The product looks ridiculous to me. Made by a teacher and some "health professionals" but I've never found any scientific studies on it. Anecdotal reports by fans don't sway me.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
How do you feel about other herbal remedies?
I know many doctors poo-poo them.
I agree that there is not much info on the efficacy of the product, but, by gum, it has worked for me so far.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
There are many things in the world that people use which have never been "studied" and many things in the world which have been studied and accepted as effective, later to be recanted. So much depends on who funds the study, who benefits from the study, and who might later sue.
*shrugs*
Theaca's right, though - you'll only get anecdotal reports as to the effectiveness.
So, anecdotally, I'll add my .02. I use it - I view it as a large dose of vitamins that helps to bolster my immune system. I do NOT take more than two doses in a day for more than 3-4 days.
Why do I take it?
I work in a field that several times a year spends time in ECE classrooms monitoring (effectively, this means we don't "season" up as long-term teachers or ECE staff might who are with the kids daily) - and when those of us that take the stuff stay healthy, and those who do not get colds, etc., during monitoring visits (which last over several days) I tend to think that anecdotally there just may be something to the stuff . . . even if it's just in our pea-pickin' brains. After all - it's about staying healthy, no?
Why no more than two doses a day?
For the same reason I practice moderation in other areas. It's not healthy to take massive doses of anything, ever.
You'll find similar products in health food sections of grocery stores - such as "Emergency-C".
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Shan, I have never taken more than two doses of it. My body gets sort of a gag-me-with-a-spoon effect after two. Usually, I just take one. But, I am a teacher, so perhaps what I am seeing as you mentioned, is the herdening-off effect of being exposed to sickness. Also, since being very ill last year with an immune system-based sickness, I have noticed that I have not gotten as sick. We shall see, as flu season is upon us, how I will weather the storm. What is interesting to me is that "they" did a study on echinacea, and decided it was ineffective. However, the dose they tested was a much lower amount than herbalists would suggest using.
Posted by Theaca (Member # 8325) on :
I suppose I am not opposed to herbal remedies. But when you buy a product with many many many ingredients, and they rave about how wonderful it is, it makes me suspicious. Surely they didn't do research and studies on all those ingredients. Surely they do not know which, if any, of those many many ingredients are actually helping. Surely they know nothing about the dosing for each of those ingredients. Oh, but then they say that they have purified ingredients and no other product is as good as theirs. Again, no proofs. All it would take would be one harmful herb in there to make the whole product do more harm than good, too.
And homoepathic remedies, OTOH, no, I don't believe ANY of those help in the least. At least they cause no harm except to the pocketbook.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Theaca, I wish I could get my sister to listen to you on the homeopathics... ever since she got involved with a group called Eckankar, she's stopped taking prescription meds for her asthma and allergies, taking homeos and vitamins instead, and has been trying to foist her belief in these "alternative therapies" on the rest of us. The girl has just gotten strange...
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
OK, Theca, I am starting to get a cold. I can feel it in my neck and shoulders. Airborne taken. If I do not get sick, I believe,a s I have been sleeping with a sick mate for three or four days.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Elizabeth, cover your bases and have a bowl of chicken soup, too.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
And plenty of water, plenty of extra rest, and plenty of herbal tea with lemon and honey.
Sure-fire cure . . . *grin*
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Yeah, that'll lick a cold in about a week to ten days!
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I know Jenni swears by something called Zicam, and it has seemed to work for me as well.
I think it has been studied, and while it doesn't make you immune to colds it DOES shorten the overall length of them by a few days. Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
My friend noticed that Airborne helps with a hangover.
I have noticed that it fills me up, so is a great diet aid.
I feel a lot better now, HONEST.
So far, scientific proof or not, it seems to work for me.
Posted by Theaca (Member # 8325) on :
OR, you weren't really about to be sick. That happens to me all the time. It feels like the beginning, all the signs are there... then, it disappears. It must be the fact that I don't take airborne that keeps me healthy. Posted by Silkie (Member # 8853) on :
quote:Originally posted by Kwea: I know Jenni swears by something called Zicam, and it has seemed to work for me as well.
I think it has been studied, and while it doesn't make you immune to colds it DOES shorten the overall length of them by a few days.
I use BOTH Airborne and Zicam, when I know I have been exposed to a cold. They are just vitamins, herbs, and minerals, and can't hurt you unless you have an allergy to the ingredients.
My grandson and daughter live with us, and they bring home 'bugs' regularly. My hubby wouldn't take any Airborne or Zicam and he caught their colds, but even though I slept next to him I haven't caught any yet this year. *shrug* Either I was 'lucky' or they work.
Presumably Airborne bolsters the immune system. Zicam has zinc in it and fights the virus by coating the throat with a higher level of zinc, like Cold-eze does. Cold-Eze has had scientific studies done on it and it's effect is verified. My choice is Zicam, since I didn't like the flavor of Cold-eze.
