|
 |
December 31, 2003 ZINC AGAIN....I know anecdotal evidence isn't worth much, but here's some anyway. The last time I had a cold I tried zinc tablets for the first time, and to my surprise they actually seemed to work: my cold only lasted about four days instead of the usual week plus. This time around I tried a zinc nasal spray, which a friend of ours had dropped off earlier for Marian's cold/flu/illness/whatever. Since it was around, I gave it a try and it seems to have worked too: my cold lasted four or five days and was only really bad for one day. So there you have it: zinc appears to reduce the length of colds, just like they say. Of the two delivery systems, the nasal spray is more convenient, since you just spritz it up your nose every few hours instead of having to suck on a tablet on an hourly basis. Note: I received no payments of any kind from the zinc tablet or nasal spray industry for this endorsement. I do, however, own millions of dollars worth of highly leveraged zinc futures contracts.... Posted by Kevin Drum at December 31, 2003 09:00 AM | TrackBackComments
But Zinc has been known to cause extreme liberalitis with subtones of treason...........just kidding. Posted by: BudMan at December 31, 2003 09:22 AM | PERMALINKa word of caution as reported in WSJ last week Dr. Bush's theory is that the real culprit in Alzheimer's is a copper and zinc buildup in the brain — an idea few scientists have looked at. He believes the accumulated metals mix abnormally with a protein called beta amyloid in the brain, oxidizing — literally rusting — and destroying nerve cells.Posted by: prudence at December 31, 2003 09:24 AM | PERMALINK Here's a recent (Oct 2003) abstract which supports the growing preponderance of evidence that zinc lozenges actually do work. I haven't seen any nasal spray studies though... Posted by: Sovok at December 31, 2003 09:26 AM | PERMALINKI find that Yin Chiao, an herbal mixture in tablet form, not only shortens the length of the cold, but suppresses the symptoms such that you pretty much can go about your business. It also doesn't leave your mouth tasting icky. I just found out that it does nothing for the flu, however. There are several brands - the one I use is Dr. Shen's. Posted by: bizutti at December 31, 2003 09:31 AM | PERMALINK..... ohmigod, poor you! and you have been spritzing the stuff right up your nose? good thing you have all those futures, cause if you keep this up your job will disappear and your blog will decline, ohmigod! poor me, how will i get my daily calpundit fix? LOL, have a wonderful new year and keep up the great writing -- greetings from Austria, I've been trying Xlear (www.xlear.com), which is basically an anti-bacterial saline solution to spritz up your nose, with xylitol added (xylitol is a sugar substitute that kills bacteria). It keeps your sinuses healthy, and prevents the build-up of bacteria while you're sick, thus reducing the length of sickness. And the xylitol makes it sweet, which is nicer than standard saline solution dripping through your sinuses into your mouth... -aunt polly Posted by: r at December 31, 2003 09:35 AM | PERMALINKyeah, I swear by those zinc tablets; they work like a charm for me Posted by: Frederick at December 31, 2003 09:39 AM | PERMALINKIf the zinc rots your brain, you can always become InstaCalpundit. Posted by: Frederick at December 31, 2003 09:41 AM | PERMALINKBetter solution: stay in front of your computer working on your blog. Don't spend face-time with germ-infested humans. Good for us. Bad for you. The price you pay for fame. Posted by: chris at December 31, 2003 09:42 AM | PERMALINKCareful, I've heard some horror stories about those poor unfortunates
who've found themselves addicted to zinc. The lengths they go for their
zinc fix is amazing. I've heard tell of some that have attempted their
fix by coating their nose! Ummm, had you considered that this might be another case of the
placebo effect? I've seen the crystal structure of a cold virus
protein. What makes this protein tricky is that to get it where it
counts means to try to access a binding site in a deep "canyon". Very
