Do any ‘remedies’ actually work for the common cold?

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – When you feel the sniffles starting do you take Vitamin C, echinacea or garlic?

People pop a lot of different pills this time of year, trying to fight off the common cold. But how many remedies actually work?

“I use Bach Flower Remedies.You can find them at health food stores and they help boost your immune system and get you back on your feet a little stronger and a little sooner,” says Tony, while visiting a drug store in Vancouver.

But a study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal finds Tony’s “go-to” cure is as effective as echinacea, eastern herbal medicines, nasal irrigation, and many other favourite remedies — as in, not at all.

The research finds the average adult would need to take Vitamin C for 10 to 15 years to prevent a single cold.

So, what does work? When it comes to prevention, the only proven remedies are handwashing and maybe zinc, which could be beneficial in reducing the number of colds you get in a year.

One pharmacist tells News1130 the best prescription is common sense.

“When you get a cold, you need to rest and drink plenty of fluids. When I get a cold, I will take some products for symptomatic relief, but I know they’re not actually helping with the progression of the cold. They just make it a bit more manageable to live with,” says Jay, from behind his counter.

“That’s basically what you tell people when they come in; it’s symptomatic relief. It’s not life-threatening, though colds can obviously progress to worse symptoms. Unfortunately, there’s no magical cure yet,” he adds.

And hopefully you don’t have anyone in your workplace who believes that misery loves company during a cold.

“I just go to work and infect many people as I can and that makes me feel better. It’s a petri dish anyway,” laughs Mike.

The average adult gets two or three colds a year, with the virus costing the North American economy tens of billions of dollars in direct medical costs and workdays lost.