Vitamin C...a Cure for the Common Cold?

Arrrrrgggghhhh, Matey!

I don’t know about you, but I don’t personally know anyone who has suffered from scurvy. Scurvy is now pretty rare, but it once ran rampant among sailors, pirates, and others who spent long periods of time on board ships. When voyages lasted longer then the supply of fruits and vegetables, they began to suffer from vitamin C deficiency – which led to scurvy.

Fortunately, we don’t have to deal much with scurvy these days, as most people have sufficient access to sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C has been associated with the treatment of a myriad of ailments, ranging from wrinkled skin to reducing the risk of certain cancers of the mouth and breast. This time of year, specifically, vitamin C dosing is associated with treatment of the common cold and sore throats. However, it has been found that vitamin C is not likely to prevent the common cold. Surprisingly, vitamin C has been shown to only minimally help treat symptoms.

An excerpt from BBC on the issue

“Researchers at the Australian National University and the University of Helsinki concluded that, for most people, the benefits of taking vitamin C daily were so slight that they were not worth the effort or expense. Although they found it could reduce the duration of colds by up to 8% in adults and 13.6% in children, as most people only have two or three colds every year, this benefit is only very small. Author Professor Harri Hemilä said: It doesn’t make sense to take vitamin C 365 days a year to lesson the chance of catching a cold. However, they say it may be justified in those exposed to severe cold (sub-arctic) or physical stress (marathon runners, etc.).”

What this means to the typical adult is a cold may be reduced in length from, say, twelve days to eleven days. For the typical child, who suffers from cold symptoms twenty-eight days a year, taking daily vitamin C supplements all year long would shave off about four days of cold symptoms.

How much vitamin C do I need?

Most people can get sufficient levels of vitamin C from eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, but if you would like to take supplemental vitamin C dosing, your local Hometown Pharmacy has a variety of types in stock, including our own private-label vitamin line!

*Some experts recommend limiting your vitamin C intake to the following thresholds:

            400mg per day for children, ages 1-3 years

            650mg per day for children, ages 4-8 years

            1200mg per day for children, ages 9-13 years

            1800mg per day for adolescents and pregnant and breast-feeding women, ages 14-18                           years

            2000mg per day for adults and pregnant and lactating women

<Photo courtesy of huffinesinstitute.org>

New Hometown Sharps Disposal Program

Starting earlier this month, Hometown Pharmacies is proud to announce a new sharps disposal program at all of its pharmacies, with the exception of those located in Wausau, Merrill, and Columbia County. Below is a excerpt explaining the program, in detail:

Sharps Disposal Program

Where can I get a sharps container?

·        You can purchase a sharps container from any Hometown Pharmacy, the added bonus is you can return it to any Hometown Pharmacy for free disposal

·        You can purchase a designated sharps container from another business and bring it in to any Hometown Pharmacy for disposal *

·        You can recycle a used laundry detergent bottle or bleach bottle by putting your used sharps in it and then writing the word “Sharps” on the outside in permanent marker and bringing it in to any Hometown Pharmacy for disposal *

What qualifies as a sharps container?

·        A designated sharps container purchased from any Hometown Pharmacy, or a designated sharps container purchased elsewhere

·        An old laundry detergent bottle

·        An old bleach bottle

·        We CANNOT accept sharps in milk jugs or any other type of container

How do I dispose of my full sharps containers?

·        If purchased from any Hometown Pharmacy, simply bring back the full container, with the “Hometown” sticker attached and hand it to any member of the pharmacy staff, we will dispose of it for free

·        If purchased elsewhere, or if it is a recycled laundry detergent or bleach bottle, simply write the word “Sharps” on the outside of the container with a permanent marker and take to any Hometown Pharmacy *

Disposal of Hometown-issued container – with Hometown sticker still intact	Free
Disposal of Hometown-issued container – with Hometown sticker missing	$10
Disposal of non-Hometown issued container (other sharps containers, laundry detergent bottle, bleach bottles)	$10
Hometown 1-gallon container (sticker included) *Free disposal included	$8
Hometown 2-gallon container (sticker included) *Free disposal included	$12

If you have sharps disposal needs, be sure to stop in and talk to your local Hometown Pharmacist, they are ready and willing to discuss any questions you might have!

Feelin’ the Burn?

Every winter when the weather gets cold many people suffer from dry chapped lips.  

Michelle Dreger, Dr. Ph, at our Randolph store, was nice enough to share some information regarding chapped lips, an issue that runs rampant this time of the year.

What Causes it?

Why do we get chapped lips? The cold, dry air tends to pull the moisture out of our lips causing them to dry out and possibly crack. Some people also tend to breath through their mouth rather than their nose. This can also cause the lips to dry out and become chapped. Sometimes we feel that by licking our lips we can make it better, but in reality it will just make the problem worse! If you have a tendency to buy flavored lip balms, try non-flavored balms to help you stop licking your lips.  

So, What Should I do?

If you know you will be heading out into the cold, dry weather, consider using an oil-based lip balm and reapplying it often. Some examples are: Vaseline or Beeswax. The oil-based lip balms help to lock in moisture and keep it from drying out your lips. Lip balms like Chapstick® lubricate, but they do not hydrate. 

Lip balms actually seal out (and lock in) moisture. It is much like waxing a car; we wax a car and it feels shiny and smooth, but what does the wax do? It seals out water, much like a lip balm. Using a product such as Shea butter or vitamin E oil, which are designed to introduce moisture back into the lips, may be more appropriate. Also avoiding excessive sun and wind exposure can help as well.

Other Remedies

Other remedies to try include using a cool-mist humidifier in your home to replace some of the moisture that is lost during the cold winter months. Drinking plenty of water and keeping your body hydrated can also help. 

There are some instances where dry lips may be the side effect of taking certain types of medications such as antidepressants, antihistamines, diuretics, or even drugs for overactive bladder! Also, you may have chapped lips if your body is deficient in vitamin B, iron, or essential fatty acids. If you think this might be the case, talk with your Hometown Pharmacist at your next visit to the pharmacy!

<Photo courtesy of mylot.com>