are a significant number of people who will never accept this line of reasoning, and for them, it's antibiotics or a complaint, and poor patient satisfaction, as per the latest CMS (Medicare) rules, reduces compensation to my employer, so I refuse antibiotics at the risk of my own employment, and my family's well-being.
"You have a cold. Antibiotics won't help, and might hurt. But here's the prescription for Zithromax that you wanted. Don't take it unless you are not feeling any better in 3 days [wink]."
... And I'll look forward to seeing you again in 3 weeks for your next "sinus infection."
38
@Eric
I dont mean to be rude, but over prescribing antibiotics is a major problem with major consequences, I'm sure you are aware. Please stop this practice.
30
@Eric You could prescribe something relatively benign and suggest it´s even better than an antibiotic.
6
@Eric I agree. Suspect that that the incidence of antibiotic addiction in those folks with respiratory symptoms is greater than opiod addiction in folks with back pain.
5
"Medicines which can help a child with a runny nose from seasonal allergies won’t help that same child when it’s a cold virus making the nose drip; the underlying mechanisms are different."
This makes perfect sense, but: how does one tell the difference? I don't want to run my child to the doctor for either--that seems a bit much for cold or ollergies. In the event, though, I'm unclear about how I or others could readily tell that it's allergies, and thus an OTC antihistamine might be appropriate, or a cold, when it's not. Guidance/suggestions/advice?
4
With a cold, you are sick. You feel bad. You're tired and run-down, you may have a fever.
You also probably have a stuffy nose, and/or a runny nose, and/or post-nasal drip, and/or a (usually dry and hacking) cough.
A cold will go away in a few days to a week, but, especially with small children in school or daycare, may be replaced by another within days.
With allergies, you are annoyed, but not tired or run-down. You do not have a fever.
The nasal congestion symptoms may seem identical, but you've often (not always) got itchy, watery eyes as well.
Allergies will last as long as the allergen that provoked them is around, sometimes only a few days, but sometimes for over a month.
Allergies will improve with a non-sedating antihistamine (Allegra, Claritin, Zyrtec), colds will not.
If you've had the same cough and stuffy nose for a few weeks, but feel otherwise okay, it's allergies.
And, yes, I am a doctor.
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@Eric Thank you!
This applies to adults also, I think? I have a concoction of ginger, Cumin, Coriander, black pepper and clove which I use for tea with honey. Taken over 3-4 days this helps relieve many symptoms.
I do have a question: I have waited out a cough/cold/runny nose and ended up with Bronchitis once and laryngitis the next. Just this week, I had an upcoming travel and begged my doctor for a prescription, which I could take If I did not feel better by a certain self-imposed waiting period. Thankfully the cold/cough ran its course and I did not need it. When do you cross the to-do/not-to-do antibiotic border?
Thanks for reading!
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@Eric I hate to tell you but the allergy to mountain cedar in the Texas Hill Country and east makes you feel sick. We had a lot of trouble convincing guests that they didn´t have an illness.
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