9 ways to ward off colds and flu

Given that most of us have two or three colds a year, that's a lot of opportunities for serious illness. Luckily, there are many preventive strategies to ward off getting sick.

When you're deep under the covers with a box of tissues by your bedside, do you turn green with envy thinking of those people who never seem to get ill? Want to be one of them? While colds won't kill you, they can weaken your immune system, allowing other, more serious, germs to take hold.

• Don't open them all, and not for long, but do open one or two in the rooms where you spend the most time.
• This is particularly important if you live in a newer home, if fresh circulating air has been sacrificed to energy efficiency.
• A bit of fresh air will do wonders for chasing out germs.

• The dry air of an overheated home provides the perfect environment for cold viruses to thrive.
• And when your mucous membranes (of the nose, mouth and tonsils) dry out, they can't trap those germs very well.
• Lowering the temperature and using a room humidifier helps to maintain a healthier level of humidity in winter.

• These little tools measure humidity.
• You want the reading in your home to be around 50 per cent.
• A consistent measure higher than 60 per cent means mould and mildew may start to grow on your walls, fabrics and kitchen; lower than 40 per cent and the dry air makes you more susceptible to germs.

When 146 volunteers received either one garlic supplement a day or a placebo for 12 weeks between November and February, those taking the garlic were not only less likely to get a cold, but if they did catch one, their symptoms were less intense and they recovered faster.

• A study found that people who ate one cup of yogurt – whether live culture or pasteurized – had 25 per cent fewer colds than non-yogourt eaters.
• Start your yogurt eating in the summer to build up your immunity before the cold and flu season starts.

• Close your eyes and focus on one word.
• You're meditating, which is a proven way of reducing stress. And stress, studies find, increases your susceptibility to colds.
• In fact, stressed people have up to twice the number of colds as non-stressed people.

They're a great hiding place for all sorts of germs.

• Do it every three or four days during the cold and flu season.
• When you wash them, use hot water in order to kill the germs.

• Put your toothbrush in the microwave on high for 10 seconds to kill germs that can cause colds and other illnesses.
• Once you're finished brushing your teeth, your toothbrush is a breeding ground for germs.
• Sterilize it in the microwave before you use it or simply replace it every month when you change the page on your calendar and always after you've had a cold.