Prevention Is Key
7. Get a flu shot every fall. The Centers for Disease Control recommends flu shots for anyone 50 years old or older, residents of long-term care facilities, people of any age who have chronic (慢性的) medical problems (heart or lung disease, asthma 哮喘, diabetes 糖尿病, etc.), pregnant women, and people whose immune systems have been weakened (by cancer, AIDS, or other causes). Also, people who work or live with a high-risk person should get a flu shot so they don't spread the flu. Of course, anyone who just wants to avoid the flu should also get one. Hate shots? Ask for the nasal spray vaccine (鼻部喷雾疫苗).
8. Stop blaming yourself when things go wrong at work. Believe it or not, blaming yourself makes you more likely to catch a cold! At least, that's what researchers found when they studied more than 200 workers over three months. Even those who had control over their work were more likely to begin sneezing (喷嚏) if they lacked confidence or tended to blame themselves when things went wrong. Researchers expect such attitudes make people more stressed on the job, and stress, as you know, can challenge your immune system.
9. Put a box of tissues wherever people sit. Come October, buy a 6- or 12-pack of tissue boxes and strategically place them around the house, your workplace, your car. Don't let aesthetics (美观，美学) thwart (阻挠) you. You need tissues widely available so that anyone who has to cough or sneeze or blow his nose will do so in the way least likely to spread germs.
10. Leave the windows in your house open a crack in winter. Not all of them, but one or two in the rooms in which you spend the most time. This is particularly important if you live in a newer home, where fresh circulating air has been the victim of energy efficiency. A bit of fresh air will do wonders for chasing out germs.
11. Lower the heat in your house 5 degrees. The dry air of an overheated home provides the perfect environment for cold viruses to thrive. And when your mucous membranes (粘膜) (i.e., nose, mouth, and tonsils 扁桃腺) dry out, they can't trap those germs very well. Lowering the temperature and using a room humidifier (增湿器) helps maintain a healthier level of humidity in the winter.
12. Speaking of which, buy a hygrometer (湿度计). These little tools measure humidity (湿度). You want your home to measure around 50 percent. A consistent measure higher than 60 percent means mold (真菌) and mildew (霉菌) may start to set in your walls, fabrics, and kitchen; lower than 40 percent and the dry air makes you more susceptible (易受影响的) to germs.
13. Sit in a sauna (桑拿) once a week. Why? Because an Austrian study published in 1990 found that volunteers who frequently used a sauna had half the rate of colds during the six-month study period than those who didn't use a sauna at all. It's possible that the hot air you inhale (吸入) kills cold viruses. Most gyms have saunas these days.
14. Inhale air from your blow-dryer (吹风机). (暂停编辑，拿起吹风机吹了5分钟。) It sounds nuts, we know. But one study conducted at Harvard Hospital in England found that people who breathed heated air had half the cold symptoms (症状) of people who inhaled air at room temperature. Set the dryer on warm, not hot, and hold it at least 18 inches from your face. Breathe in the air through your nose for as long as you can -- 20 minutes is best.
15. Take a garlic (大蒜) supplement every day. When 146 volunteers received either one garlic supplement a day or a placebo (安慰剂) 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.