Sticky situation When the typically drug-friendly FDA recommended last October that parents stop giving children over-the-counter cough and cold medications, everyone took notice -- and the search for safe alternatives began. The good news is that they didn't have far to look. As we've talked about several times over the past few months, there are a number of natural cold and flu preventatives and remedies to choose from that don't carry the risks associated with patented cold medicines (for a complete rundown, refer back to the October 2007 issue of Nutrition & Healing, which subscribers can download for free by logging on to the archives portion of the website with the username and password listed on page 8 of your most recent issue). And the same holds true for cough remedies: There are lots of natural options to choose from, but one of the most effective is also one of the simplest -- honey. It's not often that the medical mainstream admits that a natural remedy works better than one of its patented cash cows, but recent research done at Penn State College of Medicine found that honey actually did a better job at alleviating coughs in children than dextromethorphan (DM), one of the cough-suppressing drugs the FDA warned against back in October. The study involved 105 children between the ages of 2 and 18 who were suffering from coughs that were especially bad during the night. The children were divided into three groups, one that received honey, one that received honey-flavored DM, and one that received no treatment. Parents of the children were instructed to rate both frequency and severity of the children's coughs as well as the children's and their own quality of sleep both one day before and the day of treatment. Based on the parents' ratings, the children who were given honey had two points more improvement than the children taking DM -- 10.71 points compared to 8.39 points. And even though this study was conducted on children, there's no reason to believe that honey wouldn't offer similar results for adults. You can find natural honey in any health food store or places like Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's. The study didn't list a particular dosage, but did say that it only took a "small amount" to offer significant relief. Check with your doctor to determine the best dose for you or your children or grandchildren. Of course, if diabetes or blood sugar levels are a concern, Dr. Wright has also talked about another highly effective natural cough remedy called Mucolytic Drainage Remedy numerous times over the years. He's even seen this formula work on cases of whooping cough. According to Dr. Wright, just 1 teaspoonful (sometimes less for small children) every three to four hours as needed helps quiet a cough better than anything he's seen. Mucolytic Drainage Remedy is available through some natural food stores and compounding pharmacies, as well as through the Tahoma Clinic Dispensary. Source:
"Honey proves a better option for childhood cough than OTCs," Penn State Live (www.live.psu.edu), 12/5/07 "Pathogenesis and Treatment of Gallstones," NEJM 1993; 328(6): 412-421 | 
