Common Cold

Joyce Hollman

The not-so-surprising reason these OTC decongestants will be banned

With cold and flu season approaching, you need to hear an ugly truth: Many decongestants we’ve turned to for sinus pain and pressure have been deemed ineffective and will leave drugstore shelves soon. Here’s why some work and some don’t…

Carolyn Gretton

Using saltwater to shorten colds and stop the spread

Ah, the back-to-school season: new clothes, new backpacks and a new round of germs. It’s tough to completely dodge the colds and viruses kids bring home. Unless you know the saline solution trick that activates an immune defense…

Joyce Hollman

Recipe for recovery: The science in chicken soup

Is chicken soup the best recovery for a cold? A lot of cultures worldwide swear by it and have for thousands of years. Here’s the science behind how chicken soup, done right, can speed up your recovery from colds and flu this winter…

Tracey G. Ingram, AuD

What garlic can do for the common cold

Garlic has been used for centuries in various ways to combat infectious diseases. And as the years of interest in garlic have ticked on, modern research has found garlic to be effective against many strains of bacteria. But what about the virus behind the common cold? Let’s see what the research has to say about how it stacks up…

Joyce Hollman

Feed a cold, starve a fever (or leave it be for faster recovery)

A fever is the body’s reaction to infection. Turning the heat up improves the performance of immune cells and stresses the pathogen behind the illness. So is it any wonder that the practice of medicating fever is coming into question or that skipping it could clear infection in half the time?

Dr. Michael Cutler

9 types of cough and how to treat them

Cough is the most common complaint most doctors see this time of year. So, I thought it would be helpful to look at the different types and causes of cough and their treatments. Just remember, it’s always best to err on the side of precaution…