To avoid colds and flu's you must understand your enemy and know its weaknesses, and how to avoid its attacks. The other 
line of defense is to maintain a strong immune system and not do anything to undermine it.  

Colds and flu's are caused by viruses. They tend to enter our bodies through our noses and eyes. Usually we infect ourselves 
by placing our own virus contaminated hands in our eyes or up to our nose. Less frequently, we can catch them from airborne 
sources. We will discuss how to best avoid both sources.  

Infectious disease is currently one of the top five causes of death in the United States. 80% of all infectious disease could be 
eliminated by more frequent and proper washing of the hands with soap and water. This is also the first line of defense against 
colds and flu's. The first rule to avoiding infection is: Never put your hands in your eyes or to your nose without washing 
them first. The eyes are especially important as we often rub our eyes, or flick out the "sand" from our tear ducts, without 
thinking about it. This nearly automatic response can get us into real trouble. A good way of avoiding this is to rub and wash the goop out of our eyes each time we wash our hands. Out of consideration for others, you should also wash your hands 
immediately after putting them in your eyes or up to your nose. If everyone did both of these things, colds and flu's would be 
uncommon in our society.  

As regards the airborne risks: you should make a habit of keeping your nasal passages clear and of breathing through your nostrils. Your nose is designed to filter out airborne dust and germs. In his book The Nature Doctor,   Dr. H. C. A. Vogel 
writes:  

     The nose is designed in such a way that the mucous membranes keep dust and bacteria from entering the body, 
     provided, of course, that we breathe in and out through the nose and that it is not blocked. It is true that we can 
     also breathe through the mouth rather than the nose, but this will make us lose the benefit of the built-in screening 
     device, exposing us to a higher risk of catching colds and infections. Mouth-breathing poses a definite threat to the 
     throat, the bronchial passages and the lungs.  

You can give your nostrils a little help by administering garlic nose drops. In his book The Healing Power of Garlic   Paul Bergner writes: "Garlic nose drops directly kill the viruses that cause cold or flu." He also writes about a study with mice where some were inoculated with garlic, and some were not. The flu virus was introduced to the nasal passages of each mouse. Those mice that received the garlic remained healthy, where all the others got sick. To make nose drops, Bergner instructs us to crush some garlic to obtain juice, and add ten parts water and mix well. In addition to the nose drops, eating raw garlic is also helpful. Note: deodorized garlic tablets are not useful in fighting viral or bacterial infections.  

It is important to keep your feet warm. Yes, your mother has told you this time and time again, but you thought this was just an old wives' tale. After all, colds and flu's are caused by viruses, right? Well, most folklore has its basis in fact. Cold feet 
cannot cause   a viral infection, but they can undermine your defenses thereby opening the door to them. Interestingly, there is a connection between your feet, your nasal passages, and therefore the likelihood of getting sick. Dr. Vogel, once again in The 
Nature Doctor,   writes:  

     The nose walls (conchae) react to cold feet. When the feet are cold the walls contract, become cold and dry and 
     cause the glands to stop functioning, so that dust and bacteria are no longer filtered out. It is easy to see why a 
     cold will almost inevitably result, followed by catarrh or a runny nose. You can now understand why it is important 
     to avoid getting cold feet and inhaling bacteria by breathing through the mouth. If the mucous membranes are 
     functioning properly they are able to destroy all cold germs entering through the nose. It is therefore a necessary 
     requirement for good health to cultivate the habit of breathing through the nose at all times.  

At first, Dr. Vogel's statements may appear to contradict the advice of keeping your hands away from your nose, but it does 
not. You are much more likely to catch a cold from putting virus laden hands to your nose (or eyes) than from breathing the 
same air as a person who has a cold or flu. This is in part due to the fact that you are likely to be introducing far more viruses to your body through your hands. Nonetheless, there is a risk from breathing air and that risk can be mediated by applying Dr. 
Vogel's advice. It is also valuable to make a habit of breathing deeply most of the time. Very often, we get into the habit of 
shallow breathing. There are a number of things bad about this, but as far as this discussion is concerned, it has to do with 
expelling old, stale air completely out of the lungs and replacing it with fresh air. Obviously, there are times when more shallow 
breathing might be in order (say perhaps while one in a crowded elevator where the air may be sickly). Most of the time, 
however, it is best to more completely replenish the air in the lungs and not allow stale air to remain for long periods.  

Also, keep an eye on the humidity of your environment. Artificial heating tends to be very drying, so you may consider 
buying a humidifier for home to keep your air moist enough that it doesn't dry out or dehydrate your sinuses. Likewise, an air 
filter in an indoors environment, especially a HEPA type filter, can help remove airborne dust and germs. Negative ions have a 
demonstrated air cleansing and germicidal effect. Some filters incorporate negative ion generators. Negative ions also make the air smell fresh (it's the same smell as after a refreshing thunderstorm). An unfortunate side effect of negative ion generators is 
that they will tend to blacken a nearby wall. This is because the negative ions attach themselves to airborne germs (killing them) or to dust particles in the air, and pull them toward the positively charged wall.  

If someone in your household takes ill, it is wise to put up a second hand towel in the bathroom for the healthy folks to use. In theory, after washing, the sick person's hands are just as clean as the healthy people and sharing a hand towel shouldn't be a problem, but this extra precaution costs nothing and just may keep a loved one from getting sick. Remember, sick people aren't feeling well and might not be as diligent as they should about lathering up properly. Try to keep them out of the kitchen, and consider things like door knobs and light switches to be infected.  

