Winter 2010

Caring for Yourself and Your Family During the Cold and Flu Season

David Becker, MD, MPH, Assistant Clinical Professor, UCSF Department of Pediatrics

The dreaded cold season has settled in. As you may already know, the American Academy of Pediatrics has new recommendations about cough and cold medications. They clearly state that over-the-counter medications containing decongestants, antihistamines, anti-tussives and/or expectorants have no consistent data to support their effectiveness in young children.

There are a wide range of natural health products that have been used for cold and flu treatment or prevention, some for thousands of years. The evidence base for efficacy of most of these is fair at best, yet they are generally safe. Here is a brief overview to help prepare you and your family.

The Basics:

Nutrition, exercise and sleep
A healthy, whole-foods diet; regular exercise; and consistent, adequate sleep are the best ways to keep our immune system functioning most effectively. As trite as it sounds, there’s a lot of truth in the saying: “take care of your body and it will take care of you!”

Hand-washing
Viral infections are easily passed around by hanging out on doorknobs and other surfaces in public places. Regular hand washing is the best way to prevent this type of spread. While I don’t advocate regular use of alcohol hand wipes, they can be helpful during travel times when large crowds and airports are unavoidable.

Saline nasal rinse
When young infants catch a cold, one of the best ways to help clear the nasal passages for easier sleep and feeding is to place three or four drops of a saline solution in their nose. Despite the marketing of bulb suction devices, they can be more traumatic than they’re worth. Just let your infant sneeze out or swallow the saline. This can give your child at least an hour or more of relief. For older children, teens and adults, learning to use a neti pot or similar device can have a similar effect. Research in adults shows a nasal saline wash to be as effective as antibiotics for sinus infections, yet children often have a hard time learning to do this.

Vaporizers
Cool mist vaporizers can be helpful, especially if the air in your home is dry.

Treatment:

Chicken soup (with garlic)
A few basic science studies have demonstrated antiviral properties of chicken soup and garlic. Whether this explains why it’s been such a popular home remedy for so long is not clear. But if your child likes it, stick with it!

Elderberry
Elderberry has been studied in the laboratory, and there appear to be properties of elderberry that help fight influenza infections.

Ginger
Ginger may have antiviral properties. It can be taken as candied cubes and as a tea. Its taste is strong, though, and many children may not like it.

Honey
A single study of the use of buckwheat honey at night found that it can diminish cough in children. Honey should not be given to children under one year of age due to the risk of botulism.

Zinc lozenges
When taken frequently through the day early in a cold, zinc lozenges may shorten the duration of symptoms. Because they can be a choking hazard and ideally should be sucked on rather than bitten and chewed, they are best suited to older children. Zinc also comes in a spray form, but there have been reports of nasal irritation and side effects that may be of concern in children.

I have listed a lot of options. The purpose of this list is less to give you a prescription of what to use, and more to update you on what’s known so that you have options. You may choose to stick with what’s worked for you and your family in the past or to try something new. Remember that when offered with care, love and a reminder to your child that they will get better soon, whatever you use will be strengthened by your attentiveness and encouragement.

Dr. Becker offers more tips for families in his online web column.

Neither the UCSF Osher Center nor Dr. Becker are advocating for the use of any specific products or brands. Dr. Becker has no financial ties with any pharmaceutical or natural health product company.

Resource: Treating a Cold and Flu the Holistic Way, by Cari Nierenberg, ABC News Medical Unit