For years researchers have struggled to find the answer to the common cold. Yet, in spite of the thousands of hours of research and the millions of dollars which have been put into this project, science has not discovered a cure for this common ailment.

All of the over-the-counter medicines people use to treat colds and flu are all aimed at only one thing—relief of symptoms. They suppress coughs, dry up runny noses and reduce fevers. Not only does this not speed recovery, as we’ll explain in this newsletter, it may actually interfere with recovery.

Doctors sometimes prescribe antibiotics for colds, but they don’t do any good either. Antibiotics kill bacteria. They are ineffective against viruses and prescribing them for colds is counterproductive as they destroy friendly flora in the digestive tract, weakening the immune system in the process.

What About Flu Shots?

A strategy modern medicine employs with other viral disorders, such as mumps, measles and chickenpox, is to create vaccines. Vaccines introduce weakened viruses into the body. They aren’t treatments for these diseases, but work by stimulating the adaptive immune system to produce antibodies against them. This makes the immune system react more quickly to the viruses when a person is exposed to them.

Vaccines are offered for the flu, but they aren’t always effective because they only inoculate against the few strains of influenza that research suggests will be the most common that season. Unfortunately the influenza virus is constantly mutating, which means there are plenty of other flu viruses you can still catch.

Furthermore, flu shots contain mercury and other toxic substances that weaken your immune system. So getting a flu shot is sort of like playing a game of chance. You’ve challenged your immune system to develop antibodies against a few strains, while weakening your immune system to make you more susceptible to a thousand other varieties. Many people feel that they actually stay healthier without the flu shot.

Laying aside question about the safety and efficacy of a flu shot, getting one won’t help when it comes to catching a cold. There is no vaccine for the common cold because there are too many varieties of cold viruses, and compared to the flu colds are just mild annoyances.

So, What is the Answer?

At this point you might be asking if there is anything that does work to help you fight cold and flu viruses. And, the answer is YES!

And there are also things you can do to strengthen your immune system during cold and flu season to minimize your chances of getting sick in the first place. Inside you’ll find information about both prevention and recovery. So, continue reading and learn what you can do to both prevent and cure the common cold and flu.

Strategies for Health by Steven Horne

The ABC Herbal by Steven Horne