 |
| Sneezing is an excellent way to spread contagion! |
Tis the season for viral upper respiratory infections! These are known better as the common cold.
The Annals of Internal Medicine just reported a randomized trial of Echinacea for the treatment of the common cold. Despite a quality study design, illness duration and severity were not statistically significant with echinacea compared with placebo. One caveat: the study may have not have been adequately powered to detect a small difference between placebo vs. echinacea.
The bottom line: based on this study, the results do not suggest that echinacea can substantively change the course of the common cold.
Once again, with respect to the common cold, we are left to our own devices, as pharmaceutical interventions are of little to no benefit.
If you have a cold: rest, try some chicken noodle soup (also not supported by scientific data) and, most importantly, stay home, so as not infect the rest of us!
