Pediatric cough and cold medicines.
9 May 2008The efforts of manufacturers to make medicine appealing to children may have another down side.
In January the journal of Pediatrics published their findings on the adverse effects of cough and cold medications in children. More than half of the admissions to emergency rooms for children ages 2 to 5 were the result the child consuming cough and cold medicine without adult supervision.
Pediatric cough medicine is no more effective than a placebo, and an old fashioned remedy is even better.
Earlier research at the Penn State Children’s Hospital showed that the two active ingredients found in most over-the-counter medicines were no more effective than a syrup without them. The ingredients are dextromethorphan (DM), and diphenhydramine (an antihistamine). Actually, the placebo syrup proved to be more effective.
More recently, the Penn State team, headed by Ian Paul MD, found that a small dose of buckwheat honey given before bedtime was more effective than medicine in quieting children’s nighttime coughs. Their study was published in the December issue of the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. (Honey is not recommended for children under one year of age.)
Reprinted from Pure Facts, the newsletter of the Feingold Association of the United States, www.feingold.org
If your child is having a hard time with coughing while they sleep, try rubbing a little vapor-rub on the soles of their feet and putting cotton socks over them to keep the ointment on. This remedy has been shown to be very effective in quieting a night-time cough. When your child has a cold you can also use the vapor-rub remedy but instead place cold wet socks over the feet and then a dry pair on top. Allow you child to wear the socks overnight and the result should be that you will see night-time stuffiness clear up – adults can benefit from both of these remedies too.
When your child is suffering from a cold often the best remedy is the oldest, try a little chicken soup, plenty of liquids especially warm lemon/honey drinks (unless your child is younger than 12 months old) and rest. If a fever or body ache is making it difficult for them to settle, try having them take a warm (tepid) bath as this will often soothe and reduce the achy feelings. Remember if your child has a fever of 105 that you are unable to bring down with either pediatric pain medication, cool wet wash-clothes or other attempts to bring the fever down, a trip to the emergency room is in order.
Make an adjustment, stay healthy – be happy: Call Dr. Paul or Dr. Susan at 303.674.1500 or email office@fontanachiro.com
top