Airborne and Zicam are two popular homeopathic cold remedies on the market today. You’ve probably seen their television commercials. Both claim they can successfully ward off the common cold if you take their products at the onset. But, do the question is, do they really work?
I’ve been healthy this winter- knock on wood- so I didn’t think much about these two products until recently when my best friend Jean returned from a Bahamas vacation. The first day she was back in the snowy Ohio weather, she began to feel the symptoms of a nasty cold coming on. And, as her germs started to gain strength and multiply, they unfortunately migrated towards me.
So, since it was the weekend and the occupants of my house had abandoned me, we decided to set up a mini-clinic of sorts in my living room. We were going to follow the age-old advice of taking care of a cold: drink plenty of liquids and get plenty of rest. And, we planned on taking some sort of cold remedy, staying inside out of the wintry weather, and watching movies on television.
Before we could begin our hibernation, though, we ventured out to the nearest Kroger store to pick up an arsenal of cold-fighting weapons. We decided we needed plenty of fruit juices, Tylenol™, maybe some cough syrup, cold pills, and plenty of tissues.
As we looked through the shelves of cold remedies, I spotted a box of Airborne™ Effervescent Health Tablets. The box said that, if you place one of these tablets in water and drank it down at the first signs of a cold, you won’t get sick. I also read that you should repeat the dosage every three hours until your symptoms are gone. Airborne™ is a natural formula of Vitamin C, herbs, and zinc.
At the same time, Jean was reading a box of Zicam™ Cold Remedy. Like Airborne™, Zicam™ claims to be a homeopathic product that will shorten the duration of a cold. Taken at the first signs, this product claimed to help you get over your illness with less severe symptoms.
Since Jean and I both have used homeopathic remedies with success in the past, we decided to give both products a try. The price of the Airborne™ was about ten bucks. And, the Zicam™ cost about the same. Kind of pricey, but, we figured if they actually worked like they claimed they did, the cost would be well worth it!
We then returned to my house to fight off our colds. Jean used the Zicam™. This product offers a variety of formulas, and she -unfortunately- chose the oral spray. The directions called for four sprays inside the mouth- on the roof of the mouth, on the sides, and on the gums. Since Jean has
partial plates, she had to remove them before she sprayed the Zicam™ in her mouth. That, she reported, was a hassle. The product also left a strong metallic aftertaste in her mouth. We figured the aftertaste was caused by the product’s chief ingredients, Zincum Gluconicum 1X and Zincum Aceticum 2X.
I opted to try the Airborne™. Drinking it down was easy, and the taste wasn’t too bad if you like Alka-Seltzer, which I don’t. But, again, we figured that if these two cold remedies worked, all the hassle and cost would be well worth it.
After taking a couple doses of the homeopathic medicine, I developed severe chills. Even though I was buried underneath a mountain of blankets and comforters, I felt like I was sitting nude at the North Pole. I shivered uncontrollably. Another hour or two passed, and I decided not to take any more of the Airborne™ tablets when the time came.
Fortunately, the chills finally subsided and I wasn’t cold anymore. I was relieved…for the time being. It was very late in the evening by that time, so Jean conked out on my couch and I went to bed. And that’s when round two started in: my body heated up like a furnace. It was another two or three of hours of doubling up on liquids and applying cold compresses to my head until the fever finally passed.
Jean took her Zicam™ for a couple days, then she got tired of the hassle and the metallic after taste in her mouth. Overall, though, she gave the homeopathic product a thumbs up. Because,
three or four days later, her cold was almost gone.
The next time Jean feels a cold coming on, she’s going to use Zicam™ in one of its other forms.
She’ll buy the Zicam™ nasal swabs or nasal spray,
I, on the other hand, couldn’t figure out what ingredient(s) in the Airborne™ had caused me to suffer the severe chills and fever. The duration of my cold was shortened too, but going through
the hell sure wasn’t worth it!
Airborne™ I took contains Sodium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Riboflavin,
Magnesium, Zinc, Selenium, Manganese, Potassium, Echinacea, Ginger, and Amino Acids. I take the same exact vitamins every day, and I’ve also taken Zinc and the rest of the list without any adverse side effects. Maltodextrin is simply carbohydrates made from natural corn starch. That couldn’t have caused a problem. Therefore, the Lonicera, Forsythia, Schizonepeta, Chinese Vitex, or Isatis Root must have caused the unpleasant effects.
So, how does the contest of “Airborne™ vs Zicam™” turn out? Zicam™ wins BOTH of our votes! The next time I feel a cold coming on, I’m going to use Zicam™ too!
Note: Check the Internet for money-saving coupons to buy Zicam™ with at your local drug store.
