While reading through an issue of Alternative Medicine I came across an article with the above title. In the article it cited a study done in England where more than 800 otherwise healthy people with lower respiratory infections were treated one of three ways: They either received antibiotics immediately, got no antibiotics or were given a prescription and told to wait 14 days before taking it. On average, the people who took antibiotics did not recover faster than those who didn’t.
The study also found that the average time for chest colds is three to four weeks. Homeopathic treatment often can lead to a quicker cure. As an example, Jonathan who is 12 years old had been suffering from a cough for the past 4 days. He coughed day and night and sometimes would even gag on the mucous he brought up. The homeopathic remedy Natrum Muriaticum was prescribed because it best seemed to fit his symptoms. Within 6 hours his mother noticed that the cough had diminished and that night he slept soundly.
There often is a cure for the common cough. One need not suffer for weeks.