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<DIV><SPAN class=850095315-04122007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>This
comes from Fredi Kronenberg, Phd of Columbia.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=850095315-04122007></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> Fredi Kronenberg
[mailto:fk11@columbia.edu]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, December 04, 2007 9:07
AM<BR><B>To:</B> Growald, Paul<BR><B>Subject:</B> Honey best for relieving
children's cough, helping sleep<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>Paul<BR>FYI<BR>Fredi<BR><BR>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Study Suggests Honey May
Help Relieve Children’s Cough, Improve Sleep During Colds</SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%">CHICAGO – A single dose of
buckwheat honey before bedtime provided the greatest relief from cough and sleep
difficulty compared with no treatment and an over-the-counter cough medicine in
children with upper respiratory tract infections, according to a report in the
December issue of <I>Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine</I>, one
of the <I>JAMA/Archives</I> journals.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%">“Cough is the reason for nearly 3
percent of all outpatient visits in the United States, more than any other
symptom, and it most commonly occurs in conjunction with an upper respiratory
tract infection,” the authors write as background information in the article.
Cough is usually more bothersome at night because it disrupts sleep. Although
unsupported by the American Academy of Pediatrics or the American College of
Chest Physicians, dextromethorphan is the most commonly used over-the-counter
remedy for children’s cough. “In many cultures, alternative remedies such as
honey are used to treat upper respiratory tract infection symptoms including
cough.”</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%">Ian M. Paul, M.D., M.Sc., and
colleagues at Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, conducted a study
involving 105 children age 2 to 18 with upper respiratory tract infections who
were sick for seven days or less and experienced symptoms during the night.
Thirty-five children were randomly assigned to receive an age-appropriate dose
of honey, 33 to receive dextromethorphan and 37 to receive no treatment for one
night within 30 minutes of bedtime. The children’s parents were asked to
complete a survey assessing their child’s cough and sleep difficulty the night
before their assigned treatment and then again the night after treatment.</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%">Honey was found to yield the
greatest improvement followed by dextromethorphan, while no treatment showed the
least improvement in cough frequency, cough severity, cough bothersome to child,
child’s sleep and parent’s sleep. “In paired comparisons, honey was
significantly superior to no treatment for cough frequency and the combined
score, but dextromethorphan was not better than no treatment for any outcome,”
the authors write. “Comparison of honey with dextromethorphan revealed no
significant differences.”</P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="LINE-HEIGHT: 150%">“While our findings and the absence
of contemporary studies supporting the use of dextromethorphan continue to
question its effectiveness for the treatment of cough associated with upper
respiratory tract infections, we have now provided evidence supporting honey,
which is generally regarded as safe for children older than 1 year, as an
alternative,” the authors conclude. “While additional studies to confirm our
findings should be encouraged, each clinician should consider the findings for
honey, the absence of such published findings for dextromethorphan and the
potential for adverse effects and cumulative costs associated with the use of
dextromethorphan when recommending treatments for families.”</P>
<P class=MsoNormal>(<I>Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med</I>.
2007;161(12):1140-1146.</P></DIV>
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