Don't Run to Get a Prescription
Antibiotics won't cure a cold. Almost all parents know that colds are caused by viruses, yet about half of them still think colds can be treated with antibiotics, according to a survey conducted by doctors at Children's Hospital and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, in Boston, published last May in the journal Pediatrics. Maybe that's why, when parents take children with colds to pediatricians, they hope to come away with a prescription. Pediatricians would love parents to stop thinking that way. "It's amazing how much pressure parents and teachers apply to get antibiotics," says Clemens. "We just have to keep hammering home the message: Colds are caused by viruses, and antibiotics just do not help." Moreover, pediatricians frown on giving commercial cold remedies to children under 5, with the exception of antihistamines, such as Benadryl, or children's acetaminophen or ibuprofen to treat fever and pain.
Antibiotics are given for bacterial infections, such as ear infections and sinus infections, which may follow on the heels of the cold. Signs that a child has such an infection are symptoms worsening after seven days or symptoms persisting after 10 days.
Common Cold Myths
Despite their growing popularity, homeopathic remedies like echinacea and oscillococcinum have not been proven effective cold fighters; nor has Airborne, the fizzy OTC dietary supplement developed by an enterprising (and germ-plagued) grade-school teacher. Not even the much-vaunted vitamin C has shown much promise in bolstering immunity. Doctors say a generally sound diet enhances health in all ways (including making you resistant to colds), but nutritionists have never found any strategy that specifically builds immunity.
To help your children avoid colds, teach them to wash their hands with soap throughout the day: before and after playing, before and after meals, and before bedtime. That's the best way to stop the spread of colds. If you're in the car or somewhere else with no water handy, germ-zapping alcohol-based wipes or gels (Purell, for example) make good cleansers. For the cleanser to be effective, the gel or solution must be rubbed in until the child's hands are thoroughly dry.
