Try remedies to shorten colds’ duration

Kids have an average of six to eight colds each year and adults have two to four. Which home remedies do you use for colds and do you know if they really work?

Vitamin C was first mentioned as a treatment for the cold in the 1970s. Since then, it’s been studied in dozens of trials. Some have found that if taken daily before you catch a cold, vitamin C can decrease the severity of symptoms such as sore throat and runny nose.

It’s also been found to shorten the duration of colds by about 10 percent if taken soon after symptoms begin. That means the 12 days of feeling sick from a cold that adults typically experience each year could be reduced to about 11 days with the help of vitamin C.

The jury is still out on the effectiveness of echinacea, a flowering herb that is made into tinctures and teas and commonly used to combat colds. Some studies show it boosts the number of white cells, which could mean a stronger immune response to infections. But other studies find echinacea doesn’t really do much.

A study published in 2011 found zinc supplements shortened the duration of a cold and reduced the number of days kids skipped school because of illness. The study reviewed the results of 15 experiments and found taking zinc also cut the use of antibiotics.

Some of the studies showed zinc only seemed to work if taken within the first day of symptoms. People who took supplements soon after they fell ill were sick for one day less than those who took a placebo pill.