For Kid's Coughs, Swap The Over-The-Counter Syrups For Honey

[Malmsy]

Last edited Mon Feb 10, 2020, 06:49 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/02/08/802750225/for-kids-coughs-swap-the-over-the-counter-syrups-for-honey

"Mostly, these kids cough syrups have either a cough suppressant like dextromethorphan (in Robitussin and Delsym, for example) or an antihistamine like diphenhydramine (in Benadryl and Dimetapp).

"What the studies have shown is that — for some reason — in kids they aren't that effective," she explains.

Plus, these drugs can cause side effects, she says, "such as increasing your blood pressure, making your heart rate go up or suppressing the drive to breathe — and that's definitely something we don't want for kids."

So what can desperate, sleep-starved parents give their kids? The answer might be already in the kitchen cupboard.

"Honey is at least as effective as those many, many products that you see in the drugstore," says Dr. Bud Wiedermann, an infectious disease specialist at Children's National Hospital in Washington D.C. This is only for kids older than 1 year old. (There's a risk of botulism for infants.)"

[Happyhippychick]

1. Been doing this for years! It works!

[Cirque du So-What]

2. Honey & whiskey

Honey for the tot, whiskey for me.

[SlogginThroughIt]

3. No! And please don't post this. Listen to your doctor.

Take your child to the doctor. And listen to what they say.


Blanket statements like this are dangerous. What one person might think is just a cough may be something entirely different.

[Malmsy]

5. NPR addressed this in the story. (eom)

[Roland99]

6. Per the article...

"Honey is at least as effective as those many, many products that you see in the drugstore," says Dr. Bud Wiedermann, an infectious disease specialist at Children's National Hospital in Washington D.C. This is only for kids older than 1 year old. (There's a risk of botulism for infants.)

There is some research to back up honey as a cough treatment. One randomized controlled trial in Israel asked parents of coughing kids to give their child either honey or a date syrup that looked and tasted like honey (a placebo), and found that the honey group said that the child's cough and sleep as improved after one night of honey, but parents who gave the date syrup found no improvement (note this study was partially funded by the Honey Board of Israel). Another study found honey worked about as well as dextromethorphan without the risks of side effects.

How does honey work to quiet a cough? Shu says, it's not clear.

"Honey has some natural antibacterial and antiviral properties," she says. "It contains hydrogen peroxide, so there is a theory that that's why it might help fight a cold. But also the thickness of it helps coat the throat and makes it feel more comfortable so you don't have that dry, ticklish feeling that's causing your cough."

[SlogginThroughIt]

18. It doesn't say what I am saying...

Does it say go see your doctor if your kid is sick? I didn't see that in your quoted text.

[Roland99]

25. For a cold? If my child was running a fever, sure

But sniffles and a cough?

[SlogginThroughIt]

19. Also my wife is the GC for a supplement company

Also my wife is the GC for a supplement company and while that DR can make that quote there is no way any supplement company is going to use that statement to back up a supplement/natural based cough remedy on their packaging. Because his statement hasn't really been put through anything more than "There is some research to back it up".

People run with these types of things and the next thing we know people are freaking out about supposed mercury in vaccinations.

[Blue_true]

24. Good post. Take the kid to a competent Pediatrician and go from there. nt

[gollygee]

4. Mine has asthma

so I've got other medicine and wouldn't just use honey. I guess I might use honey too but she has a sweet tooth and I don't want her getting used to having honey all the time.

[tavernier]

7. Local honey is very effective for coughs from local allergens.

Buy honey from where you live when possible.

[Brother Buzz]

12. Bees don't visit grass or evergreen trees, a significant source of allergy pollen

[tavernier]

13. I'm sure you're right. The theory behind this is faulty.

It’s just always worked in my family. My kids farm and have beehives and during allergy season when the sneezing starts, the honey comes out and seems to make a difference.

I live in the tropics where we have certain poisonous trees that many ppl have a bad reaction to. My Mexican maintenance man told us to make a salve with fruit grown locally to sooth and heal the the skin. I was skeptical but saw it work.

Perhaps all of these old home remedies are just based on placebo logic. Or perhaps pharmaceutical manufacturers prefer that we purchase all of our drugs from them.

I tend to be skeptical to some degree on both sides. I damned near died from one dose of Claritin years ago, so pills are not my first choice for most problems, but I would crawl on my hands and knees to get a flu shot every year, as I’ve stopped getting that horrible crap ever since my first dose.

[d_r]

8. Not just honey

Honey, lemon juice, bourbon, hot water

[oasis]

10. That's what my granny gave me. Honey, lemon, brandy w/ hot water.

[eissa]

14. Exactly what my old-world parents gave me

They told me to do it with my kids when they were sick, but I was always afraid to do it when they were little. But that's our go-to recipe when we're sick now. That, and place the following in a teapot:

Orange or lemon rind
Two cinnamon sticks
1-inch fresh ginger, chopped
Few sprigs of fresh mint

Pour boiling water on top and let steep for a while (at least 30 minutes - an hour.) Place teaspoon of honey in mug and pour tea. Helps with sore throat and sinus pressure.

[Brother Buzz]

9. Was a time, a pharmacy had bulk cough syrup stock, sans the medication

And it worked wonders most of the time. The only downside was it had a wee bit of alcohol in it.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. Except for those younger than 1 year, because of the risk of botulism.

[Coventina]

15. DO NOT GIVE HONEY TO INFANTS UNDER THE AGE OF ONE YEAR!

Honey can contain botulism spores that can sicken infants under a year.

Older children and adults can handle them safely, but not infants.

https://blog.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/babies-can-eat-honey-from-12-months-of-age-but/

[Crunchy Frog]

16. I say go bold with the old classics.

[TheBlackAdder]

17. Elecampane eradicates pneumonia, chronic bronchitis infections, anthrax and chest colds.

.

Take 30 drops 3x a day, or get Lung Tonic liquid gels, if you don't want to taste it.

Also, take DM Max every four hours, along with extra guaifenesin. NEVER miss a dose, even if that means setting alarm for 2AM. You don't want to give a chest infection any chance to re-root itself. Also a Vicks menthol steam inhaler to loosen mucus in the lower part of the lungs. Take slow breaths in and slightly more forceful breaths out to keep the direction of mucus to favor leaving the lungs.


At most, my four kids would lose no more than two days of school, most often just one day.


Never go into the hospital without elecampane... never. It's at all good health food stores, Sprouts, etc.

.

[mfcorey1]

20. This is your link

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/02/08/802750225/for-kids-coughs-swap-the-over-the-counter-syrups-for-honey

[Malmsy]

21. THANK YOU!!! I had two stories open, and I copied the wrong link.

I corrected it.

[womanofthehills]

22. If you go with honey, make sure it's organic

because the FDA could not find regular honey that was not contaminated with glyphosate - some with very high levels.

[Malmsy]

23. Oh, yes - totally!

Thanks for bringing that into the conversation!