Treat and prevent colds with these 4 home remedies

If cold and flu season is approaching, you don't need to resign yourself to months of coughing and sniffles. Use these 4 home remedies to reduce your chances of getting sick and to beat the bug faster.

• Swedish researchers have found that two 175-millilitre (6 ounce) servings of yogurt that contains the healthy live bacteria Lactobacillus reuteri can cut your sick days in half.
• In the study, just 11 percent of subjects ingesting the bacteria took a sick day during the study, compared to 23 percent of those taking a placebo. Why? These little guys help your immune system work better.
• Another study found that people who eat 250 millilitres (1 cup) of yogurt a day have 25 percent fewer colds than non-yogurt eaters. And it didn't matter whether the yogurt was live culture or pasteurized.
• Start eating yogurt in the summer to build up your immune system before cold and flu season hits.

Remember when grandmother forced you to gargle with salt water, swearing it would keep away colds and the flu? Well, she was half right. Studies are discovering that gargling with water does indeed help fend off illness, but you can skip the salt. Regular water works just as well.

To soothe a raw throat, infuse 1 teaspoon of dried sage (or 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh sage) in 250 millilitres (1 cup) of boiling water. Strain and cool the mixture before gargling. Sage is a natural astringent and antiseptic and really helps to relieve throat pain.

• Spicy foods don't just satisfy your craving for a little heat, they're also mucokinetic (mucus moving). They trigger fluid release in your air passages, breaking up congestion by thinning out mucus.
• For a quick remedy, mix a half teaspoon of hot sauce in a small glass of water and drink it down.
• Garlic and onions are also natural alternatives to over-the-counter decongestants. Eat as much as you can, either raw in salads or cooked with meals.

You don't need expensive supplements of medications that make you drowsy to battle a cold. These remedies are effective, natural, and will have you feeling healthier all winter long.