Well folks, it’s about that time of the year again. Runny and stuffed noses, fever, sore throat, sneezing and coughing are just some of the symptoms that confirm the fact that you once again have fallen victim to the common cold.

The common cold is basically an infection of the upper respiratory tract that is caused by any of 200 different viruses.

Colds are spread directly from one person to another by coughing or sneezing or by hand-to-hand contact. Once the virus contaminates the hands of one person, it can then spread to the hands of others. Then, when your virus-contaminated hands touch your nose or eyes, you become infected. Your immune system is the defense mechanism that protects the body from germs and viruses. When you do in fact get sick, your immune system begins to start working and it usually takes about a week or two to fully recover.

Unfortunately, till this day, there is no cure or “magic formula” that you can take to rid your self of the common cold. There are however, numerous methods to arm and protect you from the common cold naturally by strengthening your immune system..

First of all, you must realize that the common cold itself is a viral infection. Therefore, treatments such antibiotics will do absolutely nothing for this problem.

That being said, listed below are the top components and resources that all make up what I call “The Mangano Common Cold Defense Arsenal”.

VITAMIN C – The connection between vitamin c and colds was first discovered by Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling. While many doctors still challenge the clinical studies that have since repeated Dr. Pauling's original findings, I consider it a great alternative.

Aside from that, I challenge most things that come out of a doctor’s mouth because most of it involves funding the 401k of some “BIG WIG Executive” in a pharmaceutical company. That being said, numerous studies on vitamin C studies have consistently demonstrated results that are more effective to treating the common cold as opposed to superior to over-the-counter cold medications.

Recommendation: 6,000 to 12,000 mg of Vitamin C daily until symptoms subside. Try to take some every hour as this will maintain saturated body levels. Then take a maintenance dose of 3,000 mg per day, which will help keep colds from getting started in the first place.

ZINC – According to the Life Extension Foundation "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.”

A double-blind placebo-controlled trial published by Prasad (2000) showed a very significant reduction in overall duration of cold symptoms (50%), cough (50%), and nasal discharge (30%) at a dose of 12.8 mg of zinc.
Disease Prevention And Treatment by Life Extension Foundation, page 921.

Recommendation: Take four to six Zinc lozenges daily, for a maximum dose of 140 mg. Do this for no more than 5 days.

ECHINACEA – This herb has been used for hundreds of years to relieve cold symptoms as well as a host of upper respiratory problems. A wide belief is that Echinacea works by accelerating the production of phagocytes, leukocytes, and other disease fighting cells.

Recommendation: I prefer the liquid brand by Zand Herbal Formulas, which also contains Goldenseal. I've personally found this particular brand to be very effective in reducing the length and severity of the common cold. Follow instructions on the bottle.

GOLDENSEAL – While the evidence for goldenseal's effectiveness is not solidified as much as the evidence for Echinacea, this herb does appear to strengthen the immune system. Studies have also shown it to fight localized viruses. For that reason, it is particularly effective in treating a sore throat.

Recommendation: Again, I prefer the liquid brand by Zand Herbal Formulas, which also contains Echinacea. Follow instructions on the bottle.

GARLIC – Evidence of garlic’s medical potency is inarguable. I recommend taking deodorized garlic capsules. I personally use the brand Kyolic by Wakunaga of Amercia, which is a great odorless organic garlic supplement.

Recommendation: Follow instructions on the bottle.

In your quest to effectively treat or prevent the common cold this year, be sure to remember that nature's cures for the common cold not only suppress symptoms but they also enhance the immune system's effectiveness to protect the body and even have antiviral action. Aside from that, natural approaches also have fewer side effects than pharmaceuticals and most are a lot easier on the wallet.