IF YOUR child’s coughing is keeping the whole family awake at night, don’t bother rushing out for cough syrup.
Two years ago, a major review of all the published studies on cough medicines concluded that they simply do not work (Â鶹´«Ã½, 9 November 2002, p 34). But Ian Paul of Pennsylvania State College of Medicine wondered if cough medicines might still help at night, if only because they often have a sedative effect.
So he asked the parents of 100 children with coughs about the quality of the household’s sleep on two consecutive nights. On the second night…
