Though most people consider that cold and flu season is in the winter, you’ll still hear about folks getting a little under the weather during the rest of the year as well. If you want to have the best chance of avoiding the symptoms of various sicknesses, you’ll want to understand some of the science behind them.

The two points of research where you’ll start will be with the common cold and with the typical yearly flu hits, and then you’ll want to look into the benefits of diet and exercise and good moods to prevent the sneezes and sniffles that get you down.

Researching the Common Cold

When you research the common cold, you’ll find some consistent and some conflicting information. There are wives’ tales versions of how to beat the symptoms, and then there are scientific expositions that will tell you that there really isn’t anything you can do but wait it out, as colds aren’t something that you can ‘fix’, per se. Once you get all of the information that you can about germs and the spread of disease and the time it takes to get over things, you should be able to manage your symptoms better at the very least. You’ll be surprised when even at the most scientific sites that you can find, there’s a still reference to good old chicken noodle soup, just because it’s comforting.

Researching the Yearly Flu             

Once you begin to research the flu, there’s a whole new data set for you to uncover. There are yearly patterns of transmission. There’s the science behind viruses. There is the controversy over vaccines, and all of the data about which strain is going to come out and if the vaccine will do any good if the strain has already mutated to the next variety. There’s the bird flu that will come up when you’re searching. Once again, the point of understanding transmission and infection is so that you know the best way to prevent it in yourself and your family, and the best way to treat the symptoms if you’re one of the lucky ones who catches it during the year.

The Benefits of Diet and Exercise

Though there isn’t necessarily a direct correlation between diet and exercise and getting colds or the flu, it still makes sense that a better immune system is going to be one result of generally being healthy. The right diet and exercise will keep away a whole slew of other diseases that can open the door for colds and flu as well. One interesting note on environmental factors as well says that although being out in the cold and rain does not cause colds or the flu, it doesn’t weaken your immune system in general.

The Benefits of a Good Mood       

Did you know that being in a bad mood could directly affect your health? Moody people get sick more often, and the sickness is often directly relatable to cold or flu-like symptoms. This is one of those mind over matter things that researchers have often run into, so even if you’re not in the best situation ever, if you at least keep a generally optimistic perspective about life around you, you’re actually much less like to end up feeling sick!