Playing in the Rain, Cough Medications and Truthful Advertising

Rain, rain, go away.

Come again another day!

I love that song. Commonly heard in preschool and in children’s playlist. And most probably the first song that comes into mind when you see rain starting to fall. That is along side with Aegis bawling to – “Basang-basa sa ulan”. Rain never ceases to bring in nostalgic feelings of childhood when the first few drops fall on dry soil. I had those memories of playing in the rain.

Do you let your kids play in the rain too?

For me it's a yes. But we have a rule: I don't let him stay beyond 5 minutes. Like you, I am afraid that my kid might get sick. Colds, cough and fever are things that you know you have to treat immediately.

We rarely get cough attacks but when we do it will be a series of sleepless nights for everyone in the family or slowed down homeschooling sessions for us. And the one thing that we cannot do without is a medicine kit. Since we don’t have the luxury of cabinets in our small apartment, we use small plastic container that has all the basic first aid stuff -- complete with quick remedies for tummy aches, cuts and wounds, fever, colds and cough.

Cough usually comes with colds and the remedy that works for us is water therapy, Vicks, lots of rest and if all else fails, cough medication. And our paediatrician is really kind to give us info on what to buy even if we just text her. Both me and Dabby had cough and she suggested on a separate medications. For me, it was Solmux in capsule.

I usually go with what the doctor prescribes but it is given that advertising really plays a huge role on how people decide what medication to purchase. The same goes for me too when you count banner and radio ads that I hear while working and while travelling in a taxi.

In the Philippines, we have choices like syrups -- Robitussin, Solmux, Benadryl, Bisolvon. Not only that, there's this commercial I have heard / seen the commercial where a kid takes Ascof Lagundi to relieve cough.

It is interesting that we have all these options when it comes to keeping our family healthy and relieved of discomforts. But what might really be more interesting is what these brands do to advertise their products. Some of them incorporate attacks on herbal remedies and options like Ascof.

An article entitled "Politics of Cough Medicine: Synthetic versus Herbal Cough Medicine" listed some observations on the advertising tactics of these brands and the information that might be overlooked by consumers like us.

I certainly don't want to be an advocate against natural remedies by taking Solmux since natural remedies are currently what comforts my ailing aunt who has cancer. As a consumer, I just want truthful advertising. To quote the same article:

"Healthy competition among brands is encouraged. However, they need to be truthful."