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Q: I see that on your OTC medicine list, some items are listed as being “recommended” and others are “Recommended for cholim”. What’s the difference between those two recommendations?
A: In determining the status of items for the OTC medicine list (http://bit.ly/OTCList) we not only consider the ingredients but also the medical condition for which the person would typically be taking that remedy. In that context, there are ingredients that we do not recommend for healthier people but can permit for those who are more ill. (If you want to understand the criteria we use, you can read the Sappirim article on the topic at http://bit.ly/KosherOTC.)
There are, however, some OTC items which are used both by people who are sicker and those who are healthier. In that case, if we cannot recommend it for everyone, we write that it is only “recommended for cholim (sick people)”.