About Colds
A cold is an upper respiratory infection caused by a virus. There are at least 200 different cold viruses, the most common one being the rhinovirus ("nose virus"). Symptoms of a cold usually include a runny nose, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, muscle aches, headaches, low-grade fever, and congestion of the ears, nose, and head. Colds usually last for a few days, but symptoms can persist for weeks.
A perceptive physician once said, "If you treat cold symptoms vigorously, they will go away in seven days. If left alone, they will disappear over the course of a week."...