66. Throw Out Everything But the Aspirin

Several years ago we were in New York City on a business trip in the middle of winter, and I came down with a doozie of a cold. I didn’t have time to run to a pharmacy to stock up on my usual supply of cold medicine. All I had with me was aspirin, so that’s what I took to get me through. The cold lasted three days, then it was gone. Period.

I couldn’t believe it. My colds have always lasted ten days to two weeks. Always. But then, I’ve always taken cold medicines. I began to wonder if there was a connection here. Did my colds last longer because I used cold remedies?

Next time I got a cold I resisted the temptation to turn to my usual cold relievers. I took only aspirin instead. Once again, the cold lasted only a few days.

I’ve discussed this idea with literally dozens of friends and associates, and many of them have started using aspirin in place of cold medicines with the same positive results I had. In addition to its use as a pain reliever, aspirin is now thought to prevent heart attacks in men, reduce the risk of certain types of strokes, reduce mortality among heart attack patients, reduce fevers, stop aches and inflammation, prevent gum disease, and prevent the recurrence of migraines.

I’m the first to admit that this brief history does not constitute a scientific study of this phenomenon and there are many types of cold viruses. But I was pleased to see a recent news item which supports my findings. According to this report, medical experts have told a House subcommittee in Washington that antihistamines, found in most over-the-counter cold medicines, are ineffective and pose unnecessary health and safety risks. They are urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to withdraw antihistamines from cold medications.

In another recent report, the FDA declared flatly that hundreds of ingredients in over-the-counter medications simply don’t work.

Perhaps it’s time to approach your medicine cabinet with a heavy hand. Think seriously about getting rid of everything but the aspirin. That means throwing out the eye drops, ear salves, heartburn relievers, stomach coatings, hemorrhoidal preparations, and all the other products, including prescription drugs like sleeping pills and tranquilizers, that we Americans spend billions of dollars a year on.

If your eyes are bloodshot, instead of using Visine, which only masks the symptoms, figure out what is causing your eyes to be bloodshot; then stop doing it. If you’ve got heartburn, lay off the pepperoni pizza, or get out of that stressful job.

There are no doubt dozens of medications we could do without if we just changed the way we live, so that the problems go away and eliminate the symptoms.