If your child has a pestering cough, you might wanna think twice before giving them one of those over-the-counter remedies.
According to the BBC news service, cough medicines do about as much good as plain ol' maple syrup.
Researchers from Penn State Children's Hospital came to this conclusion after testing 100 kids who were suffering from respiratory tract infections. They wanted to see if the two "active" ingredients in cough medicine really did any good. They divided the kids into groups. One group was given syrup containing one active ingredient, one was given syrup containing the other active ingredient, and the last group was given a plain, non-medicated syrup.
The results? Neither of the two ingredients did any better than the simple syrup. In fact, the kids who had the dummy syrup had less frequent coughs after taking it than those who got the real medicine.
The researchers say this study questions whether over-the-counter medications should be used at all to treat kids, and doctors should be cautious about recommending them. These cough syrups don't do any HARM, but they're also no better in treating a cough than the stuff you put on your pancakes.
Researchers from Penn State Children's Hospital came to this conclusion after testing 100 kids who were suffering from respiratory tract infections. They wanted to see if the two "active" ingredients in cough medicine really did any good. They divided the kids into groups. One group was given syrup containing one active ingredient, one was given syrup containing the other active ingredient, and the last group was given a plain, non-medicated syrup.
The results? Neither of the two ingredients did any better than the simple syrup. In fact, the kids who had the dummy syrup had less frequent coughs after taking it than those who got the real medicine.
The researchers say this study questions whether over-the-counter medications should be used at all to treat kids, and doctors should be cautious about recommending them. These cough syrups don't do any HARM, but they're also no better in treating a cough than the stuff you put on your pancakes.
