Why can't they come up with a cure for the common cold?

[terrya]

Seriously. What's the deal here? Yes, there are other more serious illnesses out there to be treated. I know that.

But why can't they come up with a cure for the simple cold? Just sort of puzzling to me.

TIA
T

[ET Awful]

1. Well, mainly because the common cold isn't that common

It morphs and mutates. Each cold you get, while the symptoms are the same, the infection causing them is different, so no one treatement would successfully cure all "common" colds.

[MrScorpio]

2. Because adaptive viruses are some of the most

difficult things to kill in all of existence.

Like once you get a hang of it, it changes.

There is no one kind of cold, there are literally billions. Each cold virus that one takes in is minutely different from the last infection.

The body fights and (hopefully) defeats that particular virus and under normal circumstances, is now immune to it.

The next time one gets a cold, it's from a different virus and the cycle of infection and recovery starts all over again.

The virus you catch was hopefully beaten by another's immune system.

So when it comes to colds, there is no such thing as a common one.

[nytemare]

3. Try Zicam, most times I start to get a cold/scratcy throat

It wipes it out after the first use. I think it is just a high concentration of zinc. The stuff works for me!

[Mend]

4. Evolution....

I know, I know, it's just a theory that organisms adapt for survival. Maybe God wants you to sneeze....part of intelligent design.

[tavalon]

5. Because there is no "the"

substitute "thousands of" and change the tense of cold and you'll understand.

[Dogmudgeon]

6. Most of them are "packed too tight"

Nothing can get into the "cracks" between the protein molecules that coat the things.

That's one of the explanations, anyway. If it was simple, we might have learned how to cure it already!

--p!

[calico1]

7. Because they would have to come up with

a cure for each and every variation of a cold anyone can get. Too many variations.

[LynneSin]

8. You don't know how powerful the Cold Medicine Lobbyist group is

:shrug:

[Steel City Slim]

9. There's Too Much Money To Be Made....

....selling over the counter remedies.

[wideopen]

10. MONEY!

Sad to say, but the reason we haven't cured the common cold, cancer, diabetes and a lot of other things. To much money to be made treating them.