A cold begins when a virus attaches to the lining of your nose or throat.

Cold viruses have a lot in common, but each type has its own style, too.

It's a question that puzzles lots of folks when symptoms hit: Is all that coughing and sneezing from a cold or hay fever?

Is your child sneezing, coughing, and complaining about a sore throat? Find out how to keep those cold symptoms in check.

If you have an ongoing medical condition, getting a cold can make your health problems worse.

When you have asthma, any upper respiratory infection can affect your lungs, causing inflammation and airway narrowing.

If you have heart disease, take extra care to avoid catching a cold. It can sometimes lead to complications.

When you have AIDS, your body may find it hard to fight off colds. Make sure you do what you can to avoid catching one.

There's no cure for a cold, but lots of medicines can give you some relief from the coughing, sneezing, and stuffiness.

Are you all stuffed up and sneezing away because of a cold? Decongestants and antihistamines can help.

When you're all stuffed up from a cold, you can get fast relief from a nasal spray.

Got a cold and need something for a nagging cough? Some over-the-counter treatments may give you relief.

Some good choices for pain relief are acetaminophen or NSAIDs like aspirin, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and naproxen.

You've already tried OTC meds for your cold, and now it's time for something stronger. Can antibiotics do the trick?

Evidence indicates that children's cold medicines don't really help and may pose a small risk of side effects.

Don't let that nasty cold get the best of you. Take charge with simple do-it-yourself treatments.

Could an herbal remedy like echinacea save the day?

Despite its widespread use, experts say there's little proof that vitamin C actually has any effect on the common cold.

Zinc may lower the ability of cold viruses to grow on or bind to the lining of your nose.

A well-nourished immune system, your body's defense against germs, is better able to ward off infections.

If you're looking for a safe way to prevent colds, regular exercise may be the ticket.

If you want to craft a battle plan to prevent colds, just remember three simple words: Wash your hands!

Your lifestyle can affect how well your immune system can protect you from germs, viruses, and chronic illness.

Sickness spreads in many ways. You can breathe in germs when someone talks, coughs, or sneezes.

Take stock of your symptoms and see if they meet this commonsense standard for calling in sick.

A cold might be something more than that if you’ve been sniffly for over a week, or if your symptoms are getting worse.

When is it time to put down the chicken soup and get some advice from a pro?

It sounds and feels like a cold. But as time goes on, you start to wonder: Is it turning into a sinus infection?

Do you feel under the weather and wonder if you're sick with the flu or a cold?

A doctor can usually tell if you have the flu based on your symptoms, especially if it’s during peak season.

Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a viral infection spread from bird to bird. The most common kind is the H5N1 strain.

While swine flu isn't as scary as it seemed a few years ago, it's still important to protect yourself from getting it.

If you have a chronic condition, you need to protect yourself from all types of the flu, but especially the swine flu.

There are treatments that can help relieve common flu symptoms such as fever, aches, and cough, and may shorten flu duration.

The trick is not to get sick in the first place. Here are proven ways to avoid the flu.

While the normal flu shot you’d get is made from killed flu viruses, the spray is made from weakened live viruses.