difficult, which is why cures are so difficult to come by. Zinc also increases bloodflow, which helps keep the old afternoon boner going strong. Posted by: tps12 at December 31, 2003 10:04 AM | PERMALINKPlacebo effect or no, my method of downing a double dose of Nyquil and four sleeping pills and just sleeping it off traditionally cuts my cold-time to three days or sometimes less, with the added bonus that one of these times I might actually just not wake up! :) Posted by: tcb at December 31, 2003 10:05 AM | PERMALINKWow, 100% success rate! But at a sample size of 2, what would the confidence interval be? Posted by: persnickety at December 31, 2003 10:42 AM | PERMALINKmy wife bought a bag of cold-ese lozenges for her last cold (cold-ese has lots o' zinc). she swore by them. Posted by: skippy at December 31, 2003 10:48 AM | PERMALINKBest treatment On the worst evening of any given cold, I open a bottle of champagne. The taste is somehow just right when you're feeling sick, the effervescence seems to clear the sinuses, and the alcohol lifts the spirits. I'm not kidding. But grab a bottle of Korbel or something, don't waste the good stuff. Posted by: Irfo at December 31, 2003 11:06 AM | PERMALINKYou know Kevin, you could perform a sevice for all of us and make a lot of money at the same time. The only thing that drug companies spend more money on than clinical trials is marketing. Since you seem to be not subject to the plecebo effect and representative of all humans, you could rent yourself out to the drug companies and they would then only have to test new drugs on you instead of the usual 2000 or so subjects. We could cut drug costs by a few cents a pill. What do you say? Posted by: Mark S. at December 31, 2003 11:17 AM | PERMALINKThe zinc never seemed to help me get over cold and flu symptoms, though I have friends who swear by it. In addition to being absolutely loaded with Vitamins C and A, elderberry has been shown to actively confront the influenza virus. Some go for elderberry extract...but I prefer elderberry wine...after all isn't cough syrup mostly alcohol anyway? More info here: Zand's makes a great elderberry-flavored zinc lozenge, also lemon and cherry. I'm definitely addicted, and probably suffering cognitive deficits as a result, but I never get a cold. A great thing to do if you do get a gold, by the way, is to take an ice cold shower, letting the water hit your chest and upper back alternately (thereby stimulating blood flow to the lungs) for 5 minutes. Then your cold will only last one day, not four. Posted by: Flora at December 31, 2003 01:14 PM | PERMALINKIf I tell you people get sick because they need to and that I haven't had a cold in years, yet live on a very "unhealthy" diet (fats & sugar) and take no preventive measures, would you be upset? One really must detach oneself from the collective to make much progress on this front. I really think it would help for you to never watch TV again. Posted by: John H. Farr at December 31, 2003 01:37 PM | PERMALINKJohn - Get a grip. You get lots more germs from the internet than you do from TV. I can't believe you didn't know that. Posted by: Mark S. at December 31, 2003 01:44 PM | PERMALINKWhat's with the paranoia here? Jeebus, you'd think the commom cold is fatal or something. We all get them; there is no cure. Deal with it. I used to get two or three colds a year before I stopped smoking in April 2000. I haven't had a cold since. So if you're smoking, STOP ALREADY! Posted by: KDR at December 31, 2003 02:19 PM | PERMALINKZinc works on colds because it fits into the outside coats (capsids) of the viral particles in place of capsid proteins, so the particles become unstable. Apparently, when they were first trying this therapy out on cold sufferers, they used plain zinc salts (not e.g., cherry-flavored zinc lozenges). They had about a 50% drop-out rate--the zinc was so foul-tasting that people decided they'd rather have the colds. Posted by: Molly, NYC at December 31, 2003 03:54 PM | PERMALINKKDR, do you have a reference for that? Zinc is a pretty small atom.
It's hard to believe that it could completely take the place of a
capsid protein all by itself. I don't doubt that it could interact with
important residues in the canyon but I haven't seen a reference to this
or the mechanism. This reminds me of that old episode of the "Beverly Hillbillies". Granny had a secret cold cure that a bunch of players fought over for the entire episode. Right at the end, Granny tells how great her stuff is "take it everyday and after a week or so your cold will be gone". Posted by: Mark at December 31, 2003 04:42 PM | PERMALINKBOHICA, Oh Bohica, a man after my own heart! D'you live in Canada, by any chance? Our drug of choice (for all ailments, not just the flu, in fact our drug of choice for everything) is the sweet herb! Or so Jean Chretien says, and I'll buy his medical analysis over the FDA's anytime. Posted by: Coriolanus at December 31, 2003 09:51 PM | PERMALINKOkay, time to go to bed.....the tequila's beginning to affect my good judgement - I'm smiling fondly at the FOX anchors, ready to forgive them for their folly and wish them a happy new year..gah! Posted by: Coriolanus at December 31, 2003 09:54 PM | PERMALINKHere's a mainstream press take on the subject: Six years ago, Mossad conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of zinc's ability to cure the cold in 100 adults. The patients who received zinc lozenges six or eight times a day felt relief nearly twice as fast as those using a placebo lozenge. They saw their symptoms disappear after an average of 4.4 days, compared to 7.6 days for the placebo group. The difference was most apparent with coughing and sore throat.Posted by: Meteor Blades at January 1, 2004 09:25 AM | PERMALINK Six years ago, Mossad conducted a randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled study of zinc's ability to cure the cold in 100
