Words Kathryn Blundell. Photograph Stocksy
DR SHANTHI PARAMOTHAYAN is a consultant respiratory physician with more than 17 years of experience working in the NHS and in the private sector. She is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians. For more, visit paramothayan.com
On average, you can expect to catch twothree colds every year, characterised by a blocked nose, sore throat, headaches and other ‘flu-like’ symptoms. And winter is the time when we tend to see a significant number of GP consultations, and an increase in people taking time off work due to seasonal illnesses like colds, sinusitis and influenza. Some are easy to shrug off, while others are painful and debilitating, but there are ways to protect yourself.