People’s Pharmacy: Could vitamin C speed recovery from colds?

Q. I have been taking vitamin C since I was 17 years old. My boyfriend at that time suggested it helps prevent the common cold.

I am much older now and still taking it. Colds are rare, but if I get one, I take 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C every four hours. It works every time, shortening the time I have symptoms. Sometimes when I feel symptoms coming on, I take vitamin C, and I don’t get the cold at all.

P.S. I gave my children vitamin C when they were little, and they also rarely got colds.

A. The Nobel Prize-winning chemist, Dr. Linus Pauling, published his little paperback book, “Vitamin C and the Common Cold,” in 1970. Over the last five decades, scientists have argued about his premise that ascorbic acid is helpful against respiratory infections.

One of the more comprehensive reviews was published earlier this year in the Polish Archives of Internal Medicine (Jan. 30, 2025). The authors concluded that vitamin C can reduce the severity and duration of cold symptoms. They have less evidence that people taking vitamin C could avoid colds, though they state “… if a person suffers from frequent colds, it is reasonable to test individually whether he or she may benefit from vitamin C supplementation during the winter.”

You can learn more about vitamin C and other approaches to preventing and treating common respiratory infections in our “eGuide to Colds, Coughs & the Flu.” This online resource is located under the Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

Q. You recently wrote that light exposure at night can be harmful for the heart. As a result, you suggested keeping the bedroom dark. Wouldn’t that be risky for people who have to get up at night to go to the bathroom? They might trip on something and fall.

A. A study published in JAMA Network Open (Oct. 23, 2025) concluded that persistent light exposure at night may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease. You are correct, though, that stumbling around in the dark could lead to a dangerous fall.

Readers have offered some options to prevent such an accident. One person replied: “I keep a small flashlight under my pillow and use it to visit the bathroom during the dark hours. Inexpensive and does the trick.”

Another individual pointed out that, “It is common for hospitals and nursing homes to have lights shining into rooms at night. Staff should supply sleep masks.” In the same vein, a reader shared: “Our bedroom is completely dark at night. When we need to get up, our motion-sensing nightlights come on. They turn off automatically when no motion is detected after 20 seconds.”

Q. I’ve been a big fan of Vicks VapoRub for years, but I recently discovered a use that was new to me. I got severe muscle cramps in both calves that woke me from sleep. I couldn’t rub the knots out, and I couldn’t even hobble to the bathroom. In desperation, I pulled the Vicks off my nightstand and rubbed it on my legs. Within a few minutes, the spasms let up, and I could go back to sleep.

A. Thank you for sharing your new use for an old product. Vicks VapoRub contains many different aromatic ingredients, including thymol, menthol, eucalyptol and camphor. Some of these compounds activate transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in skin cells. We suspect that is what was responsible for calming your cramps.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 300 W. 57th Street, 41st Floor, New York, NY 10019, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.”