There has always existed and unusual paradox within my home. My parents have, for many years, waged a continuous battle. What is the root of this epic struggle? Money? Power? Control of the television remote?
No, those issues are mere trifles compared to the controversy of the medicine cabinet.
When sick, my mother always rushed to our aid with a reassuring pat and a spoon full of vile liquid known as cough medicine. As she fulfilled the role of Florence Nightingale, my father would stand in the corner and scoff the presence of the cold medicine. I cannot say I was ever eager to take the medicine, which gave off a foul odor from across the room and tasted awful, but I resolved to take the strange substance because it would make me better. The mother’s mantra was, “If you just take the medicine you will be better sooner.”
Believing this to be true, I had always felt free to take medicine whenever I was under the weather. However, I recently became a bit less inclined to grab a bottle when I had a simple cold; I was far from my father’s mentality of, “If you aren’t throwing up you aren’t sick,” but
I was beginning to pause and think about the chemicals I was blindly swallowing.
There are always new medical studies telling Americans to change: What medicines they take, what food they eat and what kind of exercise they get. And there are always different experts butting heads over what is best for the American public. All of the reports and special news bulletins are often muddled together into one confusing and contradictory pile of advice. These reports do, however, catch attention and raise a lot of questions; and, sometimes raise more important issues.
The latest news on over the counter medicine focuses on cough syrup. The American College of Chest Physicians recently said that this staple in American medicine cabinets does not work to end coughs; though the cough may be suppressed for a period of time, the underlying cause is not treated and you do not get better any faster. One of the reasons cited for the ineffectiveness of the syrups is that they contain drugs in too low of a dose to be effective. Furthermore, they say that cough syrups often contain drug combinations that aren’t proven methods for treating coughs.
It should be apparent to anyone who has used cough medicines that they do not take away the cold or virus that is plaguing you. The medicine simply alleviates some of the symptoms and makes it easier to function throughout the day as well as fall asleep at night. It’s not this issue of the effectiveness of cough syrup that should be grabbing peoples attention; it is the response to this topic, and the passing information, that is important.
One often-repeated statistic is the amount of money spent on over-the-counter cold medicines, a staggering $2.9 billion – quite impressive on the part of the companies that make cold medicine if time shows that the product is completely ineffective. ABC has reported that coughs are the number one reason that people go to the doctor, resulting in 26 million appointments. Is this the best use for our doctors? I have heard a lot about doctors having too many patients, health insurance not working properly and many other issues with health care. These systems are supposedly not working. Well, if that is true, it could be attributed, at least in part, to people demanding immediate relief from any cold or virus that comes their way.
The process starts with cold medicine.
People take cough syrup by the spoonful, hoping to get better. If the medicine does not work, possibly because it does not have the capacity to do so, people flock to the doctor’s office. At this point, many say that there is no reason to refrain from using cold syrup even if it doesn’t help because there is, after all, no evidence that the medicine hurts. This mentality has clearly surfaced with the news about cough syrup but one can also see that it is transgressing over the counter medicine to include antibiotics.
When someone goes to the doctor, it is not unheard of for them to be seeking a quick solution, a miracle drug. Patients want antibiotics. And, unfortunately, some doctors are willing to give it to them. When physicians prescribe antibiotics for unnecessary conditions (such as viral infections), it actually promotes the mutation of bacteria, resulting in the creation of new, resistant strains.
Since the advent of penicillin, antibiotics have taken an important role in keeping people healthy. It is important that people understand the importance of antibiotics and the reasons why their use and prescription should be limited to cases where they are necessary. Fortunately the medical community has become aware of the possible consequence of over prescribing certain medications.
Now it is time for the rest of the community to follow suit. People need to stop plugging up the health care system by overreacting to simple colds and viruses. And whether or not cough syrup does any good, it doesn’t hurt to try to do as my dad says: Tough it out and let the cold run its course.

[email protected]