Nasal steroid spray such as Flonase (fluticasone) along with nasal irrigation such as neti pot helps thin mucus and flush out the congestion. This can be done with a mix of distilled water and salt. Using honey in warm water can help soothe sore, scratchy throats and suppress cold symptoms...
Basically, this "research," firstreported in an abstract at IMFARback in 2008, is crap science through and through. It suffers from so many methodological flaws that I still marvel that it managed to get through any sort of peer review, much less IACUC review, and its lead investigator has...