Britain is set to be gripped by colds and flu this year, as the particularly chilly weather brings with it a host of wintry viruses.
Two thirds of the country will have suffered from a cold or flu by the time Christmas Day finally arrives, and chemists are reportedly expecting a peak in sales of cold and flu remedies.
According to Professor Ron Eccles, an expert at Cardiff's Common Cold Centre, party excesses and last-minute Christmas shopping are largely to blame, as stress levels appear to affect a person's susceptibility to illness.
Professor Eccles revealed: "In clinical studies, volunteers who had recently experienced stress were more susceptible to catching the cold virus than those who hadn't.
"Any form of stress will lower our resistance to infection by depressing the immune response."
Consumers who want to try a herbal remedy are advised to take a supplement such as echinacea, which is thought to support the immune system and thereby fight off infection.
Britain is set to be gripped by colds and flu this year, as the particularly chilly weather brings with it a host of wintry viruses.