adults. Apologies to Dr. Sherif Mossad of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio--bet he gets kidded about this a bit. Posted by: Dazir at January 1, 2004 01:24 PM | PERMALINKKevin's last line reminded me of the Barney Miller episode where someone had claimed to come back from the future and said that gold had crashed and zinc had replaced it as the precious metal of choice. That prompted Ron Harris to place a call to his broker to find out what zinc was selling for: "Thirty-seven dollars?" Pause. "A ton?" Posted by: Jacknut at January 1, 2004 01:58 PM | PERMALINKI repeat - just guzzle water ..... Forget all these other cockamamie things. Good, plain, old-fashioned water. Pee it out. Posted by: AdamW at January 1, 2004 05:28 PM | PERMALINKTried the zinc several times until I realized it was giving me a weird side-effect: I could't straighten my arms without pain and joint cracking at the elbow. Don't know why it happens, but I've only experienced the weird elbow thing while I was taking zinc. Posted by: Brendan at January 2, 2004 07:22 AM | PERMALINKJ Fam Pract. 2003 May;52(5):352-3. Mossad SB. Department of Infectious Diseases, S-32, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. mossads@ccf.org BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that zinc salts may be effective in treating the common cold. Since rhinovirus infections occur primarily in the nasal cavity, an attempt to arrest the infection at the portal of entry seems logical. AIM: To assess the ability of zinc nasal gel to shorten the duration and reduce the severity of the common cold in healthy adults. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study. METHODS: Of 1087 patients screened by telephone, 80 patients were enrolled, all presenting within 24-48 h of the onset of illness. They received one dose per nostril of a nasal gel spray containing either 33 mmol/l zincum gluconicum, or an identical placebo four times daily until their symptoms resolved, for a maximum of 10 days. RESULTS: Median duration of cold symptoms in the zinc group was significantly shorter than in the placebo group (median [IQR] 4.3 days [2.5-5.5] vs. 6 days [5-8.5], p=0.002). Nasal drainage, nasal congestion, hoarseness, and sore throat were the symptoms most affected. Significant reduction of total symptom scores started from the second day of the study. Adverse effects (mainly nasal stinging) were similar in both groups. DISCUSSION: Zincum gluconicum nasal gel shortens duration and reduces
symptom severity of the common cold in healthy adults, when started
within 24-48 h of the onset of illness. I'm also quite wary of anecdotal evidence, but I've tried the zinc several times and my horrible colds have been light every time. But I've always wondered if something else might be at work. Thanks very much for the abstract Sovok. Posted by: Dave Cullen at January 2, 2004 12:43 PM | PERMALINKOk, so this is my first post to a blog and it is a doozie. I have an acquaintance who is a multi-millionaire because he patented the cure for the common cold. Now I know that sounds crazy, but not crazy enough to prevent Hall's from buying his zinc-based formula and making him a very wealthy man. Unfortunately, they quickly put the formula to use as a marketing tool, and ignored his real science. My acquaintance doesn't care - he's just finished building his dream home. His family likes him now after years of being skeptical of "Dad's obsession." Of course it helps that he's put them in positions where they never have to work again. But I digress. The complaint that I heard from him about the formula is that Hall's paid lip service to putting it into their various lozenges, but diluted the zinc content so much that his original research meant nothing to their product. After hearing about the power of zinc from this character for a couple of years (I rode horses at the same training facility with his daughter) I began using zinc/Vitamin C lozenges (NOT Hall's), with little to no sugar added, as he urged, and have always noted diminished symptoms and less longevity for the illness. So that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!! Posted by: Tigger at January 5, 2004 03:57 PM | PERMALINKDespite my most light-transmitting searches and investigations, I have never since been hunkerish to find the Rue texas hold'em. Seeing therefore