COLD WAR

Winter sniffles are inevitable, but fighting the good fight may just get you through this flu season

Statistically, 2017 was the biggest year for catching colds in Australia since 2009.

So, how do you protect yourself from the flu?

Unfortunately, you can’t lock yourself away in your room, so here are a few ways to arm yourself against the dreaded bug.

The most common method of protection is taking the flu shot.

However, this popular injection can’t keep you safe from all strains of influenza due to its rapid mutation rate, but it will protect you from the common flu.

If you’re afraid of needles, then Vitamin C might be for you.

A group study showed that taking 200mg of Vitamin C per day reduces the risk and duration of flu symptoms by eight per cent (not much, but it might just be the edge you need).

Even garlic is capable of fighting the flu.

Garlic contains allicin and other compounds that are released when the garlic is chewed and these compounds have been shown to boost the flu-combating response of white blood cells in the body, helping fight it off.

However, the most efficient way of protecting yourself from flu is simply to wash your hands effectively as a good scrubbing will physically remove the viruses from your skin. The water doesn’t need to be hot or cold, just rubbing hard will do the trick and if soap and water is unavailable, using an alcohol-based sanitizer will suffice.

Washing your hands regularly is shown to reduce the chance of catching flu by 45 per cent, making it the most effective way to fight those winter woes (as well as the easiest).