For how we live.
Two Cochrane reviews put numbers on it: oral terbinafine and azoles cure far more toenail infections than placebo, while newer topical solutions work but cure a minority — over nearly a year of daily use.
Dandruff is the mild end of seborrhoeic dermatitis, and Cochrane reviews of that condition back the medicated-shampoo ingredients: ketoconazole and ciclopirox clear flaking better than placebo.
A Cochrane review of 67 trials found topical allylamines and azoles cure far more foot infections than placebo, with allylamines slightly ahead. Oral pills are reserved for stubborn or failed cases.
Cochrane reviews of paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin for tension-type headache find each beats a dummy pill for a minority of people — a real but small effect, with side effects no higher than placebo.
A European task force argued the first-generation drugs sold over the counter should not be. On symptom relief the newer ones differ from each other too — and the most familiar performed worst.