04.01.07
According to Canada-based CV Technologies, doctors and nurses at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) in New Jersey will participate in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of its cold remedy, COLD-fX, to see if it can improve the immune health of front line medical workers. HUMC infectious diseases researcher Dr. Steven Sperber will head the study, which will include blood tests to investigate the hypothesis that COLD-fX works by simultaneously boosting two different immune pathways: the innate response (macrophages and natural killer (NK) cells) and the Th1 adaptive response. Both pathways are critical for fighting viruses and maintaining good health. The hypothesis is supported by previously published clinical research, which demonstrated that regular intake of COLD-fX over one cold season enhanced NK cells and T-helper cells. If confirmed, COLD-fX will be clinically proven to work synergistically by enhancing both of these immune pathways. Dr. Sperber is currently recruiting 50 healthy staff members from HUMC for the trial, including doctors and nurses. The number was calculated to be sufficient to detect statistically significant differences between the study groups. The parameters being measured are blood immune factors, which are highly sensitive and therefore don’t require a high number of trial subjects. COLD-fX has been the subject of several clinical trials in universities in Canada and the U.S., and data has been published in nine peer-reviewed medical journals, including the Canadian Medical Association Journal.