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Biotech / Medical : GUMM - Eliminate the Common Cold -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hank who wrote (1179)	10/25/1999 10:01:00 AM
From: Dan'l Leviton	Respond to of 5582

Thanks for the reports and analysis, Hank. You went to a great deal of effort for our benefit. I appreciate it very much, and I hope the rest of your recovery is smooth and quick. Dan'l

To: Hank who wrote (1179)	10/25/1999 2:35:00 PM
From: Bob Trocchi	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5582

Hank... I came across the following article in today?s Boston Globe. I have copied a small section of the story and reprinted it below. The reproduced section talks about ZICAM. the un-reprinted section talks about drugs that must be approved by the FDA. Judy Forman is their Health Science Editor I am neither long or short but I have been following the discussion for some time and find it quite interesting. I must also say I am leaning to the short side more and more. Cheers Bob T. HEALTH SENSE Cure for common cold is just out of reach (By Judy Foreman, Globe Staff) boston.com Outside the mainstream pharmaceutical establishment, researchers at Gel Tech, LLC in Woodland Hills, Calif., have already begun marketing a nasal spray called Zicam, which retails nationwide for $10 to $13. It is not approved as a drug by the US Food and Drug Administration, though it makes drug-like claims; it is marketed as a homeopathic remedy, which the FDA does not approve or disapprove, but keeps loose track of. The product has been in the works since 1995, says one of its creators, physiologist Charles Hensley. It is a form of ionized zinc that he thinks may work by binding to the same tiny portion of a cold virus that the ICAM decoy molecule latches onto. The problem is there is only Gel Tech's word to go by because there are no published studies. For what it's worth, Hensley says the company has studied 104 people and found that Zicam reduces the duration of cold symptoms from 9 days to one and a half. Frankly, that sounds too good to be true. And what of other remedies that supposedly minimize cold misery such as the herbal remedy echinacea, zinc lozenges such as COLD-EEZE and good old vitamin C? Echinacea, a daisy-like flower, does seem to be a mild immune stimulant and may reduce the duration and severity of colds. A review this year of 13 studies on the herb suggested that taken several times a day early in the course of a cold helps minimize symptoms, but there's little evidence that prolonged used prevents colds. COLD-EEZE, the zinc lozenges, have had mixed results in about a dozen studies to date, about equally split between those that showed an effect and those that didn't. And vitamin C, while it doesn't prevent colds, may make symptoms milder by drying up runny noses, says Dr. Jack Gwaltney, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and perhaps America's top cold researcher. But the best way to fight a cold, Gwaltney says, is to take an over-the-counter antihistamine-decongestant such as Tavist-D and an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen the minute you start to feel sick. 'Don't let the cold get started.'

To: Hank who wrote (1179)	10/25/1999 4:19:00 PM
From: Mike M	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5582

One guy had come down with his cold about the same time as I did but was only suffering from minor nasal congestion. He didn't seem to be affected by any chest congestion or fatigue. The other guy, however, was suffering from nasal congestion, chest congestion, and fatigue, just like I was. Hank thanks for giving it a shot...Looks to me like you're suffering from walking pneumonia rather than a nasal cold....You may want to have your doctor check you out. I would guess only the fellow suffering from minor nasal congestion would have been a good candidate for Zicam. I am sure that Zicam will not work for everyone. The first time I tried it I had the flu and it didn't help me. Fortunately, I have used it three times since, on colds and it has helped. I will be surprised if this product ever becomes anything more than a flash in the pan. Lets make a note of that prediction and review it after 12 months. I think you will be surprised. Regards, Mike