A Suggestion of Over-the-Counter Medicines
Common Medicines
Cough Drops - Cough drops contain many chemicals. However, every single cough drop contains a certain dosage of an anesthetic. Anesthetics relax the muscles required for coughing. In addition, the anesthetic relaxes the throat which remedies a sore throat. Some cough drop products are: Halls, Ricola, Vick...etc
Decongestants - Decongestants contain antihistamines which coat nose receptor sites. In result, histamine (a chemical that causes mucus production) cannot create mucus because the histamine has no access to the receptor sites. Since there is no histamine, mucus cannot 'clog' the nose. Some decongestant medicines are: Sudafed, Neo-Synephrine, Allegra...etc
What about antibiotics?
It is first important to distinguish between bacteria and virus because they do NOT mean the same thing.
Virus - An infectious particle built of nucleic acid.
Bacteria- A tiny one-celled organism.
Antibiotics - A medicine that eliminates bacterial infections.
Since a virus is not a bacteria antibiotics DO NOT HELP in curing the common cold.
