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How Would an FDA Ban on Popular Cold Meds Affect Americans?

America's most popular cold medications contain a nasal decongestant that doesn't work, creating a knotty dilemma for regulators, a new study reports.

Cold remedies containing phenylephrine remain consumers' most popular choice, despite decades of concern that the decongestant simply isn't effective, researchers say.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering whether to pu...

Folks Often Hide Infectious Illness at Work, Socializing

A disturbing number of people sick with an infectious disease conceal their illness to avoid missing work, travel or social events, new research reveals.

About three in four people (75%) had either hidden an infectious illness from others at least once or might do so in the future.

These folks reported boarding planes, going on dates and engaging in other social activities while sic...

Feed a Cold and a Fever, Experts Say

The old saying “feed a cold, starve a fever” is baloney, doctors say.

People fighting off a seasonal respiratory virus need adequate nutrition, regardless of their symptoms, according to advice from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Fever is just one of the many defense mechanisms the human body uses to stave off any infection, said

  • Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
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  • January 26, 2024
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  • Robitussin Honey Cough Syrup Recalled Due to Fungal Threat

    The maker of Robitussin has recalled eight lots of Robitussin Honey CF Max Day Adult and Robitussin Honey CF Max Nighttime Adult cough syrups.

    The products, which are made by Haleon, may be contaminated with a microbe, and "in immunocompromised individuals, the use of the affected product could potentially result in severe or life-threatening adverse events such as fungemia or disseminate...

    Sore Throat? Try These 5 Home Remedies for Relief

    Sore throats are commonplace during cold and flu season, but luckily there are lots of home remedies that can help ease your misery, doctors say.

    These remedies “aren't quick fixes for an illness,” but they can help ease discomfort, said Dr. Heidi Hutchison, a family practice physician at Penn State Health Medi...

    Air Filters Probably Won't Cut Your Odds for Illness: Study

    Air filters might help keep the air in your home fresh, but a new review finds they don't appear to reduce your risk of catching an airborne virus.

    Technologies designed to make indoor spaces safer from infection are not effective in the real world, researchers from the University of East Anglia in the UK argue.

    The team analyzed data from 32 prior studies in which air treatment tec...

    CVS Pulling Popular Cold Meds From Shelves After Report Deems Them to Be Useless

    CVS Health plans to pull cold medications that contain phenylephrine from its store shelves after federal regulators determined recently that the decongestant doesn't work.

    Oral phenylephrine is an active ingredient in such well-known products as Sudafed and Dayquil. An FDA advisory committee ruled las...

    Could Folks Suffer From 'Long Colds,' Similar to Long COVID?

    Long COVID, a constellation of symptoms that extend past the initial illness, is now a recognized condition.

    But researchers say COVID-19 may not be the only respiratory virus that causes these lasting health impacts -- "long colds" may also exist.

    “Our findings shine a light not only on the impact of long COVID on people's lives, but also other respiratory infections. A lack of ...

    Today's COVID Is Increasingly Looking Like a Cold or Flu

    Symptoms of mild COVID-19 infection have shifted this season, and now are more akin to those of allergies and the common cold, doctors say.

    Many people with COVID-19 now are presenting with upper respiratory symptoms like runny nose, watery eyes and a sore throat, said Dr. ...

    FDA Panel Says Common OTC Decongestant Is Useless

    For decades, sick people have been taking essentially worthless over-the-counter cold remedies to clear their stuffy noses, a key advisory panel for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.

    The panel voted unanimously that nonprescription oral medications containing phenylephrine -- including Sudafed PE, Vicks Sinex and Benadryl Allergy Plus Congestion -- don't do anything to e...

    City Living Means More Coughs, Colds for Kids

    Two new studies looked to explain an increased risk of respiratory infections like coughs and colds in babies and young children, finding city living to be among the culprits.

    Young children who grow up in towns and cities instead of the countryside suffer more respiratory infections, according to research presented Monday at a meeting of the European Respiratory Society, in Milan, Italy....

    As a Summer Surge of COVID Takes Hold, Don't Mistake It for a Cold

    For the fourth summer in a row, Americans are experiencing a COVID-19 surge, this one marked by a rise in hospital admissions, emergency room visits, test positivity rates and wastewater data.

