Effect of inhaling heated vapor on symptoms of the common cold

Article Abstract:

On average, preschool children suffer from 6 to 10 colds each year; adults typically have two to four colds per year. According to estimates, about 40 percent of work absences and 30 percent of time lost from school can be attributed to the common cold. Approximately $1.5 billion per year is spent on physicians caring for patients suffering from colds. Various therapies range from antihistamines to chicken soup, but despite the advice of generations of mothers, physicians and researchers, there is no known cure. Recent reports have claimed that Rhinotherm, a vapor treatment instrument that delivers a stream of humidified warm air (steam vapor), has brought about considerable relief for the common cold. The present double-blind study (neither patient nor clinician knows which treatment is used) examined the physiologic and subjective relief of symptoms in 66 cold sufferers. The subjects were randomly assigned to either a treatment or a placebo control group (treatment with a machine that only delivered air). There was significant alleviation of objectively-reported symptoms observed in the control group, but not in the treatment group. Objective measurements also indicated that symptoms of patients receiving the placebo treatment were also measurably improved. Therefore, this study fails to show any beneficial results of steam inhalation. The difference between the results of this experiment and the positive results obtained by another group that used the same device is considered. It appears that it is important to study 'cures' of the common cold at multiple locations before the efficacy of a treatment can be confirmed. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Humidifiers, Humidity

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Efficacy and safety of echinacea in treating upper respiratory tract infections in children: a randomized controlled trial

Article Abstract:

The herbal medicine echinacea may not be effective in treating colds and other upper respiratory tract infections in children, according to a study of 407 children. There was no difference in the duration , severity, or symptoms of the cold between the children who took echinacea and those who took a placebo, or inactive substance. The children who took echinacea were also more likely to develop a rash.

Respiratory tract infections

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An evaluation of Echinacea angustifolia in experimental rhinovirus infections

Article Abstract:

The effect of chemically defined extracts from Echinacea angustifolia roots on rhinovirus infection is evaluated using three preparations produced by extractions from E. angustifolia roots. The extracts of Echinacea angustifolia root, either alone or in combination, do not have clinically significant effects on infection with a rhinovirus or on the clinical illness that results from it.

United Kingdom, Science & research, Other Crop Farming, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION--CROPS, Medicinal Plants, Research, Rhinoviruses

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