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Skip the OTC cough medicine

Good old honey works just as well (and tastes better!), says Harley Rotbart, MD, professor and vice chairman of pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Have one to two tablespoons straight from the jar or stirred into tea. And forget zinc lozenges and sprays: There’s just not conclusive proof that they work, Dr. Rotbart notes.

Next: Over the next six hours