Nighttime cough and sleep quality were no better with cough mixtures than with simple, non-medicated syrup.  The team from Penn State Children’s Hospital says their findings call into question if these medicines should be used.

Previous research has questioned the effectiveness of common cough medicines that can be bought over-the-counter at pharmacies.

Researchers set out to test two of the main ingredients found in cough medicines head-to-head with dummy syrup containing no medication.  They split 100 children with cough caused by upper respiratory tract infections into three groups.

One group was given syrup containing the active ingredient, dextromethorphan, the second was given syrup containing the active ingredient, diphenhydramine and the third was given the dummy syrup.  The children had all been suffering from cough for about four days before the study.

The children’s parents were asked to give the syrup to their child 30 minutes before bedtime.  The were also asked to rate their children’s symptoms the night before the treatment and the night immediately after the treatment had been given.

Neither of the two active ingredients appeared to be better than the dummy syrup.

In fact the children who received the dummy syrup had less frequent coughs afterwards than those who received one of the active ingredients.  (Pediatrics, 2004)

So what do you do?  Go back to a simple, effective recipe that has been around for generations.  One tablespoon of either honey OR maple syrup, ½ teaspoon of lemon juice and ¼ – ½ teaspoon of ginger.  It’s been working for hundreds of years and doesn’t have any dangerous chemicals in it.  It will help your children (and you) sleep so the body can heal naturally and faster – the way God intended.

Cough is the natural bodily response trying to eliminate either unwelcomed, foreign, organisms like bacteria or virus, or eliminate the toxins. Either way, the Innate Intelligence is working to protect you while allowing the body to do what needs to be done.

We do not need to fight signs and symptoms. Rather, we need to work on preventative elimination of the cause of those particular signs and symptoms. It might be by improving our surrounding environments, diet, or physical activity that causes those symptoms.

We don’t need more drugs – what we need is less interference!  Get adjusted, eat wholesome food, drink lots of water, exercise daily, and live a long and healthy life!

It’s simple! Not easy, but simple!