Birdseye: Health Tips from the Blogosphere : coughs

Cough Remedies: 5 reasons to avoid them

Birdseye — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:33:00 GMT

The WDDTY archives are full of evidence suggesting that we should be avoiding conventional cough remedies. Here are five stories providing reasons why you should be seeking out the alternatives.

If you want a safe and effective alternative, the Proof! website has a report on The Best Alternative Cough Mixture.

30 non-drug treatments of childhood problems

Birdseye — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 15:35:00 GMT

Many children suffer adverse reactions when given drugs for problems that can be treated with safer alternatives. But, do consult a qualified practitioner before taking this route.

INFECTIONS

Bacterial and fungal

Colloidal silver. Take care not to overdose: 100 mcg/day is safe for a child weighing 20 kg (Curr Probl Dermatol, 2006; 33: 17–34)

Tea tree oil. As effective as standard antibiotics for skin infections, including MRSA (J Antimicrob Chemother, 2003; 51: 241–6), although it may cause skin reactions.

Colds

Echinacea (Lancet Infect Dis, 2007; 7: 473–80) and vitamin C (Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2007; 3: CD000980)

Saltwater nose drops

Inhaling steam from water containing Friars Balsam, a 600- year-old herbal remedy.

Coughs

EPs 7630, a herbal medicine from geranium (Pelargonium sidoides) roots (Phytomedicine, 2007; 14 [Suppl 6]: 69– 73), made by Schwabe Pharmaceuticals, Karlsruhe, Germany; www.schwabepharma.com

CORSHE-E, an Ayurvedic herbal linctus (J Herb Pharmacother, 2004; 4: 1–12). A similar product is Olbas Cough Syrup.

Urinary and bladder

Cranberry or blueberry juice (N Engl J Med, 1991; 324: 1599).

Diarrhoea

Individualized homeopathic medicine (Pediatr Infect Dis J, 2003; 22: 229–34) .

Inner ear

Naturopathic herbal ear drops containing tea tree oil, garlic and other herbs (Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2006; 3: CD005657)

Individualized homeopathic medicine (Pediatr Infect Dis J, 2001; 20: 177–83)

Homeopathic Pulsatilla (J Am Inst Homeop, 1986; 79: 3–4) .

Sore throat

Throat spray containing 15-per-cent sage ( Salvia officinalis) extract (Eur J Med Res, 2006; 11: 20–6); a similar product is Echinacea Throat Spray, made by A. Vogel, Switzerland

Slippery elm, as a pre-drug therapy

Do nothing, rather than use drugs like penicillin (BMJ, 2003; 327: 1324–7).

PAIN

Headache

Peppermint oil applied to the forehead and temples (Nervenarzt, 1996; 67: 672–81)

Acupressure (Digital Dissertation Abstracts, 1990; DAI-B 50/ 12: 5890)

Self-hypnosis (Pediatrics, 1987; 79: 593–7)

Check for food allergy (J Pediatr, 1989; 114: 51–8)

Feverfew may work (Lancet, 1988: ii: 189–92), although a recent survey casts some doubt (Curr Opin Neurol, 2005; 18: 289–92)

Homeopathy (although there are no clinical trials).

Toothache

Oil of cloves

Activated charcoal compress

Tincture of Plantago major (plantain)

Purple passion flower (Passiflora incarnata) for hypersensitive teeth

Prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) bark tincture to numb teeth and gums.

BAD BEHAVIOUR

Remove additives from the child’s diet (Lancet, 2007; epub ahead of print; DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61306-3)

Check for food allergy in general (J Pediatr, 1989; 114: 51–8)

Pycnogenol, the extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree (Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 2006; 15: 329– 35)

Omega-3 and -6 supplements (Pediatrics, 2005; 115: 1360-6)

This list of 30 alternative treatments for childhood problems is taken from 'The kiddy killers' by Tony Edwards, currently included when you claim your free trial issue of WDDTY. Click here to order your copy.

The best Echinacea supplement

Birdseye — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:27:00 GMT

Back in June, we reported on scientific evidence showing that Echinacea is the best thing for the common cold. As well as colds, Echinacea can also be used to combat coughs, bronchitis, upper respiratory tract infections and some inflammatory conditions.

But how do we maxmise the impact of Echinacea? WDDTY's online service, Proof!, makes the following recommendations:

To obtain maximum benefit, take Echinacea as early as possible (Curr Med Res Opin, 1999; 15: 214-27; J Altern Complement Med, 2000; 6: 327-34). Although not much in the way of therapeutic dosages has yet been established, according to Melvyn Werbach (Botanical Influences on Health, Third Line Press, 1994), the following dosages are recommended three times daily:
Dried root (or as tea) 0.5-1 g
Freeze-dried plant 325-650 mg
Juice of aerial portion of Echinacea purpurea in 22 per cent ethanol 1-2 mL
Tincture (1:4) 2-4 mL (1-2 tsp)
Fluid extract (1:1) 1-2 mL (0.5-1 tsp)
Solid (dry powder) extract (6.5:1 or 3.5 per cent echinacoside) 100-250 mg

Proof! is an online service that tests alternative and eco products to see which ones give you the best value for your money. And, to give you an idea of what this service can do for you, we have made our report on 'The best Echinacea supplement' available to sample for free, with no obligations. Just click here to read this free report.