NHP for RTI Flashcards
Echinacea bottom line
Accept, maybe recommend for prevention or use at onset of URTI
-possibly effective
echinacea counciling
- any benefit modest at best
- cold coming on, use
- good safety profile
echinacea cautions (5)
good safety profile
- GI side effects most common
- allergic reactions can occur (asteraceae/compositae family)
- theoretical exacerbation of AI disorders
- rash common in children
American Ginseng mechanism of action
- most effects caused by ginsenosides (triterpene saponins)
- immune enhancement due to plysaccharides and oligosaccharides
American Ginseng cautions (3)
- gastrointestinal, nervous, CV system AEs (rates sim to placebo)
- interaction with warfarin (dec effectiveness of therapy
other species insomnia etc.
American Ginseng bottom line
- accept maybe recommend for prophyactic use
- accept for use at cold onset
natural medicines: possibly effective
American Ginseng patient counseling
take daily during winter months for 3-4 months
Vitamin C cautions
doses above 2g/day
- diarrhea
- GI upset
- PPT of urate, oxalate, or cysteine stones or drugs in urinary tract
- hyperozaluria
- hyperuricosuria
- hematuria
- crystalluria
Vitamin C bottom line
accept, maybe recommend
natural medicines: possibly effective
Vitamin C patient counciling
benefits may not outweigh risks fro high doses of vitamin C
Zinc cautions (3)
- lozenges lead to unpleasant taste, taste distortion, abdominal cramping may occur
- nausea common
- do not use intranasal zinc (hundreds cases anosmia (loss smell))
Zinc bottom line
(dec incidence and duration in adults)
- accept, maybe recommend
- nautral medicines: possibly effective
Zinc patient counselling (4)
- take every 2 hours while awake starting within 24 hours of symptom onset
- lozenge dissolved in mouth
- do not take at same time as tetracyclines, quinolones, etc (chelating dec drug abs)
- do not take at same time as foods containing cirtric acid, mannitol, sorbitol (chelation dec ionization
oil of oregano bottom line/ safety, recommend
Accept
not concerned with safety
DO NOT RECOMMEND, no data
Honey bottom line
accept, maybe recommend
natural medicines: possibly effective
honey counselling
- children over 12 months (younger risk botulism)
- usually night time
honey evidence
reduce cough in children, possibly good/better than DM or diphenhydramine
Oscillococcinum cautions
HOMEOPATHIC
-no safety concerns
Oscillococcinum bottom line
Accept
natural medicines: insufficient reliable evidence
Stodal what marketed for
marketed for cough
stodal evidence
no studies
stodal safety
homeopathic so nothing in it
honey
few small studies suggest benefit for cough
oil of oregano
no human studies
echinacea
conflicting results for treating or preventing colds
- trend twd benefit prevention
- some studies show benefit treat
- better designed studies show no effect
cold-FX
few small studies
-some benefit in prevention
zinc
reasonably good evidence
-use at onset, moslty lozenges
Vitamin C
only use to prevent colds when under extreme physical stress
-may very slightly reduce duration of colds when taken at onset
