Hot Tips For Cold Season (NAPSA)—It’s that time of year again—cold season. The common cold is a leading cause of missed workdays and doctor visits, and costs the economy approximately $40 billion each year. The typical cold is an upper respiratory infection that can be caused by more than 200 different viruses. Symptoms include headache, body aches, fever, nasal con- gestion and sinuspressure. If you do get sick this cold season, you might want to head to the pharmacy of your local drugstore. That’s because medications containing the decongestant pseudoephedrine are now available exclusively behind the pharmacy counter. Experts agree that pseudoephedrine, also known as PSE, is one of the best ingredients available to treat cold symptoms. In fact, no other decongestant has been proven to be moreeffective. Some products that contain PSE include Aleve Cold and Sinus and Aleve Sinus and Headache. In a March 2006 survey, more pharmacists named these products as the most effective treatments for a variety of cold symptoms and also rated long-lasting relief as the most important feature of a cold medicine. Each How docolds impact the economy? A 2003 University of Michigan study found that commoncoldsinterfere with school attendance and can cause lost days on the job,resulting in considerable costs to the economy: 110 million physician visits annually at a cost of $7.7billion 189 million schooldays are missed annually 126 million missed workdays by parents whostay hometo careforsick children gy offers 12 hoursof relief from just onepill. As always, Aleve products are available without a prescription; you can ask your pharmacist for assistance. They can explain the benefits of PSE and help recommend a productthat’s right for you. Some more hot tips on how to handle colds: * Get plenty of rest Drinkplentyoffluids * Don’t drink alcohol Gargle with warm water to soothe a sore throat Ask your pharmacist about OTC medications that may be right for you. For more information, log on to www.alevecoldandsinus.com.
