Treating Colds

We are going into cold and flu season. Don't I know this all too well! School was in session only 1 week and my whole family had a cold. Now I seem to have picked up another one. So, it's only natural that I would be thinking about ways to make myself feel better. I usually try to take as little medicine as possible. Nowadays it's ibuprofen and cough drops for my throat. But several years ago I used to live on Dayquil or other cold/flu remedies, only to discover a higher incident of sinus infections and bronchitis. I finally came to my own conclusion that staying away from the extra drugs was better. Trying to dry up or stop the natural process only causes more problems in the long run. The cough suppressants only drove the phlegm into my lungs causing bronchitis. Drying it all up with antihistamines usually caused sinus infections later that were 10 times as bad as the cold I originally had. Of course this is my own observations and how things seem to work with me and my family and is certainly not scientific. I am seeing more and more studies done though that all these cold medicines aren't working like they thought they were. Here's a few sources on cold meds and how to effectively and safely treat your cold.

http://www.aap.org/new/kidcolds.htm

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00056.html

http://www.mercyhealthplans.com/savvyshopper/healthheadlines/060111.aspx