Dr Hilary Jones shares technique for extra protection from winter illnesses

Colds and flu: Symptoms and treatment

Every winter many of us will fall victim to some kind of respiratory illness, whether a cold, flu or COVID-19.

While this may seem inevitable there are steps we can take to better protect ourselves.

GP and TV personality, Doctor Hilary Jones, shared a specific technique for this very reason.

Speaking to The Mirror, he firstly debunked the myth that leaving the house with wet hair is enough to give you a cold.

He said: “You have to have a virus to be exposed to a cold.

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“And temperature is irrelevant because you could be as cold as anything, but if there’s no virus then you’re not going to catch a cold.”

But if you are physically cold, and exposed to a virus it will make you more vulnerable to the illness.

He said: “If you are cold and there’s a virus about, you’re more likely to catch it if your nose is cold. This is because the lining of the throat and nose is the first line of defence.

“There are immune cells in the mucous membranes in your throat and nose which work best at body temperature.

“So, if it’s freezing cold and you’re exposed to a virus and your nose and throat are cold, you’re more likely to catch it.”

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With this in mind, he recommended keeping your nose and mouth warm by using a scarf.

He said: “If you wear a scarf around your nose and mouth, when it’s very cold, you’re giving yourself a level of protection that you might not have otherwise had.”

He also warned that colds will be more rampant this winter, “because with all the hand sanitising, social distancing and mask wearing that we did during the first two years of COVID-19, our immunity would have waned a little bit”.

He added: “It’s also winter so people are flocking together indoors and there are going to be more viruses circulating.”

According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), it is common for adults to come down with two to three colds every year.

Children, however, are more vulnerable and on average experience five to eight colds a year.

To treat a cold, the health body recommends getting lots of sleep, drinking plenty of water, and gargling salt water to calm a sore throat.

Medications and painkillers, including paracetamol or ibuprofen, can also help.

Speaking on behalf of Manuka Doctor, Dr Hilary Jones also recommended trying Manuka honey, for its antibacterial properties.

Addressing other theories about the common cold, he discussed whether it is possible to “sweat out a cold”.

He told The Mirror that sweating is a “good way of dealing with an infection”, because it’s the body’s natural way of getting rid of toxins.

He added: “Your body temperature goes up a little bit and your immune system effectively works better at a slightly higher temperature against the germs.”

But he stated that just heating yourself up through exercise or a sauna will not help get rid of the virus.

“Just being hot is not going to help you get rid of the virus.

“But your body’s natural immune response is slightly hotter and if you’re sweating more, it’s a sign that your body is doing what it should be.”

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