AHCHOOO!
November 30, 2023 12:11PM CST
It’s officially that time of the year when people stock up on cold medicine.
So, which is the best for treating the common cold?
According to some doctors, “not much.”
“There’s just not much that’s very effective for treating the common cold,” Stanford University clinical assistant professor Dr. Lauren Eggert told NPR. “Most of the things out there — antihistamines, decongestants, cough medicines — none of them have a lot of evidence that they’re super effective at improving cough or common cold symptoms.”
“If you’ve used something and you felt like it was helpful, I don’t think there’s a problem with that,” added Eggert. “There’s little harm for people who are looking for relief. And I do believe in the placebo effect.”