9. Pop astragalus.

This Chinese root—pills are available in health food stores—has a long track record as an immunity booster. Research suggests that it stimulates the bone marrow to produce more disease-fighting white blood cells, which in turn produce antibodies and interferon, an antiviral protein.

In a Chinese study, 3 to 4 months of astragalus injections raised lymphocyte (a type of white blood cell) activity by up to 45% in people who had a virus that can cause meningitis and heart inflammation. Other studies suggest astragalus's immune-stimulating compounds are also active when taken orally. To maintain disease-fighting levels of the herb in your system, use it for at least 3 months (up to 2 years at a time) for best results. Take two 500 mg capsules of dried astragalus root, 3 times each day.

10. Move more.

University of South Carolina researchers discovered that men who got in 3 hours a day of moderate activity (the equivalent of walking briskly, climbing stairs, or playing tennis) were 35% less likely to catch a cold, compared with those who did only 1 hour. The good news? You may not have to breathe hard every day: UCLA researchers have found that tai chi, the Chinese art of slow movements, meditation, and breathing, decreases the release of catecholamine, a neurotransmitter that dampens the immune system; in one study, 3 sessions a week for 4 months enhanced immune cell function by 45% in adults with shingles. 

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