With cold and flu season in full swing, an MSU physician said bed rest and plenty of fluids aren't the only things that will protect people from viruses.

Edward Rosick, a physician of family and community medicine, said natural supplements such as vitamin C or echinacea could help strengthen immune systems and even shorten the length of an illness.

"The benefits for some of these supplements is there are not any prescriptions out there that shortens the duration of a cold," Rosick said.

"Some of the natural supplements can decrease that duration at times."

Rosick added that in addition to these treatments helping the patient get better, none appear to have negative side effects.

"One example might be if a person takes echinacea: It is not recommended that they take it over a long time because it could cause immune problems," Rosick said. "But when I mean 'long time,' that's like every day over the course of many months."

Some physicians don't believe the supplements are as helpful as others claim.

"The research done with each of these supplements is not real conclusive," said John Kermiet, a health educator at Olin Health Center. "It may have some benefit in preventing some of the severity of the flu or cold, but it really is not going to do much for either."

Kermiet said because there is no way to know what the exact effects are, there is no need to recommend them.

"I don't think it is that harmful, just not helpful," Kermiet said.

John Wycoff, a doctor of osteopathic medicine at Wycoff Wellness Center, is also a supporter of using natural treatments to handle a cold. He said in addition to plenty of rest and lots of fluids, supplements such as vitamin C or Thymus extract help with the symptoms.

"If you treat the cold or decide not to treat a cold, it will be gone in a week's time," Wycoff said. "These methods and treatments are just ways to get through that week a little easier or maybe even shorten that week."

Kermiet said Olin makes recommendations of which methods should be used, then hopes the student will go through with them.

"We'll suggest that they get plenty of sleep and drink a lot of fluids. The most important thing though that we feel a student can do is that they get as much rest as possible," Kermiet said.

Rosick said these methods are not used enough due to lack of research, but added he is hopeful they will be used more in the future.

"The problem with the lack of usage is that most don't have the scientific validity and studies are limited," Rosick said. "Certainly there are studies being done all the time, but most are coming out slow and are in need of funding, but I am hopeful that more of these methods are used in future."