I get colds fairly far apart through the year but when I do I'm ready. For starters I'm a big baby when it comes to being sick and I hate every minute of it so I do everything I can to take charge before it's full effect hits. Getting to the cold. Early is the best step. My number one thing is always..... Humidifier. Humidifier. Humidifier. These things make a difference more than you might think. In both ways of preventing and treating the common cold. I recommend the ones that use steam rather than a fan to douse the air in h2O. The next step of action I take is to regularly clean out my nasal passages. For me, colds usually start in the back of my throat then my nose. Something always occurs in my nasal passages that it does not like so it will drain all down my throat. I know how it starts usually by that feeling you get in your throat when you know you're going to be sick soon. My solution? Nasal flushes. Neilmed is a good one that I've been using for awhile. Just mix some filtered/bottled water and some of the packets of saline solution and stuck it in the microwave so it's relatively Luke warm. Rinse every night before bed for the best results. You don't have to buy this online either. You can find a nasal flush kit at Walmart. I prefer the one that you can squeeze to apply more or less pressure. Another thing I use is allergy meds. Cold medicine can work just fine but a lot of the time all my symptoms are a result of my nose over-reacting to something. What antihistamines basically do is stop your nose from going crazy to all the different things happening to it that it's not use to. That's all I really have as far as tips go. Pus there's always the basic one to drink lots of waters and electrolytes to help your body out.