Colds Related Articles & Blog Posts

What is the earliest pulmonary testing can be done on a child to diagnose asthma? If an infant (15 months months old) recently introduced to daycare started a cold and congestion/fever, could giving full strength Tussin DM (for 12…

I’m typing this from 30,000 feet in the air, with a runny nose. All I want is my Neti Pot. I’ve had a two-day allergy attack, no doubt caused by my cats plus the cleaning that I was doing in advance of going on this airplane. Let’s just say I’m getting used to sneezing and [...]

Once again, my take is different than that of most. About 70 percent of Americans measure their liquid medicines in kitchen spoons. But when smart college students were asked to pour a real teaspoon of liquid medicine into a kitchen spoon, they averaged either eight percent less or twelve percent more than the amount prescribed, [...]

One of the best ways to keep your toddlers healthy during flu and cold season is to keep their hands clean. A good washing with soap and water is very effective in reducing the spread of contaminants that may make your kids sick. But frankly it can be tough to get our little ones to [...]

How can you tell the difference between cold and flu? I recorded this video with A.D.A.M. to give you information that will help you determine the difference between the two. How do you know if you have swine flu (H1N1)? There’s a great new online tool that can help you find out — and it’s [...]

Amoxicillin is an antibiotic used to treat many different types of bacterial infections in children. It does not help in viral infections such as a cold or flu. It’s often called “the pink stuff” or “the bubblegum-tasting one” by children. You might see a brand name such as Trimox, Moxatag, or Amoxil on the label. [...]

Amoxicillin-clavulanate is a strong combination antibiotic used to treat many different types of bacterial infections in children. The clavulanate makes it difficult for some resistant bacteria to withstand the amoxicillin, resulting in a very powerful antibiotic. Nevertheless, it does not help in viral infections such as a cold or flu.

Think twice before picking up that remote if someone in your home has a cold! Researchers from the University of Virginia, armed with DNA swabs, did a CSI-like evidence hunt in the homes of 30 people with early cold symptoms. Where did they find the virus?

When the American Academy of Pediatrics came out with their recommendation against cold medicines for children under the age of 6, parents started searching for alternatives. The good news is that families have a number of alternatives to traditional over-the-counter decongestants, antihistamines and cough suppressants.

Last year an advisory panel of independent experts convened by the FDA recommended that the FDA ban popular over-the-counter oral decongestants, antihistamines and cough suppressants for children under the age of 6 with colds. Recently large drug companies have voluntarily decided to advise parents not to give these medicines to kids under 4.