The common cold is caused by viruses, which do not respond to antibiotics. There’s an old saying quote “treat a cold for two weeks and it will go away, and don’t treat a cold for two weeks and it will go away.” Colds typically go up and down the respiratory tract like an elevator, and stop at every floor, causing stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough, body aches, and even low-grade fever.