Does honey really work as a cough medicine?
23.December, 2009
My 9 year old is suffering she had a cold and is coughing out of control. I’ve given her cough syrup (advised by the advice nurse) for 2 days now and its not working She has asthma but she’s not wheezing I’ve given her a treatment anyway but she is still coughing so I know its from the cold. I don’t want to give her anymore syrup I read online that honey works better has anyone used this method and did it work?
honey and lemon tea always worked for me, but maybe it was just the lemon tea that helped
23.December, 2009 um 8:42 pm
It has never worked for me. I would just give her a lot of money & some chewable vitamin C & let her relax & find some funny movies & leave her alone as in not smothering her with too much yet being their to be supportive.
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23.December, 2009 um 9:01 pm
There are recent studies that indicate honey is just about as effective as over the counter cough syrup. Do try the honey. If you can find local honey it’s good to desensitize your girl to the local allergens.
Something you might do for some sort of immediate relief, so she can sleep tonight. If she was ever croupy as a baby you’ve probably done this. Either make a towel tent, turn the hot water on high, and have her hang over the bathroom sink, letting her breathe the steam. Or since she’s kind of a big girl she can do the same thing in the shower if she likes. But the water needs to be hot enough to steam.
I hope this helps. If she’s out of school with this or even sick during the summer more than 6 times a year, you should see an allergist. Ask your regular doctor about it. Okay?
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8+ years as an ENT nurse.
23.December, 2009 um 9:14 pm
honey and lemon tea always worked for me, but maybe it was just the lemon tea that helped
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23.December, 2009 um 9:54 pm
You mix two teaspoons of honey and two teaspoons of lemon juice .This helps me and my kids when we have cough.
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23.December, 2009 um 10:36 pm
Honey can soothe the throat but it doesn’t really help with the cough reflex directly.
There was a study that showed DM cough syrups performed no better than placebo, though, and that honey was a bit better than placebo. It wouldn’t hurt, that’s for sure.
I think codeine cough syrup is probably the most effective at stopping the cough reflex, and it’d help with her general malaise, but that is totally up to her doctor to decide, and you.
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Here’s a science blogs article on the study, and an interesting note on honey saftey and infant botulism (I know you said your child is 9, but if you have an infant you’ll want to read this, and if anyone else reading this answer has an infant well this is probably a good bit of info to know): http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2008/01/honey_cough_and_caution.php
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18056558?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVAbstract
23.December, 2009 um 11:17 pm
Take a look at:
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http://dariasworld.info/blog/2009/11/natural-cold-and-flu-rememedies-elderberry-remedy/