Study: Try honey for children's coughs

Study: Try honey for children's coughs
By CARLA K. JOHNSON

CHICAGO - A teaspoon of honey before bed seems to calm children's coughs
and help them sleep better, according to a new study that relied on
parents' reports of their children's symptoms.

The folk remedy did better than cough medicine or no treatment in a
three-way comparison. Honey may work by coating and soothing an
irritated throat, the study authors said.

"Many families are going to relate to these findings and say that
grandma was right," said lead author Dr. Ian Paul of Pennsylvania State
University's College of Medicine.

The research appears in December's Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent
Medicine

Federal health advisers have recently warned that over-the-counter cough
and cold medicines shouldn't be used in children younger than 6, and
manufacturers are taking some products for babies off the market.

Three pediatricians who read the study said they would tell parents
seeking alternative remedies to try honey. They noted that honey should
not be given to children under age 1 because of a rare but serious risk
of botulism.

For the study, researchers recruited 105 children with upper respiratory
infections from a clinic in Pennsylvania. Parents were given a paper bag
with a dosing device inside. Some were empty. Some contained an
age-appropriate dose of honey-flavored cough medicine containing
dextromethorphan. And some contained a similar dose of honey.

The parents were asked about their children's sleep and cough symptoms,
once before the bedtime treatment and once after. They rated the
symptoms on a seven-point scale.

All of the children got better, but honey consistently scored best in
parents' rating of their children's cough symptoms.

"Give them a little time and they'll get better," said Pat Jackson
Allen, a professor at Yale University School of Nursing.

The study was funded by a grant from the National Honey Board, an
industry-funded agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency
had no influence over the study design, data or results, Paul said.