People have tried hundreds of ways to cure the common cold, mostly without success. Fortunately, today we have more effective ways to relieve symptoms, remedies that have actually been proven effective by scientists in labs. But why wait until you need the remedies?Here are tried-and-true tips to keep you healthy.

1 Don't Pick Your Nose.

Keep your paws out of your nose. Don't rub your eyes, either. Cold virus germs, which can live for several hours on your hands, enter your body through your nose and eyes. "Washing your hands often during cold season and keeping your fingers away from your eyes and nose are the best ways to avoid catching a cold," says Dr.James Hubbard. And when someone sneezes, think of it as a cloud of poisonous smoke. Get away from it and hold your breath so those droplets of clod virus don't get inside you.

If that doesn't work and you still catch a cold, here are some simple ways to relieve symptoms and get well faster.

2 Get Enough Sleep.

"Sleep certainly affects the immune system," says Richard Shane, Ph.D., a sleep specialist. In experiments, scientists have compared blood samples taken from healthy people after a good night's sleep. The tests showed people who didn't sleep at all had lower immunity, says Dr.Shane. When you sleep, your body produces human growth hormone (HgH), which not only builds muscle, but also stimulates your bone marrow, where immune cells are created.

3 Eat a Big Breakfast.

A study in the Netherlands found that people who ate a big breakfast had higher antiviral cells by 450 percent compared with people who ate very little or not at all. So eat something that is high in fiber and full of vitamins with 1-percent milk, eat an orange (toss those peels) and grape jelly and maybe a yogurt sommthie if you're still hungry. Wash it all down with one or two cups of green tea. Laboratory studies have identified a compound in green tea that might keep viruses from multiplying.

4 Drinking Orange Juice at the First Sign of a Cold.

Research at Arizona State University suggests that getting lots of vitamin C may lessen the time you have a cold by one to two days. You can get vitamin C naturally through these excellent food sources: oranges, berries, green and red peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach and kiwo-fruit, which actually has more vitamin C in it than an orange.

5 Go for a Bike Ride.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, exercising when you have a cold does not make the cold worse. Exercise has been shown to boost the immune system.

6 Play a Game.

Playing video games can be healthy. That is, exposing yourself to short periods of video games can stimulate your immune system, says Jos. A. Bosch, Ph.D. Long-term stress, like being bullied at school or worrying about the upcoming exams, can actually lower your immunity, according to Dr.Bosch.

7 Suck Eggs.

Just kidding. Sort of. Eggs are rich in the mineral zinc, which plays an important role in keeping your immunity strong by generating white blood cells. So eat more eggs. Some doctors believe zinc gluconate fights colds by stopping the cold virus from attaching to your cells.

8 Drink Lots of Fluids.

Fluids wash the virus out of your body. How to tell if you're drinking enough? Your pee will be clear. If it's yellowish, drink more. (Water expecially.)

9 Eat Chicken Soup.

A common cure used by many western grandmothers for centuries actually works. In 2000, Stephen Rennard, M.D. studied chicken soup for its medicinal properties and found that it has a mild anti-inflammatory effect and does make sick people feel better.

人们尝试过几百种治疗普通感冒的方法，但大多不成功。幸运的是，如今我们有了减轻症状更为有效的办法及科学家们通过实验证明有效的药物疗法。但何必等到需用药物治疗的那一天呢？下面是一些经过实践检验切实可行的健康良方。

1.不要抠鼻子

不要用手指挖鼻孔，也不要揉眼睛。感冒病菌可在你的手上存活数小时，它们通过鼻子和眼睛进入你的身体。“预防感冒的最佳办法是冷天常洗手，让你的手指远离你的眼睛和鼻子，”詹姆士·哈伯德医生说。有人打喷嚏时，视之为一团有毒的烟雾，屏住呼吸赶紧离开，以免感冒病毒进入你的体内。

如果这招不奏效，你还是感冒了，下面就介绍一些可以缓解症状、迅速康复的简单方法。

2.保证充足的睡眠

“睡眠对免疫系统肯定有影响，”研究睡眠的专家理查德·谢恩博士说。科学家做过这样的实验：他们从健康人身上提取两组血样进行比较，一组为睡眠充足后的血样，另一组为睡眠不足后的血样。结果显示不睡觉的人身体免疫力低下，谢恩博士说。当你睡觉的时候，身体会产生一种人体生长激素（HgH），它不仅促进肌肉生长，还刺激你的骨髓，而免疫细胞正是在这里产生的。

3.饱食一顿早餐

荷兰的一项研究发现，饱食一顿早餐的人与那些早餐吃得很少或根本不吃的人相比，其天然抗病毒的细胞提高了450%。因此要吃一些富含纤维和维生素的食物、喝低脂牛奶，假如仍感到饿的话，吃一个橙子（去皮）、一个葡萄果冻，也许再来一杯酸奶果汁。然后喝1至2杯绿茶把所有食物吞下去。实验室研究证实绿茶含有一种可抑制病毒繁殖的化合物。

4.一有感冒迹象就喝橙汁

亚利桑那州立大学的研究显示，服用大量维生素C可以使患感冒的时间缩短1到2天。你可以从这些极好的食物中摄取天然的维生素C：柑橘、浆果、青椒、红辣椒、西红柿、甘蓝、菠菜和猕猴桃，猕猴桃其实比柑橘含有更丰富的维生素C。

5.骑自行车锻炼

根据美国运动医学学院的研究，患感冒时进行锻炼不会使病情加重。事实证明：锻炼可以增强身体的免疫系统。

6.玩游戏

玩电子游戏也许对健康有利！这里的意思是，让自己短时间玩电子游戏可以刺激你的免疫系统，约书亚·A·博施博士说。在他看来，长时间的压力，如在学校被人欺负或者担心即将到来的考试等，确实会降低你的免疫力。

7.吮吸生鸡蛋

开个玩笑，说得夸张一点。鸡蛋里富含矿物质锌，而锌能够生成白细胞，因而在让你保持强大免疫力方面发挥着重要作用，因此要多吃鸡蛋。有些医生认为葡萄糖酸锌可以阻止病毒进入你的身体，从而预防了感冒。

8.多喝流质

流质可以冲走你体内的毒素。如何判断是否喝得够量？看你的小便是否清澈。如果小便略带黄色，表明你喝得不够，再多喝一点。（特别是水。）

9.喝鸡汤

这个老祖母们沿用了几个世纪的普通感冒药方确实有效。2000年，医学博士斯蒂芬·雷纳德研究了鸡汤的药用特性，发现它具有适度的消炎作用，的确能让病人感觉舒服一些。