Upper respiratory tract infection

Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:

Vitamin B Complex [1, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help in preventing some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Please note, this acts as a PREVENTATIVE treatment, and not necessarily symptomatic relief. Supplements should only be taken if they contain no more than 100% of the recommended daily value

Recommendation: Strongly in favor (Vitamin B may help in preventing respiratory tract infections due to its role in the body's immune functions)

Grade of Evidence: high quality of evidence

Vitamin A [1, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help in preventing some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Please note, this acts as a PREVENTATIVE treatment, and not necessarily symptomatic relief.

Recommendation: Strong in favor (Vitamin A may help to prevent respiratory tract infections due to its role in the body's immune function)

Grade of Evidence: high quality of evidence

Thuja (Eastern White Cedar, Thuja Occidentalis) [1, 20, 21, 22]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Little is known about the full effects of Thuja, so it is not recommended for medicinal use. Thuja can be poisonous if ingested in large amounts.

Recommendation: no recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Thuja helps to treat respiratory tract infections)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Licorice (Glcyrhiz Gaba) [1, 16, 17, 18, 19]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Licorice has been shown to have potentially harmful side effects in people with high blood pressure, liver or kidney diseases)

Recommendation: No recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that licorice helps treat respiratory tract infections. More research is needed)

Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence

Larch (Larix Occidentalis)  [1, 12, 13, 14, 15]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: No recommendation (Available evidence does not support claims that Larch helps to treat respiratory tract infections)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica, Hydrocotyle Asiatica)[1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Gotu Kola helps in the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections in any way. More research is needed.)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

Echinacea Purpurea [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation  (Evidence has shown that Echinacea has no effect in the treatment or prevention of respiratory infections)

Grade of Evidence: moderate quality of evidence

Reflexology:

Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.

Recommendation: no recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that Reflexology can help to treat upper respiratory tract infections in any way)

Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence

* www.gradeworkinggroup.org

Summary References

Treatments:

1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009

2. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/echinacea

3. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/echinacea/ataglance.htm

4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16049208

5. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/29145.php

6. Winston, D., Maimes, S., Adaptogens: Herbs For Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief, 2007, pp. 226-7

7. "A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study on the Effects of Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) on Acoustic Startle Response in Healthy Subjects". Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 20(6):680-684, December 2000. Bradwejn, Jacques MD, FRCPC *; Zhou, Yueping MD, PhD ++; Koszycki, Diana PhD *; Shlik, Jakov MD, PhD

8.  B. M. Hausen (1993) "Centella asiatica (Indian pennywort), an effective therapeutic but a weak sensitizer." Contact Dermatitis 29 (4), 175–179 doi:10.1111/j.1600-0536.1993.tb03532.x

9. Cataldo, A., Gasbarro, V., et al., "Effectiveness of the Combination of Alpha Tocopherol, Rutin, Melilotus, and Centella asiatica in The Treatment of Patients With Chronic Venous Insufficiency", Minerva Cardioangiology, 2001, Apr; 49(2):159-63

10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotu_kola#Medicinal_effects

11. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/gotu-kola

12. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/larch

13. http://www.dermnetnz.org/dermatitis/plants/lichen.html

14. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Austin, TX: American Botanical Council; 1998.

15. Bown D. New Encyclopedia of Herbs & Their Uses. New York, NY: DK Publishing Inc; 2001.

16. Winston, David; Steven Maimes (2007). Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief. Healing Arts Press.

17. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15190039

18. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/licoriceroot/

19. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-licorice.html

20. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002769.htm

21. http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_thoc2.pdf

22. http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?v%3Aproject=medlineplus&query=thuja&x=0&y=0

23. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-vitamina.html

24. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vitamina.html

25. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamina.asp

26. http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/vad/en/

27. Latham, Michael E. (1997). Human Nutrition in the Developing World (Fao Food and Nutrition Paper). Food & Agriculture Organization of the United. ISBN 92-5-103818-X.

28. Sommer, Alfred (1995). Vitamin a Deficiency and Its Consequences: A Field Guide to Detection and Control. Geneva: World Health Organization. ISBN 92-4-154478-3.

29. http://www.unicef.org/worldfitforchildren/files/A-RES-S27-2E.pdf

30. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/vitamin-b-complex

31. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-folate.html

32. Butterworth RF. Thiamin. In: Shils ME, Shike M, Ross AC, Caballero B, Cousins RJ, editors. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 10th ed. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2006.

33. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18220605

34. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6935482.stm

35. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19061687

36. Gropper, S. S, Smith, J. L., Groff, J. L. (2009). Advanced nutrition and human metabolism. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage learning.

37. Otten, J. J., Hellwig, J. P., Meyers, L. D. (2008). Dietary reference intakes: The essential guide to nutrient requirements. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press

38. http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/vitamin-b1.htm

39. Higdon, Jane (2003). "Biotin". An evidence-based approach to vitamins and minerals. Thieme. ISBN 9781588901248.