Actually, It Works

Echinacea. First they say it does, and then they say it doesn't. Now they say it does again. After years of studies that have alternately hyped and doubted the value of it as a cold remedy the debate about the benefits of echinacea is still going.

A new review of hundreds of recent echinacea studies has found that the herb really does help people fight colds. The analysis concluded that taking echinacea can reduce the risk of catching a cold by 58 percent, and can even significantly shorten the duration of the illness.

"Our analysis doesn't say the stuff works without question," Dr. Craig Coleman, author the study, tells The New York Times. "But the preponderance of the evidence suggests it does."

There are some studies that found that the herb isn't effective, but Dr. Coleman says that might be because it works on some of the 200 strains of cold virus but not others, or that the doses taken were too small. The bottom line: "I'll probably consider taking it if I fill a cold coming on," he says.

But if you incorporate the practices recommended in this blog into a daily routine, you probably won't need it.

Peace, LR