Spinal Decompression

OTC COLD AND FLU RX

The cold and flu season is here, and that means more doctor visits and requests for prescription antibiotics. But new research shows going to the over the counter drug aisle in the pharmacy could provide more relief for you and save billions of dollars a year in healthcare expenditures.

The problem is that the typical upper respiratory infection is not a bacterial infection which requires an antibiotic. The true relief one gets is from the decongestants and expectorants you can pull off the shelf yourself without a prescription.
“Sore throat, scratchy throat, if it gets beyond that it might be aches and pains like a flu.”
When Anthony Moutis gets an upper respiratory infection, he doesn’t run to the doctor for an antibiotic. Instead, he treats the symptoms with over the counter remedies.
Now, new research says he’s doing the right thing. The study, released by Northwestern University researchers, concluded that if patients went for over the counter medicines and avoided seeing the doctor for routine stuffy noses, coughs and sore throats, the country would save 4.75 billion dollars annually.
Each year, Americans suffer from about 1 billion colds and the average adult suffers from two to four colds per year, resulting in missed workdays and decreased productivity,
Doctor visits and the cost of antibiotics add to the overall expense.
Dr. Fred Pescatore, medical director for partners of integrated medicines, says, “Antibiotics should definitely only be used as a last resort because most of these upper respiratory infections are viral. Antibiotics don’t do anything for viruses, that’s number one.”
But hitting the store shelves can be confusing. So if you suffer from congestion or a runny nose, you need a decongestant. The most popular is perhaps pseudoephedrine.
There are also the nasal spray decongestants, but be careful--if you use them for longer than three days in a row, they can cause rebound symptoms even worse than before when you do stop using it.
Coughs are best suppressed with dextromethorphan, found again in many over the counter remedies. But if it’s a productive cough, don’t suppress it. Use an expectorant which breaks up the mucus. Look for the word Guafenisin.
Finally sore throats are easily treated with antiinflammatories like ibuprofen.
“Chicken soup absolutely works we don’t know why, but it does work there have been studies that show it works. Gargling with warm salt water is one of the few things that actually has been proven to help a soar throat and very cheap and very inexpensive,” says Dr. Pescatore.
Anthony has perhaps the best advice. “I think the best remedy probably is a good night’s sleep if that’s possible and of course eating sensibly.”
Overall, using the over the counter medicines resulted in a nine dollar per cold saving. But considering the number of colds in the U.S., that adds up quickly. Colds result in about 15 million lost workdays each year in the United States.

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