    The good news: It's unlikely that most cases will be severe or that the surge will be long-lasting, experts say.

    The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • July 31, 2023
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  • Cold vs. Allergies: Which Do You Have? Here's How to Tell the Difference

    As the seasons change and the weather shifts, it's not uncommon to experience symptoms like sneezing, coughing and congestion.

    But how do you know if you're dealing with a common cold or allergies? The two can have similar symptoms, making it tough to tell an allergy from a cold. Here, experts offer tips on how to discern the difference.

    Cold vs. allergy symptoms: What are ...

    FDA Panel to Again Weigh Merit of Decongestant That Many Call Useless

    Consumers have been using a common over-the-counter oral decongestant known as phenylephrine for years, but that may not continue much longer.

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked a panel of its advisors to reassess the drug's effectiveness. The medication's safety isn't in question, just whether it actually does what it claims to do.

    The FDA's Nonprescription Drugs Advis...

    Many Parents Too Quick to Give Fever Meds to Kids: Poll

    It's not always necessary to lower a child's fever, but parents often do.

    A new poll from Michigan Medicine found that about one-third of parents reach for fever-reducing medicines too quickly.

    “Often parents worry about their child having a fever and want to do all they can to reduce their temperature. However, they may not be aware that in general the main reason to treat a fe...

    Is Your Kid's Runny Nose Going on Forever? Here's What You Need to Know

    It might seem like your toddler or preschooler has a nose that is always runny, but experts say that's normal.

    “Children under 6 years of age average six to eight colds per year, with symptoms lasting an average of 14 days,” said Dr. Maria Mejia, an associate professor of family and community medicine at...

    Cooler Noses May Be Key to Winter's Spike in Colds

    Researchers may have sniffed out why colds are more likely in wintertime: The answer may lie within the nose.

    A previously unidentified immune response inside the nose is responsible for fighting off the viruses that cause upper respiratory infections, according to researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Northeastern University in Boston.

    Unfortunately, cold weather inhibits th...

    Having Kids Around Might Shield You From Severe COVID: Study

    Folks with young kids at home may be less likely than others to develop severe COVID-19, a new study suggests.

    Children bring home colds from day care and school and give them to their parents, and it's thought those lower-level infections may ultimately defend Mom and Dad from the worst of COVID. Both common colds and COVID-19 are coronaviruses, so the theory goes that getting one might ...

    Repeat Infections With COVID-19 May Become the Norm

    COVID-19 might be easing into a new status as a widely circulating and somewhat harsher version of the common cold, experts say - a virus that folks could contract repeatedly, even if they were recently infected.

    "[SARS-CoV-2] is destined to join four of its family members and become an endemic coronavir...

    Could a COVID Infection Help You Ward Off the Common Cold?

    If you get infected with COVID-19, there may be a sliver of a silver lining: COVID may help protect you against the common cold, researchers say.

    The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 belongs to a large and diverse family of coronaviruses that include common cold viruses.

    Because viruses in this f...

    Did Dinosaurs Get Colds, Too?

    The fossilized bones of a young dinosaur show evidence of a respiratory infection that may have caused familiar flu-like symptoms -- fever, coughing and trouble breathing.

    Dolly, as she's been dubbed by researchers, was an immature diplodocid -- a large, long-necked plant-eating sauropod. Her remains were found in southwest Montana and date back about 150 million years to the late Jurassi...

    Exposure to Common Cold Might Help Shield Against COVID

    Vaccination is still the best way to protect someone from COVID-19, but new research suggests that immune system activation of T-cells by common colds may offer some cross-protection.

    The study might also provide a blueprint for a second-generation, universal vaccine that could prevent infection from current and future variants, the research team said.

    "Being exposed to the

    Do Your Kids Really Need Cough & Cold Meds?

    When children have colds, parents may want to hold off on using cough and cold medicines, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggests.

    Most children get better on their own, and cough or cold medicines won't change the natural course of a cold or make it go away faster.

    Also, some cough and cold medicines can have serious side effects, such as slowed breathing, which can be life-...

    Zinc Might Help Shorten Your Cold or Flu, Study Finds

    Many people pop a zinc supplement at the first sign of a cold, and there's new evidence supporting the habit.

