It happens to everyone, sometimes multiple times a year. That's why it's called the common cold, right? But while we're all familiar with the common cold, we may only know of one or two ways to fight it, which usually involve some sort of over-the-counter medication, or the folk remedy, a bowl of chicken soup. But there are much better ways to prevent and treat the common cold, using traditional non-drug remedies and good solid nutrition.

The first step in fighting the common cold is to make sure you have a cold. For some, it can be pretty easy to confuse the common cold with the flu (until symptoms get a lot worse), or to not know when a cold has progressed into bronchitis. "The common cold is a viral infection of the upper-respiratory tract that attacks the nose and nasal passages, and can spread to the chest," writes Earl Mindell in Secret Remedies. "We all know and dread those first symptoms: the scratchy throat, sneezing, headache, aching muscles, and congestion." But when should we know that the cold has gone too far? The authors of Smart Medicine for Healthier Living say that if a cold gives you a persistent fever, a hacking cough or a rash, you might have a more serious viral infection. The common cold itself is a viral infection, so things like antibiotics, which are often mistakenly prescribed for colds, won't help.

The first thing that comes to mind when treating a cold is that taking vitamin C will help, and this instinct is correct. Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling first found the connection between vitamin C and colds. Though doctors still debate the clinical studies that have since repeated Dr. Pauling's original findings, most naturopaths would say this is a good first step in fighting off a cold. Dr. Michael T. Murray, in Natural Alternatives to Drugs, writes, "While the vitamin C studies have consistently demonstrated results superior to over-the-counter cold medications, manufacturers of vitamin C products are prevented from making any claims for their product, while the makers of OTC common-cold medications spend hundreds of millions of dollars brainwashing the American public into believing these products are the answer to the common cold." Zinc is also recommended for those just beginning to come down with a cold. "Zinc is not only seen to be an important regulator of immunity, but has also been found clinically to be an excellent mineral to take in the event of viral illness, such as the common cold," writes the Life Extension Foundation.