Avoid spending time and money on cold remedies that don't work! Image courtesy of ehow.com

Cold and flu season is here, with daunting empty desks in classes and hacking roommates keeping us up at night. We’ve all heard of those miracle medicines that claim to cure the cold in a matter of days, and of the strange at-home remedies that some are too weirded out to try. While there is no proven immediate cure for colds or flus, here’s a list of do-it-yourself temporary cures for the cold that have been proven to help, and those that everyone should stay away from.

What Works:

• Gargling. While no one really enjoys the taste of ocean, gargling warm salt water has been proven to temporarily relieve sore, scratchy throats. Adding honey or a squeeze of lemon juice sooths the throat even more since honey is nature’s cough syrup and lemon has a great source of Vitamin C.
• Drinking fluids. Drinking more water alone won’t make the cold or flu go away, but it will prevent dehydration. Drinking water also helps loosen congestion in the body. Ginger Ale is also beneficial.
• Saline nasal sprays.Make sure they are SALINE. Other nasal sprays tend to irritate the nasal cavities after two to three days, and can have unpleasant side effects..
• Chicken soup. Yes, mom really was right when she made us chicken soup by the gallon at home. Scientists have proven that chicken soup acts as an anti-inflammatory and also temporarily speeds up the movement of mucus through the nose. Research shows there is no medical difference in whether the soup is homemade or canned, that is left to personal taste.
• Humidifiers.Colds love dry conditions. These neat little machines bring moisture to the air, causing the mucus membranes to de-stuff. Don’t have the money for one of these? A long steamy shower will do the trick.
• Sleep.Sleep allows the body to heal and repair itself, while allowing you to skip feeling the icky symptoms of the cold. Avoid over using medicines like Nyquil to sleep more.

What to Avoid:

• Antibiotics. Antibiotics kill bacteria, but not colds or the flu. The reason why colds have no real ‘cure’ is because the bacteria constantly changes. Antibiotics do no good against this, and overuse of them causes your body to build up an immunity to them.
• Caffeinated beverages.Coffee, soda, alcohol and caffeinated drinks should be avoided because they cause your body to dehydrate. The more of these you drink, the more water you need to drink.
• Dairy products. Dairy products encourage mucus production, making congestion even worse.
• Overuse of nasal sprays and other cold medicines. Overuse of nasal sprays cause nasty side effects like irritates nasal cavities or loss of taste. Overuse of any cold medication can cause the body to either build up an immunity to them or can cause the body to rely on them heavily, leaving you snotty still when your cold has passed.