### Human:\nwhat is this cold going around! i've been sick for over a week now and just lost my voice last night. any remedies? . it started with a scratchy throat runny nose plugged ears and cough. i have had it for over a week and now it has moved down i to my chest making it hard to breathe. it's a raspy feeling when i inhale and now i have lost my voice and sound like a bad squeak toy. help! any remedies to get through this\n\n### Assistant: there are over 200 known viruses that cause a cold and those cold symptoms and each person reacts differently. you can have more than one of those viruses at the same time. colds last a week and there are not remedies that have been scientifically proven to shorten that course. assuming you do not develop a secondary infection you should be feeling better soon. all of those cold medications are for controlling those annoying symptoms but they will not "cure" anything.