Pediatrics in Review
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(Pediatrics in Review. 2008;29:e66-e71. doi:10.1542/10.1542/pir.29-12-e66)
© 2008 American Academy of Pediatrics
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Complementary, Holistic, and Integrative Medicine

The Common Cold


Cecilia Bukutu, PhD*
Christopher Le, BSc*
Sunita Vohra, MD, FRCPC, MSc*
 * Complementary and Alternative Research and Education (CARE) Program, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. On behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Complementary and Integrative Medicine

The first 300 words of the full text of this article appear below.


   Introduction
 
Caused by a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract, the "common cold" has no known cure and is responsible for considerable illness, including symptoms such as runny nose, nasal congestion, and cough; visits to the doctor; absenteeism from school and work; and economic loss. (1) Therefore, alternative treatments, including the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), are of substantial interest to patients seeking symptomatic relief.

This review examines popular CAM therapies used to alleviate symptoms of the common cold in children. It is limited to the following modalities: natural health products, hydrotherapy, and mind-body interventions.


   Herbals
 
Natural health products (which include herbals, vitamins, minerals, probiotics, homeopathic remedies, and traditional medicines) are used widely for the prevention, treatment, and relief of various conditions, as well as for the promotion of personal well-being.

     Echinacea
Commercially available echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) preparations vary by type (species), plant part (root, herb, or both), and method of manufacture. (2)

Linde and associates (3) reviewed 19 clinical trials examining the effectiveness of different echinacea preparations for preventing (n=3) and treating (n=16) the common cold in adults and children. Echinacea had no effect in preventing the common cold, but in 9 of 16 treatment trials, it had a significant effect compared with the control in reducing cold symptoms in adults, although evidence regarding efficacy in children was unclear. (3)

Two studies have investigated the efficacy and safety of echinacea in the prevention and treatment of colds in pediatric patients. The first was an Israeli randomized controlled trial (RCT) in which 430 children (ages 1 to 5 years) received an herbal preparation containing 50 mg/mL of echinacea, 50 mg/mL of propolis (a natural resin created by bees), and 10 mg/mL of vitamin C or placebo over a 12-week period . . . [Full Text of this Article]


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