I've been using Zicam for about 2 years now. I catch colds pretty frequently. They don't seem to do any advertising. I actually heard about it from two guys talking about it on line at an airport. I suspect that there is a placebo effect at work and that the underground nature of the product is part of that, but what the hell, I'll buy placebo effect any day.

Anyway, when Zicam first came out it came out as a swab. There was documentation that said that part of the reason for the effectiveness was that zinc was absorbed much more quickly through the lower nasal membranes. Later on they came out with all the lozenges and oral stuff which I have my doubts about. The swab is the way to go. It is the original. It works and there is no risk of accidentally spraying it up your nose and affecting your smell.

The trick is to take the Zicam *immediately* when you feel a cold coming on. I can always tell because I get a tickle in my throat. I'd say that half the time whatever I was getting doesn't materialize. Most of the time when it does materialize it lasts only a few days (I have almost always had colds that last 7-9 days but with Zicam it's more like 3-4). Then there is the ocaisional cold that Zicam has no effect on.

I do not think it is necessary to take every two hours like they say. This is probably a way to boost usage and drive profits (remember plop-plop fizz-fizz?) I've found that twice a day pretty much does the trick. The theory is that the zinc signals your immune system to kick in and build antibodies faster. So allyou need is to get your body the signal. Once it has the signal there is no theoretical reason why you would need to keep taking the medication since by that time your immune system is activated either by the zinc or by the cold itself. I'm sure in there studies they were able to get from 93% to 95% by taking it every two hours but again I would contend that it's a diminishing return designed to get you to pump more medication.

Bottom line, it works but take it *immediately* in order to see the effect.

P.S. For the fellow that says that because he hasn't heard of it it must not work. There is *another* medication like Zicam that no-one has ever heard of that is a miracle cure. It is Zanfel for poison ivy. You'll notice that it costs $40 while all the other cremes cost $5. That's because it's the real deal. Most doctors don't even know about Zanfel but it actually binds to urisol and cures poison ivy in a single day. Believe it, or better yet, when you get poison ivy try it. Then pass on the good news.