Flu season is officially upon us. According to the CDC, serious cases are already beginning to steadily rise, causing 12,000 hospital admissions and 740 deaths so far.
But for those of us with milder cases, battling sleepless nights and relentless coughs, it can be difficult to know what remedies to turn to – if any.
Earlier this year health officials warned that many of the products we’ve come to rely upon are effectively useless.
And now, one Florida-based emergency doctor has warned that not only are some ‘treatments’ useless, they may even be harmful.
Dr Meghan Martin, a pediatric emergency medicine doctor who goes by the name of Dr Beach Gem on social media, recommended investing in a saline spray to unblock nasal cavities
In a video posted to her TikTok channel, a pediatric emergency medicine doctor, Dr Meghan Martin can be seen conducting an in-depth analysis of the items on the shelves at her local drugstore.
In the clip, which has so far garnered more than 200,000 views, she says: ‘Multi-symptom medications are not recommended.’ Dr Martin’s camera pans to an array of branded products to illustrate her point – NyQuil, DayQuil and Mucinex.
These products claim to ease headaches, congestion, body aches and sore throats.
However, Dr Martin told her 1.4 million followers: ‘they have lots of different products in them and they can have a lot of side effects.’
In particular, drowsiness can be severe in some – especially if you’ve drunk alcohol or take certain medications for conditions such as Parkinson’s.
They may also cause blurred vision, according to WebMD.
Dr Martin also warns against cough syrup. ‘Suppressing that cough is not a good idea,’ she advises. Those with colds should instead be ‘coughing it [mucus] up and out of their lungs.’
Dr Martin added that cough medications are a definite no for children aged under six months because ‘there’s a lot of side effects and they’re really just not effective.’
‘Honey has been proven most effective and can be used in 12 months and up,’ she said.
But not everything on the shelf is useless.
First, Dr Martin recommends cheap painkillers – especially for children.
‘Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are very helpful to get the fever down,’ she says.
‘They keep kids comfortable so they’re more willing to drink and stay hydrated.’
She’s also supportive of saline sprays – squeezy bottles that pump liquid into the nostrils to clear mucus.
‘Nasal saline squeeze bottles are also really good to get the mucus out. Just don’t use tap water in them.’
Electrolyte solutions are ‘great to keep kids hydrated,’ Dr Martin adds, ‘especially if they’re not eating food.
Finally, if you’re on the hunt for a thermometer to keep a check on your family’s fever, steer clear of anything expensive.
Skip these and get a normal digital thermometer for $10-12. It’s accurate and way more cost effective.’
In October this year, CVS began removing oral meds from shelves that contain phenylephrine as their only active ingredient, which was shown to be no better than placebo at treating a stuffy nose.
The drugs are taken by millions of Americans and include brands like Benadryl Allergy Plus Congestion, Sudafed PE, and Tylenol Cold and Flu and Severe Day & Night.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk