Few things are as commonplace as getting a cold. Additionally, there appear to be nearly as many home cures to fight it as there are viruses that cause it, which number about 200. But are any of them effective?
The fundamental premise of any home treatment is that it strengthens our immune system. The adaptive immune system targets particular infections that the body has already come into contact with, while the innate immune system attempts to eliminate invasive cells when a virus infiltrates our bodies. When the latter comes into contact with new pathogens, it also produces memory cells, which enables the body to combat them should they reappear. Because of this, we typically only catch chickenpox once.
