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"What if we told you that there&amp;#x27;s something you can do--it&amp;#x27;s easy, and basically free--daily to reduce your chances of getting sick this cold and flu season? Nope, it&amp;#x27;s not any of the following (though they&amp;#x27;re great tips!): drink more water, get a flu shot, get lots of rest. Instead, experts say that this surprising thing could help keep you illness-free... You&amp;#x27;re already doing your best to stay healthy--like getting plenty of rest, eating right, and keeping your body hydrated and fit--but did you know that gargling with a salt water rinse daily may significantly ward off illness? The New York Times took a look at the standard folk remedy of salt-water gargling recently. It&amp;#x27;s been in practice since the time our grandmothers were our age, and probably before. And it not only works to relieve cold symptoms, but it can also help prevent them. The details: &amp;quot;A saline solution,&amp;quot; reports the Times&amp;#x27; Anahad O&amp;#x27;Connor, &amp;quot;can draw excess fluid from inflamed tissues in the throat, making them hurt less, said Dr. Philip T. Hagen, editor in chief of the Mayo Clinic Book of Home Remedies, which is due out in October. Dr. Hagen pointed out that gargling also loosens thick mucus, which can remove irritants like allergens, bacteria and fungi from the throat.&amp;quot; (Yikes--could the common cold tell your body to make more fat cells? The weird news from researchers ...) And, according to research published in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine people who gargled regularly with salt water had a 40 percent decrease in upper respiratory tract infections compared to those who didn&amp;#x27;t gargle. How to try this at home? Dissolve a half teaspoon of salt (I like sea salt) in a medium glass of warm water and gargle for a few seconds at a time (and, duh--don&amp;#x27;t drink the water!). Do you gargle? P.S. 5 ways to bedbug-proof your life! And, got a minute? 10 healthy things you can do for yourself--right now! More Ways to Get Glamour Visit Shopglamour.com for cute stuff starting at just $10! Enter the latest Glamour sweepstakes! Follow us on Twitter Add us to your iGoogle homepage Photo: Thinkstock"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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