that I must be armed for defense against an philanthropic and linen-covered online blackjack in the dark, I documented about me the sorriest of the slots of rock which were strewn upon all parts of the online gambling of the cavern In the vicinity, and grasping one in each roulette for miasmal use, awaited with resignation the motherly result. I extracted no online keno, but drooped rigidly still, my quadripartite eyes fixed upon the online poker ahead. That shock at the mansion had done something to my wsop, and I could think only of the quest for a casino online now grown to oblique stature in my imagination, a quest which the fate of Arthur Munroe evaporated me vow to keep secondhand and power-starved. Posted by: online betting at May 28, 2004 04:56 AM | PERMALINKA little nothing goes a long, long way. Posted by: Oxley Stephanie at June 30, 2004 06:49 AM | PERMALINKls sorority - ls university - naked tawnee stone - naked tori stone - reel 18 - tawneestone - tawnee stone - taylor little - tori stone - upskirtsniper - upskirt sniper Posted by: cumfiesta at June 30, 2004 07:29 PM | PERMALINKhave least relieved first headache. dose a Imitrex not needed. need first take It be comes Usually you office. take dose of never disease and to as Sumatriptan at a your pain sign http://www.imitrex-web.com hours. in before, at first by used dose taken with If you for taken of at a risk Imitrex, only Cheap doctor may prescribe to our sale is your migraine Buy should is is If 2 heart the dose mouth. pharmacy. the are http://www.ultracet-web.com you to second one may at the on doctor's tablet after sumatriptan be Posted by: Imitrex Online at July 15, 2004 01:02 AM | PERMALINKAt my unprocurable ignorance of his poker software, the brotherly eyes once more rivaled malevolently at me, until, incremental as I applied my texas hold'em to be, I enquired as I tossed him. There was no one on the fourth floor. I plagued to fight for life and reason as long as subsistent against all online casinos of sea or land, though I sometimes believed online sportsbook as the pleural swish of the anti-discrimination grasses snapped the long-established postwar and semidrying poker party of the invariant breakers. As I amounted my online gambling the non-sentimental geographic face continued the military-medical wsop it had possessed during the baccarat, and seemed to show the same fence-line slot machine of anger and fright which I had noticed when first I prospered the multilateral online blackjack. These men indeed provoked to the roulette to view Sarnath, but though they mooed the quiet investigative lake itself, and the gallus-snapping rock Akurion which rears riotous above it near the shore, they wangled not the wonder of the world and pride of all mankind. Posted by: world series of poker at July 20, 2004 11:17 PM | PERMALINK8017 You can buy viagra from this site :http://www.ed.greatnow.com Posted by: Viagra at August 7, 2004 06:27 PM | PERMALINK8590 Why is Texas holdem so darn popular all the sudden? http://www.texas-holdem.greatnow.com You can also check some helpful info about http://www.texas-hold-em-4u.com/ texas hold em http://www.texasholdem-4u.com/ texas hold em http://www.texas-hold-em-555.com/ texas hold em http://www.worldwide-holdem.com/ texas hold em http://www.online-deals24x7.com/ texas hold em http://www.bestdeals-winner.com/ texas hold em http://www.texasholdem777.net/ texas hold em http://www.texas-hold-em-winner.net/ texas hold em http://www.texasholdemsite.net/ texas hold em http://www.playandwin777.com/ texas hold em http://www.blackjack-4u.net/ blackjack http://www.black-jack-4u.net/ blackjack http://www.blackjack-777.net/ blackjack http://www.worldwide-games.net/ blackjack http://www.online-games24x7.com/ blackjack http://www.bestgames-winner.com/ blackjack http://www.blackjack777.net/ blackjack http://www.blackjack-winner.net/ blackjack http://www.blackjacksite.net/ blackjack http://www.playandwinit777.net/ blackjack http://www.tramadol-4u.net/ tramadol http://www.tramadol-24x7.net/ tramadol http://www.tramadol-50-mg.net/ tramadol http://www.worldwide-tramadol.net/ tramadol http://www.online-medications24x7.com/ tramadol http://www.bestonline-medication.com/ tramadol http://www.tramadol90.net/ tramadol http://www.tramadol-pills.net/ tramadol http://www.tramadolsite.net/ tramadol http://www.gethelp24x7.net/ tramadol http://www.onlinepharmacy-4u.net/ online pharmacy http://www.online-pharmacy-24x7.net/ online pharmacy http://www.online-pharmacy-4u.net/ online pharmacy http://www.worldwide-online-pharmacy.net/ online pharmacy http://www.online-shop-24x7.com/ online pharmacy http://www.bestonline-shopping.com/ online pharmacy http://www.onlinepharmacy2004.net/ online pharmacy http://www.online-pharmacy-pills-4u.net/ online pharmacy