Be very careful after handling money. Money passes from hand to hand, person to person, frequently. You can bet that the money in your wallet has plenty of germs any time of the year. During cold and flu season, money is a potential source of 
infection. Credit cards and checks are less of a problem, unless the clerk to whom you hand your credit card or check cashing ID is sick. Beware of any pens at the counter -- like money, they've been in quite a few different hands lately. Get in the habit 
of carrying and using your own pen for signing credit card vouchers and writing checks. ATM keypads and public telephones 
fall into the same category as pens and money; consider them potential sources of infection.  

Clerks at your local grocery store are another potential source of infection. Since they handle money during cold and 
flu season, they are very likely to get sick during that time of year (especially if they rub their eyes without washing their hands after handling money). Since the clerk handles every item you're buying, your first line of defense is to try to pick a healthy 
cashier. This can be difficult if the clerk is using medication which suppresses cold or flu symtoms. Watch and listen for signs of illness and change lines if necessary.  

Avoid hospitals and doctor's offices. If you can't avoid them, be extra cautious in these environments. Sick people 
congregate in these places, so you can expect the air, door knobs, elevator buttons, hand rails, etc. to be infested with 
infectious agents of all kinds.  

Avoid flying on commercial airlines. Several investigations have implicated the air recirculation systems aboard modern jets with the spread of infectious diseases. The problem isn't limited to just colds and flu either. Virtually any airborne disease is a problem, and drug resistant strains of Tuberculosis have spread this way. When you do fly, remember to keep your hands 
away from your nose and eyes, breathe through your nostrils not your mouth, and do everything to enhance your immune 
system a few days before and after the flight, including increasing your vitamin intake (a full spectrum multi-vitamin), increase 
your vitamin C intake, eat raw garlic, and abstain from alcohol.  
 

Okay, if you couldn't elude the flu or a cold, what to do? You've heard the drill before: First, get plenty of rest. Drink lots of 
fluids. Don't exert yourself. Stay home from work or school. You will not be productive there, you'll prolong your illness, and you'll unnecessarily expose others. Be considerate to everyone: stay at home, get plenty of bed rest, read a good book, and wash your hands frequently to avoid spreading it to others.  

Drink lots of water, natural fruit juices, or vegetable juices. Avoid soft drinks, alcohol, coffee and caffeine. You should try to drink at least eight 8oz glasses of non-chlorinated water (at least 64oz of water) daily. Try to drink continuously 
throughout the day. Water is essential to help your body fight illness; your immune system cannot function properly without 
adequate quantities of water. Many soft drinks act as diuretics which will actually deplete your body of water. Others contain 
caffeine or sugar, which can undermine your body's immune system. Alcohol will both depress the immune system and 
dehydrate you. It will prolong your illness. If you are having trouble drinking enough water, perhaps due to a sore throat, try 
adding some lemon juice, natural fruit juice, warming it a bit, or making a naturally non-caffeinated herbal tea. You might also 
consider making some hot lemonade from fresh lemons, or hot grapefruit juice. If you feel the need to sweeten it, use grapefruit juice, honey, or grape juice -- never refined sugar.  

Let your appetite be your guide. Do not force yourself to eat unless you are hungry. If you are hungry, soup is often a good 
choice. It will help warm you as well as provide nourishment. If you are not hungry, consider drinking natural fruit or vegetable 
juices for nourishment. Ice cream is best avoided due to its sugar content and cooling effect. A fruit sherbert or sorbet, while 
not ideal, would be a better choice. So you have a sore throat and you ate the ice cream, sherbert, or sorbet anyhow. Follow it 
with a hot beverage to warm you back up.  

Increase your intake of vitamin C. The "Recommended Daily Allowance" (RDA) is far too low. A healthy person should 
consume at least 3000-5000 mg's (3 to 5 grams) of vitamin C daily. For a sick person, the amount increases. I intend to write a paper about vitamin C intake, but for now the "bowel intolerance test" is a good measure: Vitamin C, taken in sufficiently large 
doses, loosens the bowels. Take it up to that amount, then back off slightly (assuming your bowels aren't loose due to the flu, of course). Linus Pauling personally took 18 grams of vitamin C daily, and suggested a minimum of 12 grams for the average 
person. In my experience, that is too much for the average person to take immediately. As with anything, it's often best to ease into a regime. I suggest using vitamin C powder or crystals mixed in your daily drinking water. Do not make it so strong that you don't like the taste. This ensures that the vitamin C will be easily absorbed by your body throughout the day, and helps to keep you from shocking your body with too much all at once.  

Keep warm. Do not neglect your feet; keep them warm too. Put on extra socks, maybe wool socks, wrap them in a blanket, 
whatever it takes. If you are cold or chilled, drink hot herbal tea or some other hot non-caffeinated beverage. Nothing is quite 
as warming as drinking a hot beverage. You need to be drinking lots of fluids anyhow.  

Take zinc. Zinc lozenges, dissolved in the back of the mouth and allowed to flow down the back of your throat has been 
known to stop a cold dead in its tracks in certain individuals. It is thought to shorten the duration in other individuals. This must be done at the first signs of a cold!  

Eat raw garlic. Garlic has antiviral properties and boosts the immune system in general. Garlic tablets are ineffective in this 
regard. Cooked garlic is likely to lose it's antiviral properties.  

If you have a sore throat, gargle with lukewarm salt water. This will sooth your throat and help promote healing. Make the water as salty as you can tollerate, without making it more salty than is comfortable.  

Make sure your environment is not too dry. Adequate moisture in the air is important.  

Brush your teeth with a combination of salt and baking soda -- or use a tooth powder containing these ingredients. This 
will not irritate a sore throat and will make your mouth feel clean for a while. Also pour a little hydrogen peroxide on your 
toothbrush before you brush and again as you put it away (actually, disinfecting your toothbrush like this is good to do from 
time to time even when you're healthy).  

Crushed eucalyptus leaves or oil and water in a potpourri pot, or eucalyptus oil in a vaporizer, often makes the sinuses feel better.