Remedies that shorten the common cold

[Luzion]

Yeah, I already read that you have to be careful of taking too much. Otherwise you get diarrhea, and have to adjust the dosage to fit how much you can tolerate.

[Skipbidder]

I don't have personal experience using Cold-eeze or vitamin C for cold treatment.

I will, however, butt in and comment about the lack of evidence for such things.

The studies on zinc effectiveness are unconvincing. This is quite disappointing, since the common cold costs so much (because it is common) in terms of lost days for people. The makers of Cold-eeze were way overboard with their claims. They got so bad that the FTC even brought charges against them. You have to be pretty ridiculous before the FTC charges you.

If you do decide to use zinc (which I wouldn't recommend), then I'd strongly recommend using a lozenge rather than a nasal spray (which will expose you to a small but worrisome risk of losing your sense of smell).

Linus Pauling advocated use of very high doses of vitamin C, first for prevention of the cold and eventually for prevention of cancer. The research that he based this on was remarkably poor. When the Mayo Clinic tried to repeat it under actual scientific conditions, they could not do so. Once again disappointing, and by orders of magnitude more disappointing than with the common cold. Pauling was a brilliant man who could not accept that he wasn't right about this subject. He even went so far as to kill lab animals and impound the research of someone who was working with him whose research showed higher rates of cancer in experimental rats taking large doses of vitamin C. This scientist (Arthur Robinson) sued. The case was settled, including payment for Robinson's legal fees and for slander and libel by Pauling.

The study evidence is very much against vitamin C for colds as well. In the dosages that Pauling recommended, you are likely to experience diarrhea. If you take the high doses that he recommended for cold prophylaxis, you are putting yourself at risk for kidney stones.

If you do decide to take vitamin C for a cold, I would suggest that you not take megadoses. Some of the literature that (weakly) suggested positive results for vitamin C (by Dr. Anderson in Canadian Medical Association Journal about 30 years ago) used much lower doses than Pauling. He used 1500 mg on the first day and 1000 on the next 4 days. (He found no difference between a sustained release vs. regular vitamin C formulation.)

For my patients who want to use vitamin C anyway, my recommendation is trying to increase their intake of vitamin C containing foods and to take no more than the 1500 mg on day one and 1000 on days 2-5 that Anderson used.

[Leo99]

I use Cold-Eeze and I think it works. I always have a stash of Cold-eeze on hand and take them at the first sign of symptoms like dizziness, achey body pain. The Zicam homeopathic seems to work too but I only take the quick dissolving lozenges not the nose swabs or sprays.

[tek]

Alka-Seltzer Cold Remedy is the nuts [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Skipbidder]

[ QUOTE ]
I use Cold-Eeze and I think it works. I always have a stash of Cold-eeze on hand and take them at the first sign of symptoms like dizziness, achey body pain. The Zicam homeopathic seems to work too but I only take the quick dissolving lozenges not the nose swabs or sprays.

[/ QUOTE ]

Colds are variable in length and symptom severity. Thus, it is not very reliable to place a great deal of weight on individual claims. The way we test these claims is by double-blinded placebo-controlled trials. When you do these, neither zinc nor vitamin C have good results.

If you were to go to other forums on this board, they talk about a subject that we don't so much bring up here. Sometimes people make subjective estimates about how unlucky they are (or claims that a site is rigged). We don't take their word for it. The patient folks analyze the available data.

Zicam isn't homeopathic at all. Their claim is nothing more than an attempt to avoid regulation. The zinc is full therapeutic-strength without any dilution. If they tried to market it honestly, they would come under more scrutiny for their claims.

[JonPKibble]

[ QUOTE ]
You have to be pretty ridiculous before the FTC charges you.

[/ QUOTE ]

All you have to do is make a statement that you can "cure, treat, or diagnose a disease" and the FTC will shut you down. That is, unless you've paid them a large sum of money to approve your remedy as a "drug".

[Skipbidder]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You have to be pretty ridiculous before the FTC charges you.

[/ QUOTE ]

All you have to do is make a statement that you can "cure, treat, or diagnose a disease" and the FTC will shut you down.

[/ QUOTE ]
The FTC is woefully undermanned in this particular area. Many of those who happen to get sanctioned get away with continuing their violations because of this fact.

[ QUOTE ]
That is, unless you've paid them a large sum of money to approve your remedy as a "drug".

[/ QUOTE ]
I am confident that you cannot provide an example of this. I invite you to attempt to prove me wrong.

[Luzion]

Thanks for all the additional insight Skipbidder.

Before I get in my car for my daily 2 hour commute I like to down 4 tabs of Tylenol NightTime Sinus and Allergy relief with a tall glass of warm water.

[Ray Zee]

i find that if i get plenty of rest and food and take all the cold remedies, i can knock it out in a week. otherwise it will take seven days.