Zicam® , a Cold Remedy that Actually Works

If you're like me and your annual cold falls right before the holiday business gets out of hand, there is a product, finally, on the market to help - Zicam®.

Now of course people have their favorite over the counter cold medications that they take to help alleviate symptoms, but let's face it, there's a reason why we've always heard there is no cure for the common cold. A cold is a virus - all of the tradition cold medications can do to help is mask the symptoms.

However, Zicam® is different. For me it was one of those great finds that has a person doing cartwheels and yelling, "yippie!" If I had a favorite things list that anyone actually cared to read, it would be one of the tops.

I have a thyroid disorder, hypothyroidism, which limits the number of medications I can take to begin with. Most over the counter cold medications have ingredients that I'm advised to avoid, because they interfere with my thyroid treatment. Once in awhile, if desperate enough, I bend the rules, but I prefer not to. And, many of you might agree, the older I get, the more concerned I become with what medications I put in my body, anyway.

So why am I so hyped about Zicam®, you ask? First of all, it does not just mask your cold symptoms. It actually reduces the duration of your cold. Take it from someone who knows - because of the aforementioned thyroid condition, my immune system isn't spectacular. If I get a cold, I know that for the next month I'm going to be feeling it, even though I've figured out, over the years, some pretty great cold-fighting tricks. I had to. But Zicam®, the nasal gel kind that I use, actually fights the cold virus at the point of entry, which is your nose, and studies have proven that Zicam® decreases the duration of a cold so you get over it three times faster. The product makers also claim that it reduces your symptoms - I think this is because you are actually getting over your cold.