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" If Sudafed has been your drug of choice for a stuffed-up nose, you&amp;#039;ll find it harder to get these days. Federal law now requires that the decongestant (and other products containing pseudoephedrine, the active ingredient) be stocked behind the counter. You have to ask for it and sign a log; in Oregon, you need a prescription. The reason: to prevent pseudoephedrine from getting into the hands of criminals who use it to make the street drug meth (methamphetamine). Other formulations, such as Sudafed PE and Tylenol Sinus Congestion &amp;amp;amp; Pain, use a substitute ingredient \u2014 phenylephrine \u2014 and can be sold on open shelves. But they may not help as much, say many experts. Studies show that phenylephrine has no effect on nasal congestion, says Miles Weinberger, M.D., a pediatric pulmonary and allergy specialist at the University of Iowa. (The manufacturers of these products, however, stand by their effectiveness.) To relieve cold misery this season:  \u2022 Treat symptoms quickly. It&amp;#039;s a myth that suppressing cold symptoms makes the infection last longer, says Jack Gwaltney, M.D., a prominent cold researcher from the University of Virginia. His recommendation: At the first sign of a cold, take an antihistamine \u2014 the old-fashioned, sedating kind like clemastine (brand name: Tavist) or chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton) \u2014 plus an anti-inflammatory painkiller (ibuprofen or naproxen). Repeat the combo every 12 hours until your symptoms go away. &amp;quot;The antihistamine blocks sneezing and reduces nasal discharge,&amp;quot; says Dr. Gwaltney; the anti-inflammatory relieves your sore throat, headache, and cough. \u2022 Sip your favorite hot liquid. It doesn&amp;#039;t have to be chicken soup. Spicy or acidic choices (think hot-and-sour soup or tea with lemon) relieve coughing by promoting salivation and mucus secretion, both of which help calm tickling, says Ronald Eccles, Ph.D., director of the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University in Wales. Even better, to stay cold-free:  \u2022 Bundle up. Experts had pooh-poohed the idea for years, but in a recent British study, participants who were exposed to low temperatures (they kept their feet in cool water for 20 minutes) were twice as likely to come down with the sniffles as subjects who stayed warm and dry. \u2022 Wash...often. Only 32 percent of adults always clean their hands after coughing or sneezing, according to a Harris Interactive survey. That means cold sufferers are likely to contaminate your fingers when they shake your hand or pass you something. &amp;quot;You don&amp;#039;t have to wash every hour,&amp;quot; says Judy Daly, Ph.D., a microbiologist at the University of Utah School of Medicine. But do wash up after you&amp;#039;ve been around a lot of people. \u2022 Carry your own pen. A pen you pick up at the bank or checkout counter is &amp;quot;a great little vector for germs,&amp;quot; says Daly. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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