Caring for the Common Cold

It's important to remember that there is no magic formula for curing colds. They are caused by viruses, making antibiotics useless as a treatment. And "cough and cold" over-the-counter medications that are meant to treat several symptoms at once have recently been declared off-limits by the AAP: Studies show that the combination of active ingredients may not actually help children and their side effects may outweigh any potential benefits. As tempting as it is to give one medicine that will make your child feel "all better," Dr. Baumel recommends that we "use medicines targeted at relieving only one symptom [such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen], which can then be evaluated as to their efficacy in bringing relief to the child."