    Australian researchers found that the supplements appear to help shorten respiratory tract infections, such as colds, flu, sinusitis and pneumonia.

    Many over-the-counter cold and cough remedies offer only "marginal benefits," the researchers noted, making "zinc a viable 'na...

    Social Distancing Kept Kids From Getting Flu, RSV

    Social distancing and mask mandates during the pandemic nearly eliminated cases of the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among children, a new study finds.

    "Numbers don't lie. Face masking, and proper hygiene and isolation, can be effective means to protect the vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and young children, during the respiratory virus season," said study author Dr. Os...

    SmartWatches Detect Viral Infection Before Symptoms Surface in Study

    Someday, your smartwatch might be able to tell you if you're coming down with a virus and how sick you'll be -- even before symptoms start.

    In a small study, researchers showed that a wearable device, like a Fitbit or Apple Watch, could detect which patients had the H1N1 flu and which had a common cold.

    "One of our goals was to be able to detect that infection before a person feels ...

    Your Job Could Put You at Much Higher Risk for Flu

    Your job may significantly increase your risk of catching the flu, with potential implications for the spread of other infectious diseases including COVID-19, according to new research.

    On average, working folks are 35% more likely to get the flu than those without jobs, but an analysis of U.S. federal data found sharp differences between certain jobs and industries.

    The more work-r...

    As COVID Rules Ease, Common Colds Rebound Across America

    Infectious disease expert Ravina Kullar's husband has a cold. So does her sister-in-law.

    Meanwhile, the Cleveland Clinic's waiting rooms are becoming much more frequented by folks with coughs, sneezes and sniffles, said family medicine physician Dr. Neha Vyas.

    These folks are part of a nationwide trend occurring as COVID-19 vaccinations rise, masks drop, protective restrictions lift...

    Pandemic Silver Lining: Fewer Dangerous Flare-Ups for COPD Patients

    Public health precautions meant to reduce the spread of COVID-19 may have had an unintended but happy side effect.

    They may also have benefited individuals who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a new study.

    During the pandemic, admissions for COPD flare-ups dropped dramatically -- by 53% -- at University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) hospitals.

    <...

    Colds, Bronchitis Cases Resurged After Texas Eased COVID Rules

    After Texas relaxed COVID-19 restrictions, other respiratory illnesses -- such as colds, bronchitis and pneumonia -- made rapid rebounds.

    Pathologists from Houston Methodist Hospital found that the rhinovirus and enterovirus infections that can trigger these illnesses started rebounding in the fall of last year after Texas eased capacity limits in bars and restaurants.

    More recently...

    In 10 Years, COVID-19 Could Be 'Just the Sniffles'

    The virus fueling the COVID-19 pandemic could become just an ordinary sniffle-causing nuisance within the next 10 years, a new study suggests.

    Researchers stressed that the projection is based on mathematical models, and not a crystal-ball prediction.

    But, they say, given what's known about the human immune response to SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID-19 -- it is possible t...

    Prior Exposure to Common Cold Won't Shield You From COVID: Study

    It would be nice if it were true, but a bout of the common cold won't protect you against the new coronavirus infection, researchers report.

    Colds are caused by seasonal coronaviruses (CoVs) and previous studies have suggested that exposure to cold coronaviruses may safeguard against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

    To find out if that was true, researchers analyzed...

    Prior Exposure to SARS Virus Provides Little Protection Against New Coronavirus

    Previous exposure to other coronaviruses may enhance a person's immune response to COVID-19 infection, but new research suggests that antibodies triggered by the SARS outbreak of 2003 provide only limited protection against the new coronavirus.

    Antibodies are blood proteins made by the immune system to protect against infection, the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) researchers ex...

    Immune System May 'Remember' Infections From Previous Coronaviruses

    Previous coronavirus infections might prime the immune system to fight the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a new study suggests.

    There are numerous types of coronaviruses, including many harmless ones that cause mild upper respiratory infections similar to the common cold.

    Besides SARS-CoV-2 -- the virus that causes COVID-19 -- other deadly coronaviruses include MERS-CoV, whic...

    I've Already Had COVID-19, Do I Need the Vaccine?

    Folks who've gotten through a COVID-19 infection might naturally question whether they need to get a coronavirus vaccination when their turn comes.

