[?]Remedies for the common cold? - Page 2

On November 22 2010 11:18 Thrill wrote:


Who told you that works, the Headless Horseman?

On November 22 2010 11:48 Sero wrote:

Linus Pauling proposed the use of vitamin C supplements to prevent the common cold, but scientific evidence has repeatedly failed to find support for his belief.

That's prevent, not treat. And even that hasn't been confirmed through studies.

On November 22 2010 11:37 Sephy69 wrote:

@OP I doubt a lot of these people are doctors (they could have some experience with stuff like this though) that are saying it's bad he prescribed you anti-bacterials. IT does makes sense that it's weird that he did that while you have a virus haha. I'd suggest visiting a different doctor? Or asking him why he prescribed you medicine that won't fight your cold. Maybe he just did that so that it could stop a fever if you haven't had one yet? I don't know! You should find out though. I hope this isn't anything serious and just a bad cold and you get better soon ^_^

1. They wanna take a shotgun approach to treating (while the vast majority of the time a common cold will be viral, there is the possibility that it is bacterial in nature and is not showing typical symptoms)

2. Patients want medication. People are idiots, and often don't care what a doctor thinks medically, they just want a pill that will make it go away. If a doctor tells someone that they have a virus and doesn't give them any medication, people feel as though they've been ripped off and won't go back to that doctor again, losing him clients. Especially if another doctor down the road gives them an antibiotic and then it clears up. The patient goes around saying the first doctor was an idiot for not giving them medication, when in truth it was the other way around and the antibiotics didnt do anything at all.

On November 22 2010 10:47 Saline wrote:
I hate to say this, but the common cold is a virus, and there are no "miracle cures." Your body fights viruses with antibodies, not with chemicals found in food. Old wives' tales simply don't work.

You can still try to help out your immune system by giving it what it needs--lots of rest, fluids, and energy. Try to eat--even if it's easy things like soup, bananas, etc. Drink lots of water, and get rest.

Honestly, I'm not sure why your doctor prescribed you antibacterial medication for a cold--such medication has no effect on viruses. He should let you know if you have an infection as opposed to as simple cold. If your cold continues for much longer, it might mean you have something a bit worse than the cold, but most likely your body will fight it off on its own--just give it time. Hang in there!

Authors’ conclusions
The failure of vitamin C supplementation to reduce the incidence of colds in the general population indicates that routine prophylaxis is not justified. Vitamin C could be useful for people exposed to brief periods of severe physical exercise. While the prophylaxis trials have consistently shown that vitamin C reduces the duration and alleviates the symptoms of colds, this was not replicated in the few therapeutic trials that have been carried out. Further therapeutic RCTs are warranted.

On November 22 2010 10:52 Ichabod wrote:
Vitamin C is one of the most effective remedies in my experience. I usually take a gram or so a day to supplement my immune system, but when you first feel a cold coming on, increase intake to a few grams a day (as long as you don't get the runs, you don't need to lower your intake). Continue for a few days as needed.

The existence of patients’ expectations regarding the prescription of antibiotics and their influence on the decisions of doctors to prescribe is unequivocal [7,15,16]; however, the prevalence of such expectations varies considerably depending on the setting or type of study. It can be as high as 50% in United States adults consulting for cold symptoms [17] or as low as 1.2% in the Dutch general population [12].

Overall, our results indicate a sensible approach to antibiotics among Germany’s public. Only a minority reported that they expected a prescription of antibiotics for cold symptoms and most reported to be taking antibiotics ‘only if absolutely necessary’.

...

Furthermore, if patients do expect a prescription for cold symptoms, they do not necessarily expect a prescription of antibiotics. Van Driel et al. suggested that patients with acute sore throat and who hope for antibiotics are actually seeking treatment for pain [19]. This corresponds well to results of our survey, where 44% of respondents reported to expect symptomatic treatment for cold symptoms (e.g. lozenges, painkiller, cough medication) while only 7.7% reported to expect antibiotics for these symptoms.

On November 22 2010 12:02 Koagel wrote:
Antibiotics are sometimes prescribed to prevent bacterial superinfections, but not if you just have a cold... Or at least ideally not, lol. Maybe he doesn't like you and wants you to get diarrhea too.
EDIT: Damnit, should refresh before I post.
EDIT2: Shotgun approach for the common cold? I'd call that a mistake, unless he really has a reason to believe that it's not the common cold.
I still don't feel like this justifies antibiotics. I mean, in med school they teach us to be responsible about antibiotics. Our pharma professor would rage if we told him that we'd just prescribe ABs for insufficient reasons.

On November 22 2010 12:33 Fen wrote:


Sorry, I think I might have come across as trying to justify his actions. Neither of those reasons are justified. I was just pointing out the common reasons why doctors do prescribe antibiotics when they know they will have no effect.

My Infectious disease professor would also rage at me if I gave those answers as reasons for prescribing ABs

On November 22 2010 13:43 danbel1005 wrote:
You can expect to be sick for one to two weeks, drinking plenty of liquids can help. Water, juice, clear broth or warm lemon water with honey helps loosen congestion and prevents dehydration. No alcohol, coffee and caffeinated sodas, which make dehydration worse. Being doing this since I was born I was born I guess, WORKS EVERY TIME