The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

  • Recent Posts

  • Recent Comments

    Cochrane reviews zinc treatment for the common cold

    Are there benefits to offset the potential for side effects?

    First, the details.

    • 7 studies involving 754 cases were included.
    • For all but 1 study, the quality of study design was rated medium to high.

    And, the results.

    • Duration of cold symptoms
      • Overall, the results suggest that treatment with zinc lozenges does not reduce the duration.
    • Severity of symptoms
      • Reports that zinc lozenges reduced the severity (and duration) of cold symptoms were compromised by a significant potential for bias.
    • Safety
      • People taking zinc lozenges were more likely to complain of mouth irritation, unpleasant taste, feeling sick, and diarrhea.

    The bottom line?

    The authors concluded that the evidence for effective treatment are inconclusive.

    However, hope springs eternal. “Given the potential for treatment to produce side effects, the use of zinc lozenges to treat cold symptoms deserves further study.”

    2/15/11 21:43 JR

    Leave a Comment

    You must be logged in to post a comment.