How to Most Effectively Battle the Common Cold

Whitson Gordon -I had my first round with the common cold last week, and yours isn't far behind. This year, I decided to stop blindly subscribing to anecdotal "cures" and preventions and get to the backside of what science says really works.

Photo by Anna Gutermuth.

The temperature is dropping, and with winter comes the coughing, sniffling, and sneezing of the usual cold.

The net is flooded with health "tips", but among the immense amount of information available online, it's difficult to classify the myths from the realities. Everyone has their own anecdotal evidence proving or disproving home remedies, over-the-counter medicines, and alternative "miracle treatments", but it's difficult to say which so-called remedies are actually the most efficient at dealing with the usual cold. Here, we're passing to dive into some of the most popular cold treatments and notice what the scientific community has to say about their effectiveness. Things You Can Do at Home (That Won't Cost You an Arm and a Leg)

When most of us get sick, the foremost thing we do is rushed to the drug store to line up on over-the-counter medicines: Whether it's the cough suppressant dextromethorphan (found in cough syrups like Robitussin) or the antihistamine doxylamine succinate (found in the sleep-inducing Nyquil). Oddly enough, though, the most well-supported cold treatments are things you can find lying around the house. We've talked about winterizing your trunk for the chilly months to come, but if you get to find a cold coming on, here are approximately of the better options for taking care of yourself. Gargle with Salt Water

We've actually mentioned this remedy before, but it bears repeating: One of the oldest tricks in your mother's book, it seems that gargling with salt water is really an effective home treatment for the usual cold. Not alone does it alleviate throat pain and loosen irritating mucous, but it can still help prevent colds: A report by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine found people that gargled warm salt water 3 times a day were less likely to get sick during cold season. Just dissolve half a teaspoonful of salinity in a good glass of water, gargle for a few seconds, and sprinkle it out. Photo by Casey Serin. Try a Little Honey

Another popular home remedy with some hard evidence behind it is honey. A 2007 Penn State University study found that one to two teaspoons of love is not entirely good at treating nocturnal cough, but it's actually more effective than dextromethorphan, the cough suppressant found in oh-so-popular cough syrups we mob to. Photo by Bethany Egan. Congestion Irrigation: The Neti Pot and Nasal Sprays

If you're experiencing some nasal congestion, one of the better ways to get rid of it is to wash it out at the origin using a saline nasal spray, or other similar irrigation technique. Not only have researchers found that it reduces the hardness of congestion, but that also reduces infection. While you can buy many such nasal sprays over-the-counter, you can also do your own at home by mixing a quarter teaspoon salt, a quarter teaspoon baking soda, and 8 ounces of strong water (or approximately similar variation). You an either spray it into your nose via a bulb syringe, or use a tool like the ever-popular neti pot to make your nasal passageway. It can be a bit daunting for some, but it's been shown to be moderately efficient and let small or no side effects, so if you're serious about feeling better, it's a right method to try. Photo by Dennis Yang. Keep Your Stress Level Down

We've made a few mentions of how stress can impact your health: if you get more psychological stress in your life, you're likely to make health issues. Even if you're lucky enough to run the serious issues like depression and anxiety, you're still susceptible to stale and other illnesses: The Department of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University establish a substantial relationship between stress and acute illnesses. Everyone's stress is different, so study your own living and be trusted to save up with our favorite stress-relieving tactics here at Lifehacker to remain healthy. Photo by John Mayer. Get Enough of Rest

It's one of the beginning pieces of advice you get when you're sick, but we can never stress it enough: give your body clock to push off the virus, and don't waste that energy elsewhere. A bit of studies (such as this one from the Archives of Internal Medicine) found that sleep deprivation results in poorer immune function. Not just do good sleep habits help you push off a cold, but they will still increase your opposition to catching one in the 1st place. So, if you're sick, it's crucial to get enough of rest-but don't miss it when you're healthy either. Make sure this is quality sleep, too: drugs like NyQuil contain alcohol, and we already know what that does to your sleep cycle. You'll fall asleep quickly, but you won't get the deep sleep you want to get better. Photo by Craig Dennis. Unproven, But Unharmful: Good Ol' H2O

