I have usually insisted on an antibiotic for a cold, not because I’m ignorant of the virus/bacterium distinction, but because I’ve got a crappy respiratory system, and a bad cold has generally meant about an 80% chance of a further opportunistic infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, coughing so violent as to cause blackouts, and other jolly stuff of that sort, unless I could head the germs off.
The last couple of years, though, I’ve found that zinc/C tablets have knocked my colds on the head quickly enough to avoid the problem. Placebo? I don’t know, but I haven’t had a major illness in two or three years, and I used to expect one every six months or so.
John W. Kennedy
“Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.”
– Charles Williams