|
 |
 |
|
|
By: Lisa Poisso
Date Posted: 3/17/2008
|
|
| | |
|
|
| | |
|  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Surviving Winter Cold Season
New ways to battle the sniffles
It’s 1:30pm. A cold gust whips through the magazines by the door as you dash inside the deserted corner drugstore, praying the clerk won’t notice that you’re sporting pajama pants underneath your jacket. You scurry for the Cough & Cold Remedies aisle, frantically searching for an antidote to the monster holding your whole household hostage: a hacking, sleepless toddler with a late winter cold. To your horror, you find not a single product for children under the age of 2.
Uh-oh.
Cough and cold remedies for babies and young children were removed from shelves late last year after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised questions about their safety and effectiveness. The margin for error with these medications is high: Mom and Dad overlap doses without realizing it; caregivers dose children without informing parents; tired parents give two different remedies without realizing they don’t mix. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 1,519 children under age 2 wound up in emergency room
s in 2004 and 2005 for overdoses and bad reactions, and three babies died from the medications in 2005.
“There is no available evidence that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines are effective for children under age 12,” explains Dr. Early Denison, a pediatrician with Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas. “Dosage information for these cough and cold medicines is based on adult experience. However, studies show (that children’s) bodies handle the medications differently.”
Based on this lack of evidence, the FDA is currently considering taking cough and cold medicines for children between 2 and 5 off the shelves, with medicines for the 6-11 bracket under review as well. A decision on these age ranges is expected some time this month.
How to Treat Your Little Patient
In the meantime, what’s the harried parent of a sleepless toddler who has a clogged-up nose or hacking cough supposed to do?
In the absence of drugstore panaceas, natural remedies are back i
n the spotlight. A recent posting on WebMD.com cites buckwheat honey as an effective cough suppressant, and a recent Czech study shows saline nose spray is an effective remedy for winter colds.
Savvy parents are turning to both modern devices and ancient remedies when confronted with stuffy-nosed tots. The Nosefrida (an alternative to traditional nasal syringe bulbs) uses a suction tube against (not inside) your child’s nose to gently draw mucus out. (A filter blocks any ickies from reaching your mouth.)
A neti pot is an ancient method of clearing the nose and sinuses. Just pour warm salt water from one 
side of the nose through to the other, clearing mucus and relieving dryness and itching. You’ll find them at most health food stores and many drug stores.
Cool-mist humidifiers and steam vaporizers both increase the humidity in the air and can ease congestion, nosebleeds and even dry skin, according to Dr. Urmesh Shah, a pediatrician with the Parkland Health System in Dallas. And, a few minutes in a steamy bathroom with the shower running can do wonders to loosen congestion.
And finally, for asthma or other respiratory illnesses, there’s the KidO’s Bear. Invented by a Plano paramedic and a Dallas physician, the Bear is especially helpful with frightened children who need emergency oxygen or medication via an oxygen mask.
Interested in more information on getting kids through cold season? See our additional coverage with more on these methods.
|
|
|