Using them worked for me most of last year, BUT they don't work for the Flu. I did eventually catch the flu last year.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Silkie, For how long do you take the Airborne? It just says "as needed." But I know that with echinacea, if you take too much, it can actually bring on a cold.
Posted by Silkie (Member # 8853) on :
quote:Originally posted by Elizabeth: Silkie, For how long do you take the Airborne? It just says "as needed." But I know that with echinacea, if you take too much, it can actually bring on a cold.
I keep both Airborne and Zicam around. I take a GOOD multiple vitamin every day, and a multiple mineral supplement. I use Melatonin to help me sleep at night. I try my best to eat right and get lots of whole grain cereal, greens and some fruit every day. I wash my hands regularly. Taking care of your health in general is most important.
I take some Airborne and Zicam as a supplement if either my grandson (or daughter, or hubby) comes home sniffling, or if I notice that I am walking through someone else's cough in a public place. When I am exposed to a cold I take them between one time and several times for a couple of days... depending on whether the 'source' is at home or whatever.
In looking at the frequency of my use, I use them maybe two or three times a month at most. That varies of course. I definately wouldn't use them all the time BUT when my daughter and grandson and Hubby were sick I used them for a week or so. If I feel unusually 'dragged out' I take some Airborne, and MAKE time to get some rest, since I think my resistance is down when I feel like that.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I have used Zicam myslef, and it did seem to help quite a bit.
Posted by Samarkand (Member # 8379) on :
There's this thing called the placebo effect . . . Elizabeth, I have a strong hunch that's what's going on. I recommend that you keep believing in Airborne. If it does have a bunch of vitamins and stuff in it, it probably can't hurt and can help at least a little, but take a look at the dosages and make sure you're not ODing on Vitamin E.
One thing regarding Echinacea - it can definitely cause mild gastric distress (read: diarrhea) so watch out for that.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I am well aware of the placebo effect..it is even a real, measurable effect, which is something most people don't realize.
I don't know if that is what is happening here, but even so if it makes it work for her (as opposed to simply making her FEEL like it does) then who cares.
I know that I tend to get some serious colds during the winter months, and that Zicam shortens the overall amount of time I feel horrible.
I also realize that that does not in and of itself prove anything specific about it's overall effectiveness. Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Heck, does a placebo have to be so darned expensive?
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Another good reason for no more than 1-2 doses for 3-4 days. *grins*
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:Originally posted by Elizabeth: Heck, does a placebo have to be so darned expensive?
Actually, yeah. The more it costs, the more impressive it seems, the better it works. I think this is why my in-laws swear that the Name Brand Medicine works so much better than the generic.
I've even seen an ad on TV for some patent medicine weight loss pills that emphasizes the great expense of the pills. It is so expensive, they claim, because it is serious medicine for the seriously overweight.
Posted by aiua (Member # 7825) on :
quote: Heck, does a placebo have to be so darned expensive?
Of course. If it were cheap, would you believe that it really works as well as it says it does?
Consumers often believe that higher prices mean better quality and most of the time they are right (Lexus vs Honda, z.B.). But not always (Name brand vs generic). It shouldn't strike you as odd that companies know what a reasonably high pice can do for their product.
[EDIT] Sorry, Tante. Slow computer.. [/EDIT]
Posted by Silkie (Member # 8853) on :
quote:Originally posted by Samarkand: There's this thing called the placebo effect . . . Elizabeth, I have a strong hunch that's what's going on. I recommend that you keep believing in Airborne. If it does have a bunch of vitamins and stuff in it, it probably can't hurt and can help at least a little, but take a look at the dosages and make sure you're not ODing on Vitamin E.
One thing regarding Echinacea - it can definitely cause mild gastric distress (read: diarrhea) so watch out for that.
If it was the Placebo effect and it worked, so what! You don't get a cold.
Here is a list of studies done on Cold-Eeze, including double-blind studies. Zicam is basicly the same thing.
Other Ingredients: Citric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sorbitol, Potassium Bicarbonate, Orange Flavor, Mineral Oil, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
AhhhhhhhhhhhhCHoooooooooooooo!
Darn it! I am no longer a testimonial. I have a cold after taking Airborne. We shall see, though, if it lasts as long as my daughter's did.
Posted by Theaca (Member # 8325) on :
I smiled a smile of victory when I read that. I beg forgiveness. Do let us know how long it lasts. How will determine the end of the cold? Mine always seem to gradually fade away.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Theca, it is as if you were waiting up in a tree waiting to POUNCE upon my weakened self.
Well, I do not have the sore throat everyone had. I am not bedridden. A decongestant with Aleve is helping, and I can breathe fully right now, though I am sneezing quite a bit.
So, if I feel much better by Friday, I will still believe!
Posted by Theaca (Member # 8325) on :
*climbs quietly back up into tree*
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
*sneezes without covering mouth* (in direction of tree)
Posted by Friday (Member # 8998) on :
My father swears by these things. He travels a lot for work and he is more than a little paranoid about being trapped in a plane with who knows how many germs and bugs circulating through the venatlation system. So far it seems to work, as I have rarely known him to get sick.
