I need a doctor...STAT!

[truth]

I like Zicam as well, but...do you like to smell?

[Ireallyliketoski2]

Wash your hands frequently and don't put your hands in your mouth, ears, nose or any unmentionable orafices. This will help prevent you from picking up other germs or viruses while your immune system is compromised fighting the current one.

[Endlessseason]

Zinc, Echinacea & Vitamin C.

Exactly! The clinical studies show the best results with all three. I don't have the time to look up the studies, but they're out there. The individual ingredients by themselves are not going to work much better than placebo. It's the combination that has been shown to shorten a cold or prevent it altogether.
Same deal with Zicam. That stuff is awesome if you take it as directed at the first sign of a cold. RTay turned me on to that a few years ago (he's one of the MD's who shows up on the forum once-in-a-while).

Kill that cold!

[Big E]

Totally agree w/ basom (!) on this one. Other stuff will help once you get a cold, but the goal should be to avoid them altogether. Shortly after my first knee surgery and associated extra time at the gym, I started getting a cold every 3 months or so. Out of dumb luck, I picked up a fitness magazine standing in line at the store, and there was an article saying that if you're active, work out a lot, etc., then a lot of your body's energy goes to repairing and building your muscles, often at the expense of your immune system. Various suggestions included taking a daily multi-vitamin, eating lots of fish w/ those omega-3's (like salmon), and some other stuff I've forgotten. I started taking a One-A-Day immediately after that, and in the 5 years since, I've had one cold. And that lasted all of 2 days.

[Tri-Ungulate]

Echinacea = maybe, not great evidence but some data. Also different preparations by different companies may give different results since there is no standardization.

Vitamin C = probably not, most data against any benefit.

Zinc = probably not, but inconclusive data and poorly designed studies.

If you're in a very early stage of the virus, and catch it early, a perscription from a doc for amantidine, rimantidine or oseltamavir may reduce symptoms by a day or so.