Michigan Physician Launches Natural Product as an Alternative to Controversial Children's Over-the-Counter Cold and Cough Medication

Grand Rapids, MI, February 08, 2009 --(PR.com)-- A local family physician and his wife are marketing a natural product comprised of Buckwheat Honey that is touted as an alternative to controversial children’s over-the-counter (OTC) cold and cough medication. The product, Honey, Don’t Cough (www.honeydontcough.com), is thought to be the only supplier of Buckwheat Honey specifically packaged for individual doses for children.

Honey, Don't Cough recently made its national debut on Amazon.com and is currently the #1 best seller in its category “Health & Personal Care.” Boxes have also recently taken to the shelves of local pharmacies in 15 Michigan communities and 7 pharmacies in Missouri.

In Spring of 2008, Dr. Jeffrey L. Chamberlain, a Grand Rapids area family physician, and his wife, Christine, founded Honey, Don’t Cough, a Grand Rapids-based company that packages and sells Children’s Buckwheat Honey, a natural cough remedy, for young children.

Honey, Don’t Cough’s Children’s Buckwheat Honey is packaged in boxes containing 10 ready-to-use doses. Children can conveniently suck the honey directly from the packets. The product, which carries a suggested retail price of $4.99 per box of 10 individual packets, is currently available nationally on Amazon.com and the following retail locations in Michigan and Missouri:

Bangor: Harding’s Market
Benzonia: Community Drug, Shop ‘N’ Save
Byron Center: Saint Mary’s Pharmacy
Caledonia: Professional Pharmacy
Frankfort: Community Drug
Grand Haven: Pfaff’s Pharmacy
Grand Rapids: Kay Pharmacy, Saint Mary’s Pharmacy
Holland: Dykstra Drug Store
Kalamazoo: Harding’s Market
Kingsley: Northland Pharmacy
Manton: Bostick’s Pharmacy
Muskegon: Benson Pharmacy, Hackley Professional Pharmacy
Middleville: Pharmacy Care
Traverse City: Medicap Pharmacy, Oleson’s Food Center, Petertyl Drug Company
Wyoming: Parkwood Pharmacy
Nevada, Missouri: Wilkinson Pharmacy (7 locations throughout state)

In light of the latest research published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which shows there are an estimated 500 pediatric deaths a year associated with children’s cold and cough medicine, Dr. Chamberlain and his wife began researching natural remedies as an alternative.

Aware of the findings, Dr. Chamberlain began to recommend Buckwheat Honey to his patients, but received feedback that the thick honey was hard to find and messy to administer to young children.

Trying it out on their own children prompted the Chamberlains to begin contemplating how to make Buckwheat Honey more accessible and user-friendly. In Spring of 2008, Honey, Don’t Cough was founded. It is the only supplier of Buckwheat Honey specifically packaged for individual use.

“Buckwheat Honey has more antioxidants than lighter honeys,” noted Dr. Chamberlain. “While we don’t know exactly how it works, research has demonstrated it to have throat-soothing results, powerful anti-oxidant properties, increased immune system benefits and direct antimicrobial effects.

“Even when the correct dose of over-the-counter cold or cough medications are administered, children have still overdosed,” said Dr. Chamberlain. “We are not willing to take that risk with our own children and as a family doctor I caution the parents of my patients not to give them to their children under the age of six.”

The reason these medications went unregulated for children for so long is that the standards for research have drastically changed. In the 1960s, medicine research using children was considered widely unethical and the medicines did not undergo the same scrutiny as they do today.

In October 2007, a group of doctors requested that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review children’s cold and cough medication. As a result of the study, the FDA recommended that parents forgo using these types of drugs in children less than two years of age. Consequently, many manufacturers voluntarily withdrew the drugs specifically meant for the youngest children. Although the drug companies promised the FDA and the public that they were “committed to changing” all labeling to say “do not use” for children under the age of two years, currently many labels still remain unchanged.

Now, because of the identified dangers, conventional options for children under age four are being pulled from the market. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other child advocate groups have issued warnings to physicians and parents about the dangers associated with using OTC cough and cold medication for children under six years of age. “The FDA is in the process of changing its rules, which can take up to two to three years,” said Dr. Chamberlain. “In the meantime, I continue to advocate that these medications have been proven to be dangerous and ineffective for children under the age of six.”

A 2007 Penn State study found Buckwheat Honey to be just as effective as treating symptoms as the main cough suppressant drug, Dextromethorphan (DM). The research concluded that a small dose of Buckwheat Honey given before bedtime provides relief of nighttime cough and sleep difficulty – reducing the severity, frequency and bothersome nature of nighttime cough from upper respiratory infection better than DM or no treatment. Using Buckwheat Honey for occasional cough is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the World Health Organization, family doctors, pediatricians and other health experts.

Note: Due to the risk of botulism, honey of any variety should not be given to children under the age of one year.

For more information, visit www.honeydontcough.com.

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