Experts say that it's hard to come up with an effective drug or vaccine that would have to work against all of the 200 or more viruses that cause them. However, scientists have been able to zero in on the most effective ways to relieve symptoms. They've also come up with newer and better methods for reducing the odds catching one of these irksome bugs this season.

      Just yesterday you were well and kicking hard. The next morning upon getting up from bed your throat is scratchy, your eyes are watery, and your head is stuffed up. So, what's the matter, oh dear? Such feelings can mean only one thing. You're bound to live in misery, for a week or so, from the common cold.

      Here are some of the latest scientific remedies that you need to ease away the discomforts and win the war against colds.

1. Keep distance from coughers and sneezers --- You have to keep yourself at least three feet away from coughers and sneezers. That's how far airborne cold particles from a short range cough or sneeze can travel. If one of these droplets finds its way into your eyes or nose, you could wake up sick a few days later. Just in case you're in an enclosed room like elevators and you have no way of avoiding coughers and sneezers, take cover by turning your back toward him or her if it is possible. If this is quite impossible to do, close your eyes and cover your nose with a hanky.
2. Avoid closed-in spaces --- Buildings with poor ventilation are a high-risk environment, because cold viruses can not escape. What's worse, low humidity dries out the mucous membranes that would trap viral invaders and dispose of them. The remedy is to drink a glass of water every two hours and frequently wetting your nostrils with an over the counter salt water nasal spray.
3. Make the habit of always washing your hands --- According to medical experts, majority of colds are transmitted through indirect physical contact. Cold germs can survive up to three hours on inanimate objects or objects that don't have life. Many colds are transmitted through indirect physical contact. For example, when a sick person who transfers her cold germs from her nose to her hands. When these are touched by another person and then rub her nose or eyes, then he or she can get infected. This is the reason why hand washing is the best thing you can do to avoid catching cold. So wash your hands every opportunity you can have especially when you've come in contact with a sick person, or wiped your baby sister's nose, or discarded someone else's used tissues, or touched a surface that a sick person might have handled.
4. Avoid rubbing your eyes and nose to much --- You should not touch your eyes or nose, but if you must, use a knuckle instead of your fingertip. It is less likely to be teeming with germs.
5. Eat the right amount and the right kind of food --- You need to provide your body with optimum amounts of all of the nutrients in order to keep your immune system humming. The only way you can achieve this is to eat a well-balanced diet that includes at least a serving of fruits and vegetables everyday.
6. Drink plenty of fluids --- You don't need an expert to tell you that drinking a lot of fluids everyday wash away germs from your body and shove aside dehydration that often accompany colds and flu. Breathing with your mouth, blowing your nose, and taking cold medications are all sure ways of losing fluids. To compensate for this liquid loss, drink at least eight glasses of water or fruit juice especially when you're sick.
7. Keep your germ to yourself --- Do you know why a common cold is named so? Because it is very common. So if you want a common cold not very common then try to be extra vigilant when you're sick with it. Wash your hands and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze so you don't spread millions of virus particles flying into the air. Teach your siblings and friends to do the same. It's one way of making common cold not so common.
8. Let your Mom brings you to the doctor --- If you think that you have more than the common cold like flu, ask your Mom to bring you to a doctor at once. He's the right person to tell what medication to take.