How Come We Can't Cure The Cold?

Doctors can treat much of what ails you, but the most common ailment of all still stumps them

By this point, nobody needs a refresher course on the symptoms of the common cold. With just one more month left in peak cold season, most folks have already suffered their share of scratchy throats, runny noses, raucous sneezes and nagging headaches. If only the changing weather meant you were out of harm's way. Alas, colds are caused by hundreds of different viruses from several major viral families. Spring turns out to be prime time--along with summer and fall--for the so-called rhinoviruses, culprits in as many as 35% of all colds. There's just no time of year when some type of...

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