As vaccines and antibiotics prove inadequate, natural medicines are powerful allies in fighting colds.
Winter is the season for the common cold. The cause of the cold is a viral infection of the lining of your nose usually causing a runny nose, sneezing and difficulty breathing. The reason that most colds occur in winter is that the protective coating of the virus tends to melt away in warmer temperatures. So in winter viruses are at their best and most adults will catch one or two colds per year with kids catching even more. In the United States alone it is estimated that 30 million work days and 22 million school days are lost each year to cold related illness.
Since colds are so common and so inconvenient, there are all sorts of medicines available to treat them. Lately it has been emerging that the more orthodox approaches such as vaccination, children’s cold medicines and antibiotics are not effective. Thankfully, complementary medicine offers a range of effective cold remedies that you can stock up with this winter.
Vaccines inadequate
Vaccination works on the principle that by introducing small amounts of a bug to your system, it allows your immune system to become familiar with the bug. Hence it will develop antibodies and the next time the bug enters in serious numbers your immune system recognises it immediately and is able to neutralise the invader. This works in some cases but in the case of the flu and cold virus, it is not so effective.
The flu vaccine is based on two “A” strains and one “B” strain of the flu virus. The problem is that viruses are continually mutating. This is a survival strategy for them to keep ahead of threats. Hence there is a perpetual “drift” in the viral population which is why the vaccine needs to be reformulated each year. In Australia this reformulation takes place in September but since the viruses are always mutating to some degree, there is always the chance that this “best guess cocktail” will not match the virus that arrives in your nostrils.
The elderly are particularly encouraged to have the flu vaccination. Yet a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2005 found that despite the number of elderly people being vaccinated in the US rising from 15 per cent to 65 per cent from 1980 to 2001, there had not been the expected drop in influenza related deaths. Other studies have questioned the real benefits of vaccines although there are still those who say they offer some benefit. Surely though, there is no-one who still believes that antibiotics are the answer to the common cold.
The antibiotic fallacy
Colds can be caught as the result of contact with any one of 200 different viruses. Among all of the cold viruses, the rhinovirus and the coronavirus cause the majority of colds. Viruses are much smaller than bacteria. They are tiny clusters of genetic material surrounded by a protein envelope or “wrapper”. Medical science currently does not have any drugs that can kill viruses. Drugs such as Tamiflu, the current best hope against bird flu, will stop the virus multiplying. So where do antibiotics come into cold treatment?
Antibiotics do not have any effect on viruses. So, they will not treat the primary cause of a cold or flu. They are only used to treat secondary bacterial infections that can further complicate the effects of a cold. If a secondary infection is not present then antibiotics will not help and in fact they may do some harm. Antibiotics are not selective and will kill good bacteria as well as bad. Killing off good bacteria in your digestive
tract will lead to a greater load on your immune system, which already has its hands full fighting the viral infection. If there is a suspected secondary infection and you do need antibiotics be sure to take a probiotic supplement during and after to replace the good bacteria.
Alternative measures
All in all, when a cold hits the best thing to do is rest, keep yourself hydrated and allow your body to combat the infection. There really is not a lot that orthodox medicine offers other than suppression of symptoms and suppression is not always the best idea. There is however, quite a lot that is offered by complementary medicine in terms of managing a cold.
First, there is prevention. Many natural medicines assist in building overall health and wellbeing and this will help you fight off a cold more effectively. Some of these will also specifically support your immune system and help maintain your resistance to infection. Some of these are listed in the table below and they include Echinacea, Olive Leaf, vitamin C, zinc, Astragalus and Andrographis.
You might be reading this and thinking, “That doesn’t do me much good! I’m already sick!” Do not despair, natural remedies are at hand to ease your symptoms and hasten your recovery. These are remedies like Goldenseal, Elderberry, Garlic, propolis and Manuka honey. While they are gentle, these natural healers often equal and sometimes exceed pharmaceuticals in their effects (as honey is better than cough medicines for kids). NOTE: honey should not be given to children under one year of age. Coughs and colds are almost impossible to avoid entirely. However, by choosing the appropriate natural medicines you can help you and your family get through the cold season as smoothly as possible.
Your Guide to Winter Supplements
PREVENTION
Echinacea – this herb supports your natural resistance to infection and should be taken prior to being exposed to the possible infectious agent.
 Olive Leaf – olive leaf contains a range of substances including flavonoids that will support general wellbeing. In the 1960s a pharmaceutical firm found that a chemical from olive leaf called calcium elenolate was effective against a wide range of viruses in test tube experiments.
Vitamin C – vitamin C may assist in the functioning of a healthy immune system. A recent review of 30 trials on vitamin C including more than 11,000 people showed that taking the vitamin before a cold starts will reduce the duration of the cold. Zinc – adequate zinc levels are important for the immune system. Andrographis – this Ayurvedic herb will help strengthen the immune system against cold viruses and can relieve symptoms. Astragalus – this Chinese herb supports your resistance to cold and flu but should not be taken in the acute phase of a cold.
TREATMENT
Goldenseal – this herb strengthens the immune response to infections and is also strongly antibacterial should a secondary infection exist.
Elderberry – a syrup made from the berries of the elder tree may help reduce the duration of a cold, while a tea from elder flowers is expectorant (helps expel mucous).
Garlic – this culinary herb has a broad spectrum antimicrobial activity and has been shown to help combat the viruses that cause cold and flu.
Propolis – this is a resin that is gathered by bees and smeared over their hive for its antibiotic properties. As a supplement it is also a natural stimulant for the immune system aiding resistance to infection.
Manuka Honey – honey is soothing, antioxidant and antibacterial. Manuka honey is collected from bees who frequent a particular New Zealand tree. This type of honey is particularly useful for sore throats.
Cough medicine and kids don’t mix
As of April 2008 the National Drugs and Poisons Scheduling Committee (NDPSC), an expert committee of the Australian government’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has announced that sedating antihistamines, which are found in many cough and cold medicines, will only be available as prescription medicines for children under two years of age. This will come into force as of September 1 2008.
The reason for this decision is that the risks of these medicines outweigh the benefits. In children under two the evidence is that these medicines do not work. At the same time, although uncommon, there are risks with the medicines. The TGA cites the most commonly reported adverse reactions in children to include agitation, insomnia, hallucinations and over sedation. If the medicines do not work and there is even a small chance of negative reactions, then the risk is too great. In the US a panel of advisers has recommended to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that these medicines not be given to children under six. The FDA is recommending they not be used in children under two at this stage.
The good news: a study compared a teaspoon of buckwheat honey with dextromorphan
(an ingredient in over-the-counter cold medicines) and a placebo in treating children’s nighttime cough. The children who received the buckwheat honey experienced significant reductions in cough frequency and sleep difficulties, which was superior to the results in the other two groups (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2007).
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