Common Cold

Is there a cure for the common cold?

Even with outbreaks of new flu viruses and various other serious health concerns, the common cold remains a common complaint. While rarely life threatening, this illness is causes discomfort to the sufferer and costs hundreds of thousands of dollars in treatment, medical care and lost productivity every year.

As of this moment, there is no cure for the common cold. The best thing you can do to keep from suffering is to protect yourself from getting sick in the first place. You may think that this is impossible, but with the right precautions, it is very likely that you will remain healthy.

Also, if you do get sick, there are ways that you can help yourself get better quicker.

Preventing the Common Cold

In order to not get sick from the common cold, it is important to live a healthy lifestyle. If you are not treating your body correctly, you may be more susceptible to infection. One of the most common ways in which people get sick is by not getting enough sleep. Simply by sleeping at least seven hours each night, you are three times less likely to get sick from the common cold.

Similarly, maintaining the proper amounts of vitamins in your body decreases the likelihood of getting sick. In particular, a proper level of vitamin D also decreases your likelihood of illness by three times.

Treating the Common Cold

Should you start to experience common cold symptoms, don't fret—there are plenty of medicines on the market that will help you to knock out the cold before it really has a chance to take hold. Look for a common cold remedy that contains zinc. Loading up on zinc while you are sick has been proven to help the immune system fight off the infection. Contrary to what you have heard your whole life, vitamin C does little to help you get better.

Even the best common cold drugs on the market only serve to help you make it through the worst of the cold while your body fights it off. The best thing that you can do is get plenty of sleep, drink plenty of fluids and just ride it out. You will get better before you know it.