Researchers Find What Stops Sniffles After Common Colds

"During cold season, the slimy snot filling your nostrils can make you feel like a mucus pump."
This opening sentence of the article grabbed my attention; a 'mucus pump' is exactly how I felt for two weeks during the Christmas break while fighting a virus. I never want to feel that bad for that long again! And luckily, scientists may be on their way to conquering the annoyance of the perpetual runny nose during colds.
The article states that scientists at John Hopkins University have discovered the protein that ends the plague of the runny nose at the end of a cold. The protein, carabin, is responsible for signaling the end of the immune response to a foreign invader or virus. The runny nose associated with a cold is the body's efforts to expel viral particles that have been attacked by the white blood cells. If the increase in mucus and white blood cell attack were to continue after the virus has been taken care of, healthy cells could be damaged. Carabin tells the body when it's time to stop producing extra mucus and return to normal conditions. My 'mucus pump' days are over for now, and I hope science can use this new discovery to end runny noses for good!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,244663,00.html