Besides for the obvious: being just short of “What About Bob” germ-o-phobia, I cannot tell you how to avoid altogether becoming stricken with H1N1 – and while I cannot prevent you from being among the 5%-20% of the population who come down with regular influenza every winter, accept by suggesting that you get vaccinated – I would like to recommend some natural cures for the less serious, “common cold”.

Echinacea purpurea
Mix 15 to 20 drops of an echinacea tincture with warm water four or five times a day.

Goldenseal
Make sure you are not allergic.

Ginseng
Taking ginseng every day reduces the severity and duration of cold symptoms, and appeared to prevent colds as well.

Nasal Rinsing
Long popular with the holistic crowd, daily rinsing fends off cough, sniffles, and sore throat.

Pelargonium sidoides
Extracts derived from this plant have been shown to decrease the symptoms of acute bronchitis.

Vitamin C
Experts seem to support vitamin C over other remedies.

Zinc
A 1996 study found that zinc lozenges reduced the duration of the common cold from 7.6 days to 4.4 days.