What to do when you have a cold

You won't die from a cold, but sometimes you'll wish you would.

Colds tend to hit us during the period from December to February. They are that miserable feeling of nasal irritation and congestion, often combined with a sore throat, coughing, and a generally nasty feeling. Colds seldom have fever with them, and since they are caused by viruses, you don't need antibiotics.

But what to do to help ease the nasty feelings and get them on their way?

First, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Getting a lot of fluids (water in particular) is important year round (I recommend 20 glasses a day) but during a cold, you'll feel better if you up that to 25 a day. This accomplishes 2 things with a cold: a sore throat will feel lots better, and it's a lot easier to bring up any congestion if your body is well-hydrated. If you're feeling lousy, the old chicken soup remedy is a good one.

Secondly, get some sun. Now unless you're living in Miami, that's not always easy, so get to a tanning bed. The benefits from UV rays are important any time, but in a cold, you especially need them. 10 minutes in a tanning bed (15 minutes if you're already doing it regularly) will make you feel a lot better, and some feel it shortens the duration and intensity of a cold.

Third, load up on the vitamin C. I normally take 3 grams (3000 milligrams) of vitamin C a day. If I get a cold, I will up that to 6 or 7 grams a day.

Finally, don't short-circuit your body's abilities to deal with the cold. Avoid cough-suppressants because these keep your body from coughing up any garbage the cold has induced. If you're having trouble sleeping because of a persistent, tickling cough, you might take one at bedtime, but make sure it's a nighttime variety: those are designed to avoid keeping you awake.

And take heart: colds really do go away, and these things will help them go away even faster.