The common cold

The symptoms of the common cold include sneezing, coughing, congestion, headache, sore throat, watery eyes, aches and pains, and fever. Modern medicine has yet to find a cure. One reason is that the virus which causes colds comes in hundreds of different forms. It is also able to change size and shape making the formulation of a vaccine almost impossible. The only treatments offered by conventional medicine are decongestants, cough medicines and acetaminophen to mask the symptoms. None of these can actually cure the cold - they just make you suffer less! However, all the unpleasant symptoms of a cold are your body's way of defending and healing itself and it is usually best not to interfere. The mucus flow is your body's way of ridding itself of the virus - nasal decongestants can prevent this.

A strong immune system is probably the best way to avoid a cold, but if you already have a cold then bolstering your immune system will help to shorten it's duration and make the symptoms less severe. Eat a healthy well balanced diet - junk food can stress your immune system and leave you vulnerable to illness. Add garlic to your diet or take a garlic supplement. Studies have shown that garlic has antiviral properties and can help to boost your immune system. Taking Echinacea for 6 - 8 weeks before the start of the cold season has been shown to reduce your risk of getting a cold by strengthening your body's immune system.