Holistic ways to fight off a summer cold?

Several: Drink lots of liquids, including some fruit juices, get rest rather than pushing your system too hard, giving it time to recover. Meditation may be of value in dealing with the discomfort. For congestion dissolve salt and bicarbonate (sodium bicarbonate) in distilled water and use a netti-pot to irrigate the sinuses. Sometimes a warm drink is soothing. Try warm milk, or if you can tolerate it, an herbal tea.

Ear Acupuncture: I just treated my first common cold with auricular acupuncture . The patient came for acupuncture treatment of ptsd & insomnia. Thought i would just give it a try - didn't expect much. The patient and i were very pleased to see a moderate improvement by tossing in a few ear points.