Colds
Allergies, Colds and COVID: How to Tell the Difference
What follows is a breakdown of the symptoms of allergies, cold and flu, along with what we know so far about COVID. My hope is that this will provide parents with a quick checklist that can help asses…
Stuffy Nose and Cough Remedies for Kids
Kids are not small adults. That may seem like something so obvious that it goes without saying. Yet for decades the doses for many medicines, including over the counter cough and cold medicines were s…
Data in Hand
The first generation of medical students that went to medical school with smartphones in their pockets is still in training. They've just finished their second year of residency and they're accustomed…
Dosing Spoon Surprise
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 o…
Not All Hand Sanitizers Are the Same
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 …
Feeling congested? Tired? Feverish? Is it just a cold or is it flu?
How can you tell the difference between cold and flu? Some of the symptoms are the same congested, tired, feverish. That leads people to ask, "is it just a cold or is it flu?" Despite the similarities…
Amoxicillin
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 "…
Amoxicillin-Clavulanate
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 wit…
Where’s the Cold Virus?
Dr. Greene's take on the cold virus... 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 e…
Alternatives to Cold Medicines
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 fam…
Cold Medicine for Your Kids
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 unde…
Awash in Cold Medicines
Dr. Greene's take on cold medicines... Question: Who took cough and cold medicines the most? Answer: Kids aged 2 through 5 years ? the very group for whom the FDA expert panel voted to ban them last y…
Seawater, With a Grain of Salt
Washing the nasal passages with a saline solution is better than OTC cold meds both at treating and preventing common colds, according to a study published in the January 2008 Archives of Otolaryngolo…
How Much Dark Honey for Cough?
Nighttime cough is rough for kids and for parents. I'm not surprised that people spend billions of dollars on over-the-counter cough remedies, even though the most common ingredient, dextromethorphan …
Acne, Antibiotics, and the Common Cold
People who use either oral OR topical antibiotics to treat their acne are more than twice as likely to catch colds, according to a study in the September 2005 Archives of Dermatology. If the results o…
Sweet Dreams: Dark Chocolate Cough Suppressant
So your child has a cold, and can?t stop coughing. In the colder months, these sorts of viruses run rampant. Coughing, is, at its core, a beneficial function of the human body, working to expel viruse…
Chocolate and Coughs
Could chocolate for coughs be more effective than codeine? And if so, how much chocolate would it take? Research published November 17, 2004 in FJ Express, which will appear in The FASEB Journal in Ja…
Simple Syrup NF to Quiet Coughs?!?
I've seen several headlines trumpeting that over-the-counter cough syrups are no more effective than water. The headlines are based on a study performed at the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine a…
Echinacea and Colds in Children
In the U.S., more than $300 million are spent each year on echinacea, mostly in an attempt to treat and prevent the common cold. Colds are especially common in children, who average 3 to 8 colds a yea…
Cough Season
We all want to help a coughing child. But a big difference looms between what should happen and what does happen when kids have bronchitis and other cough illnesses. Even though overall antibiotic use…