While the above remedies have rather a bit of supporting evidence, other oft-recommended treatments, mentioned in this section, have either received slight attention or have yet to produce conclusive evidence. The positive side: These methods aren't likely to injure you, so there's no reason not to make them a bit of care on your sick days. Increase Your Fluid Intake

Very little hard research has been through on the connection between fluid intake and alleviating cold symptoms, but it's long been one of the beginning pieces of advice given to cold sufferers. Drinking lots of fluids during a cold is aforesaid to go up your congestion, maintain you hydrated and keep your throat moist. I had a hard time finding actual studies around the usual cold and hydration, but it's no secret that hydration is well for your trunk and your health-it is, after all, one of those things essential to bodily function-so there's no cause to not continue following this advice. In fact, this is sound advice even when you're not sick. Just remember not to go overboard. Photo by Brian Turner. Inhale Steam

We've advocated using humidifiers in your base on more than one occasion, and while there are unquestionably a lot of good reasons to keep good humidity levels (from keeping your walls in good shape to avoiding nasty static electricity), the inquiry on its force on congestion is actually inconclusive. A Cochrane review found that just three out of six trials found benefits of steam for symptom relief. However, apart from some minor side effects (such as nasal discomfort or irritation), humidification carries little risk and provides other benefits for your home, so there's no cause to annul it. If you'd rather not spend money on a humidifier, other sources of steam (such as a hot shower) can answer the like purpose. Treatments to Skip: Alternative Remedies

Apart from the popular over-the-counter cold medicine ingredients (like the few mentioned above), a few other widely discussed treatments have yet to be proven effective, and also carry unnecessary side effects. These are the treatments you likely don't need. Vitamin C

People have studied and argued about the strength of Vitamin C for decades, and a Cochrane review of trials on the case found megadosing (you know-taking handfuls of the vitamin when you get down with the cold) Vitamin C to be largely ineffective. While there are a few exceptions in the literature (most notably athletes and those issue to cold environments), it doesn't look like Vitamin C is the miracle cold cure that many people swear it is. However, it carries little risk, so as farsighted as you don't go overboard with it, feel free to swallow up that orange juice-just don't bank on any magical powers therein. You're probably better off staying away from high-dose Vitamin C formulations like Airborne, though, since they not but contain high levels of other, megadose-unfriendly vitamins (such as Vitamin A), but they also include unnecessarily high amounts of Vitamin C, which may have unwelcome side effects in those susceptible to kidney stones. Echinacea

Echinacea is an herbal remedy said to raise the immune system and cut the stiffness and continuance of the usual cold. It's popular, but once again, not probable that beneficial: a subject in the New England Journal of Medicine found that it was straight out not good at preventing nor alleviating cold symptoms. Photo by London Looks.

That said, Echinacea is a complicated treatment as well: There are many different types, strengths, and parts of the Echinacea root that make all produced dissimilar results, so unlike Vitamin C (which has been studied over and over again), the results on Echinacea are not consistent. It doesn't get a ton of side effects (other than a possible upset stomach), but allergies and other drugs can make some more serious issues if you're not careful. Furthermore, herbal supplements aren't regulated by the FDA. When it comes down to it, it's a crapshoot as to whether the product you're purchasing is leaving to serve or not. Zinc

Another popular alternative medicine treatment is zinc, both in the class of throat lozenges or nasal sprays. Quite a few studies have been through on the treatment, but again, only some of them found positive results. In those examples, high doses of zinc did significantly shorten the stiffness and length of the usual cold-especially when taken at the first house of a cold-but the side effects hardly realize it worth the unproven theory that it will help. Mild side effects include mouth irritation, a seriously awful metallic taste in your mouth, and stomach upset, while other studies have shown that high doses of zinc can contribute to a release of appreciation or smell. While shorter-term use is probably safer than long-term use, you're once again better off saving your money.

The strong evidence seems to suffer the thought that the democratic "alternative" treatments don't have a lot of water, while the home remedies that you keep hearing about are actually remarkably useful at treating and preventing illness. While the final (and hopefully now informed) decision is up to you, it looks like you already have everything you want at home to effectively treat that cold. While a bit of ibuprofen or saline nasal spray might avail you out a bit, the balance of the treatments found on drug store shelves are more probably to suffer your wallet than anything. Got any of your own favorite cold remedies? Share them with us in the comments.