it is not anecdote when there is a scientific explanation being proposed by scientists. It is your inability to learn about new things ..
Let me address this with information from one of your links.
http://www.theecologist.org/green_green_living/behind_the_label/268787/behind_the_label_lemsip_max_cold_flu_capsules.html
perhaps this article explains better what i mean
As doctors can tell you, the best remedy for colds and flu is the traditional one: rest, warmth, fluids – and time. Drug manufacturers want you to believe otherwise. But, as Pat Thomas reports, pharmaceutical ‘cures’ may be more than just a waste of money
This article does what you do, confuse the issue between cold and flu. Which are in reality very different diseases. Also notice the " 'cures' " portion. It is well know that acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Paracetamol is not a cure for anything. It is a NSAID that is used to treat fever and is very good at treating joint pain.
The article goes on to complain about over the counter medicines, "however, most have been found – through objective, scientific studies – to be useless."
Well we know through scientific studies that acetaminophen is in fact quite useful. So the article is flat wrong on this point, at least as it applies to its initial topic.
"So, in spite of the fact that nothing you can buy will cure your cold," something that is not in dispute, "a huge number of us have succumbed to the hit-it-hard-and-hit-it fast remedies such as the Lemsip ‘Max’ range."
Do you see what they are doing here? Taking a point that is not in dispute and connecting it to a straw man position. People take acetaminophen to relieve symptoms of a cold, something it does very well.
The article goes on to say people should just rest and everything will get better in time. But if you have kids to care for, a job that needs your attention, and an income that is needed to pay the rent, then a few days off work can be far more than an inconvenience. For many many people it is just not realistic.
Many of us are lucky and can telecommute on sick days, but most folks still have to be at the jobsite and need safe and effective drugs to ease the symptoms of illnesses they must bear up under. Drivel like this stuff from theecologist.org is not very helpful and
certainly not scientific.