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'Daily Dose': Echinacea and the Common Cold
Aired December 03, 2003 - 11:46 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: In medical news, health officials are calling this one of the most intense flu seasons in recent history. Some of the hardest hit areas have been Colorado, Texas and Wyoming, where several flu deaths have been reported.
This year's flu season started early. It involves a strain of flu not in the current vaccine. But officials say a flu shot is still the best precaution especially for those in high-risk groups.
Tis the season for colds. Many people swear by Echinacea. Americans spend $300 million a year on the herb. But does it work? Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us for today's daily dose with findings from a new study. Good morning.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Echinacea has to be one of the most popular herbs out there. We brought some samples with us here. It comes in several different forms. Some people take it as a capsule like these two bottles over here. This is a dropper. This goes under your tongue. There are Echinacea lozenges, there's Echinacea tea, there are children's chewables and there's also a children's liquid.
Of course, the big question, as Daryn said, does it work? Well in adults the studies have gone back and forth. Some studies say that it does work, some studies say that it doesn't. Well now there's been a big study on children. Researchers at the University of Washington gave some kids Echinacea and gave some kids a placebo.
What they found in a phrase, it really didn't work very well. The kids who took the Echinacea and the kids who took the placebo, there weren't a whole lot of differences. The Echinacea did not lessen the severity of children's colds. It did not shorten the duration or how long the colds lasted. It did not reduce fever. Kids still not fevers the same number of days whether they were on the placebo or the Echinacea.
And in fact the Echinacea did seem to cause a rash in some children. The doctors think that perhaps those children were allergic to it.
So the bottom line is, if you're someone who really wants to give your kid Echinacea, you really think it might work for them, should you give it to them or shouldn't you? We asked the doctor who did the study. And he said, Look, my studies show it didn't work. But if a patient of mine really wanted to try it in their child, I would say, If you're comfortable with that, go ahead and try it. He said that probably nothing's going to happen. Most of the kids tolerated the Echinacea perfectly well, they didn't have problems. He said that children who are prone to rashes and allergy, those parents really should think twice because they may develop an allergic reaction to the Echinacea -- Daryn.
KAGAN: If not Echinacea, are there any other alternatives out there?
COHEN: The only alternatives that are tried and true is common sense. There's no cure for the common cold. You can use common sense approaches for colds and flu. You can get a flu shot. We talked about that earlier on in the segment. Getting a flu shot is the best way to not get the flu.
Also washing hands frequently. That's a very important thing and that helps keep the germs away from you. Limit your exposure to sick people. No hugging, no kissing.
Also, just be healthy. Eat right, exercise, get enough sleep. All of that can help.
Now, if you do choose to take Echinacea, as many people have chosen to do, one of the key things is to take it early. Take it as early as you can. In fact, this study showed when people did take it early it did help them prevent future colds. Not the cold the kid had at the time but those kids did tend to get fewer future colds.
KAGAN: Very good. Thank you, Elizabeth.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 3, 2003 - 11:46 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: In medical news, health officials are calling this one of the most intense flu seasons in recent history. Some of the hardest hit areas have been Colorado, Texas and Wyoming, where several flu deaths have been reported.
This year's flu season started early. It involves a strain of flu not in the current vaccine. But officials say a flu shot is still the best precaution especially for those in high-risk groups.
Tis the season for colds. Many people swear by Echinacea. Americans spend $300 million a year on the herb. But does it work? Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us for today's daily dose with findings from a new study. Good morning.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Echinacea has to be one of the most popular herbs out there. We brought some samples with us here. It comes in several different forms. Some people take it as a capsule like these two bottles over here. This is a dropper. This goes under your tongue. There are Echinacea lozenges, there's Echinacea tea, there are children's chewables and there's also a children's liquid.
Of course, the big question, as Daryn said, does it work? Well in adults the studies have gone back and forth. Some studies say that it does work, some studies say that it doesn't. Well now there's been a big study on children. Researchers at the University of Washington gave some kids Echinacea and gave some kids a placebo.
What they found in a phrase, it really didn't work very well. The kids who took the Echinacea and the kids who took the placebo, there weren't a whole lot of differences. The Echinacea did not lessen the severity of children's colds. It did not shorten the duration or how long the colds lasted. It did not reduce fever. Kids still not fevers the same number of days whether they were on the placebo or the Echinacea.
And in fact the Echinacea did seem to cause a rash in some children. The doctors think that perhaps those children were allergic to it.
So the bottom line is, if you're someone who really wants to give your kid Echinacea, you really think it might work for them, should you give it to them or shouldn't you? We asked the doctor who did the study. And he said, Look, my studies show it didn't work. But if a patient of mine really wanted to try it in their child, I would say, If you're comfortable with that, go ahead and try it. He said that probably nothing's going to happen. Most of the kids tolerated the Echinacea perfectly well, they didn't have problems. He said that children who are prone to rashes and allergy, those parents really should think twice because they may develop an allergic reaction to the Echinacea -- Daryn.
KAGAN: If not Echinacea, are there any other alternatives out there?
COHEN: The only alternatives that are tried and true is common sense. There's no cure for the common cold. You can use common sense approaches for colds and flu. You can get a flu shot. We talked about that earlier on in the segment. Getting a flu shot is the best way to not get the flu.
Also washing hands frequently. That's a very important thing and that helps keep the germs away from you. Limit your exposure to sick people. No hugging, no kissing.
Also, just be healthy. Eat right, exercise, get enough sleep. All of that can help.
Now, if you do choose to take Echinacea, as many people have chosen to do, one of the key things is to take it early. Take it as early as you can. In fact, this study showed when people did take it early it did help them prevent future colds. Not the cold the kid had at the time but those kids did tend to get fewer future colds.
KAGAN: Very good. Thank you, Elizabeth.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
