Children Under 12 Should Not Take Cold/Cough Medicine

About four months ago the FDA warned that the risks for children 2 and under of taking cold and cough medicine were high. In the past two years 1500 children have been hospitalized with adverse reactions to these drugs. Well today, Jan. 16, the FDA made it official that kids under age 2 should not take theses drugs at all.

In a report on CNN this morning,, Dr. Sanjay Gupta pointed out not a single study exists to prove that these medications can help kids 2 and under. He also said that kids 2-6 are the next group that the FDA is looking at. Following that he says the warning will probably be extended to kids up to 11. He seems to think that soon the FDA will say kids under 11 should not take these drugs at all.

When asked what parents can do, guess what made the list? CHICKEN SOUP!! Ok, I'm gloating.
I have written more than one blog on the benefits of chicken soup and I have been serving my children chicken soup on a daily basis during cold season. ( Don't forget to put lots of garlic in as it is a natural anti-biotic.)

Other alternatives he mentioned were a room humidifier, saline drops in the nose and a rubber nose bulb.