A sweet solution for kids' coughs

Fortunately, not all research concludes that the best cure is always found at the business end of a hypodermic needle. In a nice counter to that enraging vaccination story, there's a new study out about a simple, non-medical, and darn tasty solution for children's coughs: a teaspoon of honey.

According to a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, this homey folk remedy was better than cough medicine for children. It calmed the cough, helped kids sleep better, and coated and soothed the irritated throat.

This report is like a breath of fresh air. There have been recent warnings about the dangers of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children younger than age six, and (shockingly) some Big Pharma companies even removed their baby cough-and-cold products from the market. Of course, many parents already know that honey shouldn't be given to kids from birth until after age one (there's a rare but serious danger of botulism).

I love it when grandma's old remedies are verified by research. This particular study used 105 kids with upper respiratory infections, some were given honey, others a honey-flavored cough medicine. All the kids got better but plain-old honey consistently scored higher than the drugs at combating the symptoms.

Pretty sweet, huh?