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When the scratchy throat and body aches kick in, you just know a cold is coming on — and in the moment, it can feel like the only thing left to do is ride it out by letting your immune system do its thing.
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But even if cold symptoms have already started, it's too late to do something about them.
"The early signs of a cold coming on are an advantage, allowing us to react before the virus takes us off our feet," Naueen Safdar, MD, medical director of EHE Health, tells LIVESTRONG.com. "Generally, it takes two to three days after the virus enters the body before a cold begins, so that gives us time to combat the virus before it worsens."
As for which cold-busting strategies to use, there are several that doctors personally swear by to limit the severity and duration of their symptoms.
1. 'Stay Hydrated'
"When I notice a cold coming on, I make sure to hydrate and maintain my electrolytes," says Ameet R. Kamat, MD, director of sinus and skull base surgery at White Plains Hospital in New York.
His hydration strategy involves drinking enough water (and sometimes electrolyte beverages) and avoiding dehydrating beverages, such as high doses of caffeine or alcohol.
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"Water helps with oxygen delivery and removal of toxins from the body," Dr. Kamat says. "It also helps with lymphatic flow [the body's filtration system], which is essential to immune system function."
2. 'Drink Warm Liquids'
New York-based integrative physician Patrick Fratellone, MD drinks plenty of warm liquids — especially herbal teas — when he starts to notice cold symptoms.
Besides how soothing they can be when your throat is itchy and sore, warm liquids ensure the mucus produced by the body doesn't get too thick, making it easier to break up congestion as your body combats the virus.
"Some of the teas I use are stinging nettle leaf, echinacea, goldenseal and elderberry for their antiviral properties and a teaspoon of raw honey for its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties," Dr. Fratellone says.
3. 'Gargle Away'
Another go-to for Dr. Fratellone is gargling with salt water, "which can help reduce the pain of a sore throat." Mix up 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of table salt in 4 to 8 ounces of water and gargle to help relieve swelling and irritation. Spit out the solution once you're done.
4. 'Pop Zinc Lozenges'
Dr. Fratellone also has a zinc lozenge every 6 hours, a practice thought to help decrease cold severity and duration by blocking the replication of rhinovirus — the virus to blame for many colds — according to a May 2017 study in JRSM Open.
Zinc helps the immune system fight off bacteria and viruses, and the coating zinc lozenges leave on the tongue and throat might be what makes it harder for the rhinovirus to move in on your mucous membranes (though more research needs to be done to determine the exact dosage and form of zinc to take — and for how long — before it can be considered an official cold remedy, according to the National Institutes of Health).
