• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • WordPress
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
Science Update

Science Update

Sharing Science | Satisfying Curiosity | Debunking BS

  • Spotlights
  • Reality Check
  • Why Is It?
  • Radio Archives
  • Sciup @ School
Home » Radio Archive » Daily Show » Common Cold Cures

Common Cold Cures

February 9, 2009
https://podcast.scienceupdate.com/090209_sciup_cold.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window

BOB HIRSHON (host):
Conquering your cold….I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.

They say the only sure things in life are death and taxes. But most people would probably agree that the common cold ranks right up there too. Ron Eccles is the director of The Common Cold Center at Cardiff University in Wales where he and his colleagues test the effectiveness of different cold remedies. He says the bad news is, if you’re searching for relief from a nasty cough, common medicines like codeine and dextromathorphin are surprisingly useless. But…

RON ECCLES (The Common Cold Center at Cardiff University):
…the main effect of the cough medicine is due to the sweet syrup, which causes us to salivate and also promotes mucus secretions in the airway to soothe the cough.

HIRSHON:
As for nasal congestion, he says common nasal sprays such as oxymetazoline are very effective, but the very same medicines in tablet form are a waste of money. I’m Bob Hirshon, for AAAS, the science society.

Category: Daily ShowTag: Medicine & Health
Previous Post:Podcast
Next Post:Space Ornithology

Sidebar

Radio Program Archives

Want to learn more about the brain? The environment? Here you can browse the topics that come up regularly on Science Update.

Search the Archives

Categories

  • Daily Show
  • Station Download
  • Weekly Show

Find By Tag

  • 2020
  • Acoustics & Sound
  • Aging
  • Animal Behavior
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Astronomy & Space
  • Biology
  • Brain Science
  • Bugs
  • Cat Video
  • Chemistry
  • Children & Families
  • cicadas
  • Climate & Weather
  • Communications
  • Computer Science
  • Economics & Business
  • Education
  • Energy
  • Engineering & Technology
  • Environment & Conservation
  • Genetics & Evolution
  • Geology
  • Marine Science
  • Materials Science
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine & Health
  • Microbiology
  • Nanotechnology
  • NASA
  • Nutrition & Food Science
  • Paleontology & Dinosaurs
  • Physics
  • Plants & Agriculture
  • Political Science
  • Reality Check
  • Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • Sports & Fitness
  • spotlight
  • Spotlight Bugs
  • Terrorism & War
  • Why Is It? Questions
  • Wildlife
  • Year in Review

Find By Date

Science Update
  • About Science Update
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

Image of computer screen depicting an orange cat with a variety of alphanumeric scientific data superimposed on the the screen.
Spotted skunk performing handstand to threaten predators

Copyright © 2025 · Springtail Media LLC · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Pongos