Originally published February 19 2006
Pediatrician warns parents away from giving cough syrup to their children
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Dr. Anne Chang of the Royal Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, Australia talks about new guidelines adopted by The American College of Chest Physicians, which advises parents not to give children 14 and younger cough syrup, which can prove harmful in its overpowering sedation.
Cough and cold medications should not be given to children, say new medical guidelines that also recommend all adults be vaccinated against whooping cough in an effort to stop a rise in the illness.
The American College of Chest Physicians now strongly recommends that children 14 and younger not take over-the-counter cough or cold remedies because they can do more harm than good.
In a statement released Monday, Dr. Richard Irwin, chair of the guidelines committee, said cough is very common in children but cough and cold medicines are not useful and "can actually be harmful."
While urging parents not to give their children cough medicine, the guidelines also point out that for adults, cough expectorants or suppressants --- including cough syrups and cough drops --- don't treat the actual cause of the cough.
Instead, the college recommends adults with acute cough --- a cough lasting less than three weeks --- or postnasal drip syndrome take an older variety antihistamine with a decongestant as the best defence.
"There is no clinical evidence that over-the-counter cough expectorants or suppressants actually relieve cough," said Irwin in the statement.
Francis Sullivan, a spokesman for Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, which makes the popular cough treatment Robitussin, said he does not expect sales will be affected.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration "has concluded that these drugs are safe and they work," Sullivan said in a telephone interview.
But whether or not the medication makes a difference in the time it takes the cough or cold to heal is questionable, she also said.
Meanwhile, the college's guidelines also urge that adults up to age 65 be re-vaccinated against the whooping cough, which is spread easily by coughing or sneezing.
The Toronto area has seen a rise in whooping cough cases not seen since the early 1990s, said Dr. Michael Finkelstein, assistant medical officer of health at Toronto Public Health.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml