Can AI cure the common cold? Not quite - but it helped me recover faster.

It started with a tickle in my throat.

Friday morning. First sore throat of the year.

I was furious. I’d made it almost twelve months without a single cold (a personal record) and now my immune system had decided to clock off early.

But instead of sulking, I decided to experiment. What if I used AI to get over my cold faster?

I opened Consensus.app, which scans academic journals for actual research (not influencer opinions). I set it to Medical mode (searching ONLY medical journals) and typed in:

Seconds later, it spat out a neat summary of studies where the effect size was, at a minimum, 'moderate'.

I then asked it for recommended dosages, and it did the maths for me.

(Check out the screenshots below if you're curious!)

Next stop: Perplexity.ai. I asked it to find the highest-quality supplement brands available in Australia and where I could actually buy them nearby. Within minutes, I had a shopping list and local links.

A quick trip to the chemist later, I started my AI-prescribed regimen.

Result? I kicked my cold in five days (two days faster than the average recovery time).

Was it the supplements? The placebo effect? Or the fact that I felt smugly proactive instead of helpless? Probably a mix of all three.

But here’s the bigger point: AI isn’t just for work productivity hacks. It can help us become smarter, faster decision-makers in our personal lives too, even when we’re feeling sorry for ourselves under a doona.

P.S. I’m not a medical doctor (psychological, yes; stethoscope, no). This isn’t medical advice, just me nerding out with research and AI. Always chat to an actual GP before taking any new supplements.