Personaly, I don't like the taste that much, nor the orange coating the stuff leaves on the glass once you are finished.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
My in-laws use it and I really haven't seen much difference in the frequency they get sick now than before they used it. But then, that may be colored by the fact that it looks absolutely ridiculous to me, too.
Now, I know they have a study now that says that echinacea is not effective, but my husband still finds it dramatically cuts the duration of his colds if he takes the good stuff (from TJ's) and takes it only when he starts to feel sickish.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Looks like an expensive multivitamin.
From what I've heard, it is not that Airborne has not been tested.
It's that all the testing was sponsored by them . . . and they discontinued studies that looked like they were not going to show a link. And incomplete studies generally don't get published.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Expensive - and so much easier to swallow than those dang horsepills.
*choke, gag*
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
I was at the pharmacy today and they had some competitor's brand of Airborne look-alike on display. The display touted that it was "Better than Airborne!" because, apparently, Airborne claims to fight off airborne germs, but this stuff claimed to fight of airborne germs AND those spread by hand-to-hand contact. "Science", the display informed us, "has determined that hand-to-hand contact plays a major role in the spread of germs."
I loved that -- our claims are better than their claims!
Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
Errr...how could a substance you swallow protect better against contact germs than some other substance you swallow? It's not as though airborne is some sort of respiratory filter. It's supposed to boost the immune system, right?
I don't take any supplements at all, and I don't get sick all that often. Hmmmm...how can I cash in on this?
"That's right, Nothing works for me*. Send me one easy payment of $1.99 and you too can learn about the Nothing system for staying well."
*Claims not verified by the FDA. Consult a doctor before trying Nothing. This post is intended to mock ridiculous claims and commercials only, not those who take supplements or have had success with them.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
IS there a Cold-eze type cold remedy that's been proven to work like Cold-eze that doesn't have the zinc?
Zinc makes me sick to my tummy.
-pH
Posted by Silkie (Member # 8853) on :
quote:Originally posted by pH: IS there a Cold-eze type cold remedy that's been proven to work like Cold-eze that doesn't have the zinc?
Zinc makes me sick to my tummy.
-pH
Zicam works for me. I just don't like the taste of Cold-eze, though the new flavors are better tasting. Zicam comes in several dosing types, and I use the spray.
As mentioned above, some people think it is the Placebo effect, and some people (me) swear by these herbal remedies.
My philosophy remains:
If it was 'just' the Placebo effect and it worked, so what ... As long as I don't get their cold!
Posted by Theaca (Member # 8325) on :
Liz--I only climb really tall trees. It comes in handy at work.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
No worries, Theca. I have to concentrate so hard on not wetting my pants when I sneeze, there is no way I could risk aiming it up into the tree.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
pH, I wish there was! I had to suffer through several colds without it because I was nursing the Princess and she has a skin reaction to zinc, so I was told it was not a good idea for me to be taking extra zinc.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
If it's the zinc that makes it work, um, is there any way that taking some kind of zinc pill would be easier on my stomach?
I hate getting everyone's colds at school. Especially if they turn into sinus infections, and I have to go to the university clinic quack, and he won't prescribe me diflucan with my antibiotics.
kq, if she has a skin reaction to zinc, does that mean she won't be able to take multivitamins with zinc? Or is it only a skin thing?
-pH
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I honestly don't know. And she may grow out of it, many babies do grow out of sensitivities. I was taking a multivitamin supplement while nursing her that contained (small amounts of) zinc, and it didn't seem to make things much worse, but that may have been the problem behind some of her excema and/or rashes in the first place. Who knows?
In any case, she eats a balanced enough diet that she currently does not take a multivitamin/mineral supplement, and probably won't unless something changes.
Posted by Silkie (Member # 8853) on :
quote:Originally posted by pH: [QB] If it's the zinc that makes it work, um, is there any way that taking some kind of zinc pill would be easier on my stomach?
The theory is that Cold-eze and Zicam work because the zinc is deposited on the mucous membranes in the throat and nasal passages, inhibiting the growth of the cold virus. According to what I have read, Zinc supplements don't have the same effect, though both put zinc in the body.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
So, I don;t know if i can say Airborne did not work or not.
The original cold morphed into a sneezing mess.
Now, I have a fever and know it is only a matter of time before a stomach bug shows itself.
However, no Airborne has been taken since Cold Number 1.
So, it works, i'm thinking, since I did not take it and got sick.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
A man walks into a store looking to buy monster-repelling powder.
"Why would you need that? We don't have any monsters around here!"
"See how well this stuff works?!" Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
If it does have a bunch of vitamins and stuff in it, it probably can't hurt and can help at least a little, but take a look at the dosages and make sure you're not ODing on Vitamin E.![[Hail]](graemlins/hail.gif)
Do let us know how long it lasts. How will determine the end of the cold? Mine always seem to gradually fade away.
![[Mad]](mad.gif)