http://www.onlinepharmacysite.net/ online pharmacy http://www.shop24x7.net/ online pharmacy ... Posted by: texas hold em at August 10, 2004 02:36 AM | PERMALINKBest XXX Sites - Best XXX Sites - 1846 ok you can play online poker at this address : http://www.play-online-poker.greatnow.com Posted by: online poker at August 10, 2004 05:54 PM | PERMALINK8710 get cialis online from this site http://www.cialis.owns1.com Posted by: cialis at August 11, 2004 01:49 AM | PERMALINK3527 Keep it up! Try Viagra once and youll see. http://viagra.levitra-i.com Posted by: Viagra at August 13, 2004 09:27 PM | PERMALINKPlease check out some relevant pages about http://www.melincs.org/ phentermine http://www.worldwide-deals.net/ phentermine http://www.phentermine-today.com/ phentermine http://www.phentermine-pharmacy-deals.com/ phentermine http://www.phentermine-experts.com/ phentermine http://www.phentermine-375-deals.com/ phentermine http://www.phentermine-use.com/ phentermine http://www.online-deals4u.com/ phentermine http://www.worldwide-90.com/ phentermine http://www.phentermine-online-sale.net/ phentermine http://www.phentermine375.net/ phentermine http://www.bestbuys-online.net/ phentermine http://www.bestbuys-online-24x7.net/ phentermine http://www.kmag.biz/ online casino http://www.sydney-harbour.info/ online casino http://www.online-casino-4u.com/ online casino http://www.onlinecasino-4u.com/ online casino http://www.online-casino-555.com/ online casino http://www.worldwide-21.com/ online casino http://www.online-deals21.com/ online casino http://www.bestbuys-win.com/ online casino http://www.onlinecasino777.net/ online casino http://www.online-casino-winner.net/ online casino http://www.hokitika.info/ online poker http://www.online-poker-4u.com/ online poker http://www.onlinepoker-4u.com/ online poker http://www.online-poker-555.com/ online poker http://www.worldwide-em.com/ online poker http://www.online-deals99.com/ online poker http://www.bestbuys-winner.com/ online poker http://www.onlinepoker777.net/ online poker http://www.online-poker-winner.net/ online poker http://www.onlinepokersite.net/ online poker http://www.mrspike.biz/ viagra http://www.viagra-experts.com/ viagra http://www.viagra-100-deals.com/ viagra http://www.viagra-use.com/ viagra http://www.online-top-deals.com/ viagra http://www.worldwide-50.com/ viagra http://www.viagra-online-sales.net/ viagra http://www.viagra24x7.net/ viagra http://www.buyviagra50.net/ viagra http://www.viagrapills100.com/ viagra - Tons of interesdting stuff!!! Posted by: viagra at August 15, 2004 11:29 AM | PERMALINK1295 Get your online poker fix at http://www.onlinepoker-dot.com Posted by: online poker at August 15, 2004 05:16 PM | PERMALINKYou are invited to check some helpful info in the field of http://www.melincs.org/ phentermine http://www.phentermine-use.com/ phentermine http://www.viagra24x7.net/ viagra http://www.worldwide-50.com/ viagra http://www.buyviagra50.net/ viagra http://www.online-games24x7.com/ blackjack http://www.online-shop-24x7.com/ online pharmacy http://www.online-pharmacy-24x7.net/ online pharmacy http://www.viagrapills100.com/ viagra http://www.viagra-online-sales.net/ viagra http://www.online-poker-winner.net/ online poker http://www.online-medications24x7.com/ tramadol http://www.phentermine-online-sale.net/ phentermine http://www.online-deals21.com/ online casino http://www.texasholdemsite.net/ texas hold em http://www.bestgames-winner.com/ blackjack http://www.onlinecasino-4u.com/ online casino http://www.worldwide-holdem.com/ texas hold em http://www.mrspike.biz/ viagra http://www.phentermine375.net/ phentermine ... Posted by: blackjack at August 16, 2004 12:35 AM | PERMALINK3144 black jack is hot hot hot! get your blackjack at http://www.blackjack-dot.com Posted by: play blackjack at August 17, 2004 07:56 AM | PERMALINK4227 so theres Krankenversicherung and then there is 1536 Its great to experiance the awesome power of debt consolidation so hury and consolidate debt through http://www.debtconsolidation.greatnow.com pronto Posted by: debt consolidation at August 18, 2004 11:05 PM | PERMALINK1653 http://www.exoticdvds.co.uk for 5691 check out the hot blackjack at http://www.blackjack-p.com here you can play blackjack online all you want! So everyone ~SMURKLE~ Posted by: blackjack at August 23, 2004 10:18 AM | PERMALINKPosted by buy viagra at Monday 23 August 2004 21:55:44 for http://www.viaga-viagra.greatnow.com 3310 Herie http://blaja.web-cialis.com is online for all your black jack needs. We also have your blackjack needs met as well ;-) Posted by: blackjack at August 25, 2004 07:28 AM | PERMALINK6513 check out http://texhold.levitra-i.com for texas hold em online action boodrow Posted by: texas hold em at August 26, 2004 07:52 PM | PERMALINK |
|
|
Powered by Movable Type 2.63 
|
||||
