How to Cure the Common Cold in 24 Hours

There may not be a "cure" for the common cold persay, but there is an effective way to get rid of it. The key is Vitamin C. And I'm not talking about drinking orange juice. The truth is that the average cup of OJ has only about 60 mg of Vitamin C, which isn't nearly enough to combat a cold. On top of that, OJ is loaded with sugar, which actually creates a more friendly environment for your cold to fester in.

Instead, get yourself some Emergen-C powdered drink mix, available at virtually any supermarket, pharmacy, Target, Walmart, etc. in fact, I suggest you keep a box of Emergen-C on hand at all times to start fighting a cold as soon as it comes on.

Each packet of Emergen-C contains 1,000 mg of Vitamin C, which is the amount you should ingest per hour when you are sick. Don't worry about overdosing on Vitamin C, as it's water-soluble, which means your body will excrete the excess it doesn't need through your urine.

At the first sign of a cold, ingest some combination of zinc, garlic and echinacea tablets, at least one of the three, and all of the three if you choose. They are all effective at strengthening the immune system.

Then, drink a glass of water with Emergen-C in it once every hour, for the entire day; I suggest you use the amount of water that would fill up half the standard-sized bottle of water.

Not only will ingesting water with Emergen-C dissolved in it keep your tissues saturated, which is very important when you are sick, but it will give your body the Vitamin C it needs to fight off illness in the proper quantity -- 1,000 mg per hour. Forget about a glass of juice, which doesn't have nearly enough Vitamin C in it, or tablets, which also don't have enough Vitamin C and take too long to absorb.

Emergen-C, because it dissolves into liquid form, permeates right into your tissues and delivers the necessary quanity of Vitamin C to conquer your cold.

In terms of food, it's pretty typical not to have much of an appetite when you have a cold, but it's still important to get some nutrition. If nothing else, eat Vitamin C-rich fruit such as oranges and strawberries. While these don't have huge amounts of Vitamin C, they will be an addition to what you've already supplied through Emergen-C in more natural form than juice.

Of course, a good night's rest is extremely important to fighting off a cold, and it will be much easier to obtain when you're actually able to breathe and not alternately experiencing heatwaves and chills. So remember: For every hour you're awake, drink a half-bottle of water with Emergen-C dissolved in it. Add to that some zinc, garlic and/or echinacea at the outset and a good night's rest to cap it all off, and your cold should be zapped within 24 hours!