How to avoid colds and the flu in 5 easy steps: Step 1

When I moved to the Pacific Northwest 11 years ago I was getting sick 4 to 6 times per year. I was catching the common cold and flu and would feel awful for 1 to 2 weeks at a time. Some colds would linger for more than a month.

An amazing thing happened to me when I started acupuncture school - the number of colds I caught and the length of time I was sick dropped dramatically! Today I get colds less than once a year—I've even gone stretches of 3 years without getting sick.

I have learned five important lessons —five steps that you can take to dramatically reduce how often and how badly you get colds and flus.

STEP 1: Learn to recognize and take action at the first sign that you're getting sick.

The first thing you need to do is recognize the early signs of a cold. For me, this is easy—whenever I'm starting to catch a cold my throat begins to feel a little scratchy and uncomfortable. Often my ears feel a little strange and my nose may get congested, too.

You need to pay attention to how your body feels when you're starting to get sick. The sooner you realize you are catching a cold and take preventive measures, the more likely you'll be to reduce your symptoms or better yet, avoid the cold all together.

Here is a list of common symptoms many people experience at the start of a cold:

Early Signs of the Common Cold or Flu

Scratchy sore throat
Runny nose / nasal congestion
Fever
Itchy or full feeling of the inner ear
Cough
Sleepiness
Irritability
Achiness
Loss of appetite
Congestion or sputum in the throat or chest

What many people do when they first experience these symptoms is... nothing! People either don't recognize them as the early warning signs that they are or they hope that the symptoms won't progress to a full blown cold. Denial is classic at this point - no one wants to have a cold or curtail their normal activities. What most people don't know is that at this early stage they can often prevent themselves from getting sick.

Once you suspect a cold is coming, take action! The following steps can often prevent colds—and limit their severity and duration.