Ever since we were young, we have been hearing rumors and wives’ tales about how to cure a cold. Everything from hot tea and whisky to ginger root have been said to hold the secret to ending your distress. Unfortunately, there still is not reliable cure for the common cold. Treating the symptoms is about as all you can do. The only thing better is prevention. The common cold is spread through th air and by physical contact. It is a virus, so the stories about not staying dry in the cold, or wearing too little clothing in winter do not actually have any effect on this minor respiratory infection, though other complications can arise due to overexposure to the elements.

The number one way of passing the cold virus is through contact with another person who has a cold. Short of locking yourself into quarantine, contact with other people is often inevitable. Here are some tips that you can follow to help reduce the chances of you leaving your social meetings with an unwanted virus guest.

Contrary to popular belief, do not cover your mouth with your hand if you cough, and inform your friends to avoid the same. Putting the body part you use to handle everything in front of a communicable stream of infected body fluid leaving the body is not the wisest thing to do if you wish to control its spread. Instead use a disposable tissue, and do not save them in your pockets after use, but throw them away immediately.

Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. Cleanliness is the number one way to avoid infection. Not only wash your hands, but make sure to clean anything that a person known to have the cold comes into contact with.

Avoid dirty habits such as smoking, and eat right. Smoking lowers the immune response in the body as well as allowing you to ingest hundreds of toxins at will. Non smokers are less likely to become infected by the cold than smokers, and the chances of other respiratory infections and problems are highest in the smoking population.

Drink water. Flushing your system of impurities on a natural level is best done with good old H2O, and lots of it. Dehydration has negative effects on immune response as well as leaving you with a feeling of lethargy, making infection fighting activity less likely.