A Placebo for Coughs? It May Be the Best Medicine
Written By Savvy Auntie Staff Writers
By Jaime Herndon
Autumn is well underway and winter is around the corner, and it can be common for kids to get colds or sore throats this time of year. Spending time with nieces and nephews when they’re sick can be tricky, especially if their parent hasn’t given you any instructions regarding medicine.
If they’re sleeping over Auntie’s house, we might not even have any kid-friendly medicine. It’s natural to want to make our littlest loved ones feel better, so if they ask us for medicine, it can be awfully tempting to reach for the children’s cough syrup or cold medicine. But not only can that be dangerous, especially for children under 4 years old. Many doctors actually say that hydration and something like ibuprofen or acetaminophen are enough, instead of medicine. A recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that giving kids a placebo dose of a sweet, flavored liquid or agave nectar reduced cough symptoms and severity at night compared to no treatment at all, as reported by their parents. Honey can help soothe cough and sore throat, but is not safe for those under a year old because of botulism risk, which is why agave nectar was used.
A placebo shouldn’t be used in place of medicine if the child’s symptoms get worse or don’t go away, and checking with their pediatrician regarding any ongoing concerns is always a good idea. So the next time you hear “My throat hurts!,” giving a sweet placebo liquid or agave nectar can be a temporary, non-medicinal treatment until their parents talk with their doctor.
Photo: istockphoto
Published: November 26, 2014