A pharmacist says there are four common mistakes people make when treating themselves for a cold or flu at home which won't help, and could even make things worse. Abbas Kanani, superintendent pharmacist at Chemist Click, says colds and flus have to be left to run their course.
Speaking to The Mirror, Abbas said the first mistake people make is trying to 'nip a cold in the bud' by taking over-the-counter drugs as soon as they get a tickle in their throat or a runny nose. He said cold and flu medicines were simply for symptom relief and would not cure anything, so you don't need to take them until you develop full-blown symptoms.
He said: "It doesn't make much difference whether you start taking cold and flu products earlier or later on, as they don't have any bearing on the nature of the virus and it will progress irrespective of whether you've taken it or not. They're all just symptomatic relief."
