Consumer Reports – Kitchen cures for the common cold

If a cold catches up with you this season, you may want to head to your kitchen for relief. Echoing advice from generations of moms, researchers at the University of Nebraska concluded in a 2000 study that many chicken soups seemed to reduce congestion, whether the products were what researchers called Grandma?s recipe or store-bought.

Need something more than a nice bowl of soup to unclog your nose? Consider a decongestant. Just be aware that some over-the-counter products have undergone a change.

STICK WITH PSEUDOEPHEDRINE

All decongestants reduce mucus production by constricting blood vessels in the nose. Among the best is pseudoephedrine, a compound found in cold remedies such as Contac and Sudafed. Unfortunately, pseudoephedrine is also used to make the illegal drug meth. For that reason, federal law now requires that products containing pseudoephedrine be moved from shelves to behind the counter.

To keep familiar brand names on the shelves, some manufacturers have substituted the decongestant phenylephrine for pseudoephedrine in their products. But a recent review of the evidence, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, concluded that oral phenylephrine is unlikely to work. Our consultants say that pseudoephedrine is clearly the better choice.

OTHER COLD WARRIORS

If you don?t want an oral decongestant, try nasal products first. Drops and sprays, such as Neo-Synephrine and Afrin 12-Hour, work faster than oral products and are less likely to cause substantial side effects or drug interactions. There is, however, one potential drawback: If used for more than about three days, nasal products can cause rebound congestion ? a renewed stuffiness that?s worse than the original problem.

One nasal product you may want to avoid is Zicam Cold Remedy, a zinc-based gel that costs $11 to $12 for about a week?s supply. While test-tube studies have shown that high levels of zinc might curb the growth of cold viruses and boost the production of infection-fighting substances, only about half the clinical trials we looked at for nasal zinc found that it shortens or eases a cold. More important, studies with animals and case reports suggest that nasal zinc may cause loss of smell, possibly permanent.

If all you have is a simple runny nose caused by a cold, your best bet may be an older antihistamine, such as chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton) or diphenhydramine (Benadryl Allergy).

RELIEF WITHOUT DRUGS

Whenever possible, try these nondrug steps first for treating congestion caused by a cold:

? Elevate your head when lying down.

? Drink plenty of fluids.

? Use saline nasal rinse, sold in drugstores.

? Inhale steam from a hot shower, vaporizer or kettle.