Though many swear by alternative methods to shorten the duration of colds, doctor after doctor says that "nothing but time can cure the common cold," as this NY Times article reiterates. And while it appears to be true that there's not much choice but to wait it out, there are things that can alleviate symptoms, such as gargling with salt water.

According to Dr. Philip T. Hagen, editor in chief of the “Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies,” a saline solution helps ease cold symptoms by drawing excess fluid from inflamed tissues in the throat, thereby making it hurt less; loosens thick mucus; and removing irritants like allergens, bacteria, and fungi from the throat. The idea is corroborated by study data in which individuals who gargled experienced a 40 percent decrease in upper respiratory infections compared with the control group who did not gargle.

Saline solutions, dispensed in various ways, seem to really be the friend of allergy sufferers. Used in nasal rinses administered through either neti pots or other nasal irrigation systems, saline helps treat sinus problems and prevent infections. And since gargling with salt water helps remove allergens from the throat as well, we'd say to keep that container of salt handy in more places that just the dinner table.

Image courtesy of WebMD.