Magical Mystery Meds

When you show symptoms of a cold, the first question that Taiwanese ask is usually, "Have you seen the doctor?" My answer is always no. I'm not sure if this is the typical response of a foreigner, but I've never believed that a doctor could do anything about my cold. If I feel terrible, then I'll take ibuprofen or some over-the-counter cold medicine like Theraflu.

So, when my friend got sick and went to the doctor, I thought I could finally figure out what the doctor can do for a cold. He gave five types of pills to be taken every four hours and some painkillers to be taken as needed. But there was no list of the names of the medicine, so my fact-finding mission will have to wait.