    Experts say they really need the shot anyway, because even after having COVID they might be vulnerable to reinfection.

    "We're encouraging people if they meet the other criteria to get immunized because we don't know how long either natur...

    Ample Vitamins May Shield You From Colds

    People who get enough vitamin A, D and E may be less likely to complain of coughs and sore throat, though it's not clear the nutrients are the reason why, new research suggests.

    The study, of over 6,100 U.K. adults, found that those who consumed more of the vitamins were less likely to have "respiratory complaints" -- like coughs, "chest" infections, trouble breathing and sore throat.

    ...

    An Upside to the Common Cold? It May Guard Against COVID

    The common cold can make you miserable, but it might also help protect you against COVID-19, a new study suggests.

    The researchers added that people who've had COVID-19 may be immune to it for a long time, possibly even the rest of their lives.

    The research focused on memory B cells, long-lasting immune cells that detect pathogens, produce antibodies to destroy them, and rem...

    Could COVID-19 Someday Become Seasonal, Like Flu?

    COVID-19 is unlike other respiratory viruses known to humans, but in time it could evolve into a seasonal scourge like the flu.

    That's according to a new report in which researchers lay out the case for a possible seasonal COVID.

    The scenario depends on many unknowns, and assumes the new coronavirus will bend to weather factors. And that would not happen until enough people ...

    Bee Healthy: Honey May Beat Cold Meds Against Cough

    There may be no cure for the common cold, but a spoonful of honey might make it less miserable, a new research review concludes.

    Parents have long used honey to soothe kids' sore throats and cough -- probably because their parents did. But the review of 14 clinical trials finds some science to back it up.

    Overall, adults and kids given honey had less-severe, less-frequent co...

    Brush With Common Cold Might Help Protect Against COVID-19

    Since the pandemic began, it's been known that the severity of coronavirus illness varies widely between people. Could the common cold be the reason why?

    It's still just a theory, but researchers in California suspect that if you've recently had a cold -- many of which are also caused by coronaviruses -- your immune system's T-cells might recognize SARS-CoV-2 and help fight it.

    ...

    A Workout Could Be Good Medicine for the Common Cold

    It might be the last thing you want to do when you are battling a cold, but exercise might actually make you feel better, suggests one health expert.

    Here's why: Physical activity boosts your heart rate and promotes healthy blood flow, and it also opens up your lungs and releases endorphins, said Dr. Jayson Loeffert, a sports medicine physician at Penn State Health in Hershey, Pa.

    Why Colds and Flu Seldom Strike at Same Time

    If you already have a cold, you're less likely to get the flu, and vice versa, a large new study shows.

    That finding could lead to improved prediction of cold and flu outbreaks as well as new ways to control the diseases' spread, British researchers said.

    While this interaction between colds and the flu has been observed, this is the first study large enough to provide stron...

    Are Too Many Kids Prescribed Antihistamines?

    Many U.S. doctors are much less likely to recommend cough and cold medicines for young children ever since experts advised against it in 2008, new research shows.

    That's the good news. The bad news?

    Physicians are still more likely to recommend antihistamines for children under age 12 with colds, despite the fact that they provide little known benefit, the researchers from R...

    Many Parents Wrong About What Prevents Colds in Kids

    No parent wants to see their child catch a cold, but some take prevention measures that have little basis in science, a new survey shows.

    For example, 51 percent of parents said they give their child an over-the-counter vitamin or supplement to prevent colds, even though there's no evidence they work.

    Seventy-one percent of parents said they used "folklore" advice, such as n...

    AHA: Taking Medicine for a Cold? Be Mindful of Your Heart

    Flu has so far infected more than 6 million Americans this season, and winter colds are making their rounds. If you've been hit by either, you may be thinking about heading to your local pharmacy to relieve your aches, pains and congestion.

    But before you do, you need to consider how some over-the-counter cold medicines may impact your heart.

    "People with uncontrolled high...

    1 in 4 Antibiotic Prescriptions Isn't Needed: Study

    Nearly 25 percent of antibiotics prescribed in the United States are given for conditions they aren't meant to treat, a new study finds.

    Antibiotics are miracle drugs that can cure deadly bacterial infections. But too often they are given to treat viral infections, such as colds and flu, for which they are ineffective.

    And the overuse of antibiotics brings public health da...