While there is still no cure for the common cold, the best prevention could be simpler than you think.
Frequent hand-washing is an excellent defense against those pesky colds, a University of Alberta news release reported.
"The best things to prevent a cold that we know of are still the basics-washing your hands and avoiding contact with sick people," Michael Allan, a professor of family medicine in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, said in the news release.
Preventative methods such as "probiotics, gargling, garlic, ginseng, [Echinacea], homeopathy, or vitamin C or D. Vitamin C," have all proved to be ineffective in past studies.
"Except for the basics like [hand washing] or avoiding sick people, we can't really promote the use of anything at this stage. Nothing has very strong research to support it," Allen said.
Once a cold is contracted and it is too late for preventative measures the researchers suggest turning to honey. They prescribe a nightly dose (half a teaspoon to two teaspoons) of honey for anyone over a year old to soothe coughs and assist in sleep.
"It's more effective at reducing cough and improving sleep than cough suppressants are," Allan said. "There's no data for adults, however, just for kids."
Zinc has also been shown to reduce the length of colds by about 1.5 days in adults (not children). The downside is these supplements can cause nausea and other unpleasant symptoms. Some combinations of antihistamines and decongestants could also benefit adults, but are not recommended for children under the age of six.
Ibuprofen is more effective than acetaminophen in fever control, but both have proven themselves to be successful.
Treatments like Vicks VapoRub, over-the-counter cough remedies, intranasal ipratropium and antibiotics" are not believed to be effective, the news release reported.
The research pinpoints specific therapies that could help relieve cold symptoms, as well as those that won't.
