Study finds cold remedies not all equal

BELLEVILLE – Loyalist College nurse Lauren Deans says the only sure remedy for a cold is time. Photo By Tyson Leonard

By Tyson Leonard

BELLEVILLE – Cold season is a nuisance to almost everyone, but in a crowded area like Loyalist College it’s bad enough to have people searching for a cold remedy as if it were the Holy Grail.

Most people know that the best way to prevent a cold is to wash your hands, but a recent study shines light on which remedies are actually effective.

The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that treatments such as Vitamin C, Cold-FX and echinacea didn’t do anything to get rid of the common cold. Zinc and honey were found to help alleviate symptoms, but are still far from a reliable cure, the study said.

Lauren Deans, the student services registered nurse at Loyalist, said she was surprised the study didn’t find more evidence that the remedies were working, but said it’s good to be skeptical of over-the-counter cold drugs anyway.

“You should really only treat the symptoms that you have. If you get something that is all in one then you’re getting a lot of medication that you don’t necessarily need, and that can cause rebound effects,” Deans said.

Her advice for those looking to get better is simple: “You can’t rush a cold.”

Mackenzie (who declined to give her last name), a first-year Art and Design Foundations student at Loyalist, said she wasn’t surprised about the study.

“I usually load up on as much vitamin C as I can, but I still seem to get sick,” she said.

And what does work for her? Lots and lots of tea.

“I use honey in my tea. Tea is a natural remedy, and the honey soothes anything that makes you fell icky or sore.”

Rob Devries, a first-year manufacturing student, said he uses Extra Strength Tylenol Cold and Sinus, and it always works. The results of the study won’t change his cold-remedy habits, said Devries.

He sees these studies all the time, always with different results, he said. The best cold remedy for him is simply the one that works, he added.

Robyn Mclean, a first-year personal-support-worker student, said she likes to keep it simple: “Lots of sleep, and I always have a whole bunch of soup.”

Syleen Betts, a first-year pre-health-sciences student, said she isn’t surprised that many over-the-counter drugs were proven not to work.

“I know people that are trying to prevent their cold with Cold-FX, but they still get sick,” Betts said.

She usually just lets the cold run its course, but tea can help with the symptoms, she said.

“I feel like it soothes the throat and clears the sinuses. So instead of going out and buying drugs I just use tea.”