When you catch a virus, it first starts to grow in your sinuses and on your tongue. This is out of the reach of your white blood cells and bodys' immunity systems ability to fight it.
As it multiplies, you start to ingest it, and it enters your body in such numbers that initially your bodys' immune system can't effectively counter it. So you get sick.
To reduce the number of this viral multiplication happening in your mouth and nose, use baking soda.
This is one of the home remedies used to fight the Spanish Flu epidemic.
For the tongue, you will see that classic white coating indicating you are getting sick. Put some baking soda in a bowl and wet your toothbrush. Put the wet bristles into the baking soda and get as much as you can on it. Then quickly run it under water to make sure it is completely wet (but don't rinse it off your tooth brush). Next, brush the white film on your tongue as far back as you can tolerate. Leave it on your tongue for 5-10 seconds while you completely rinse your toothbrush. With a clean wet toothbrush, brush your tongue again. Then use clean water to wash the residue off your tongue. The white film should be gone now.
For the nose, I use a saline rinse and baking soda. Taking a clean q-tip and sticking it in clean, dry baking soda, then applying it to the inside of the nostrils as far a you can tolerate should work. Allow it to stand for around 10seconds then rinse with the saline solution. Finish with blowing your nose.
Both these strategies will reduce the volume of the virus cultures growing in these areas. This allows the bodys' immune system time enough to start producing the antibodies to fight that particular strain of the virus, without getting overwhelmed.
I totally agree with reducing the viral load but am unfamiliar with the baking soda thing. That would be much more agreeable than what has proven to work for me. I gargle with a strong alcohol mouthwash (40-50%) for a few seconds then start humming which brings it into the sinuses. Extremely unpleasant but works. 2x a day til noticeable improvement. Also with credit to post I’ve read here, Sometimes the infection originates in the ear (sometimes without symptoms like an earache) and spreads to the sinuses and throat. I have used over the counter 3% hydrogen peroxide diluted with equal volume water to fill the ear while laying on my side. I find this to be a shot in the dark but if you hear bacon frying you hit pay dirt.