If you catch every infection that goes around the office, your immune system may be on the fritz. “One of its main functions is to fight infections, so if it’s dysfunctional, you’ll be predisposed to (getting sick),” says Alvin Sanico, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore. Clues that you may have an infection: “A cold that doesn’t go away after a week of treatment, or unexplained fevers, lingering tenderness around a wound, or abscesses that don’t seem to have an explanation,” says Pamela Morris, M.D., chief medical officer at Prevecare, a center for preventive medicine in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you suspect things aren’t right, your GP can run tests. And while there’s no magic pill to boost your immune system, Morris says, frequent hand washing, adequate rest, moderate exercise, and a varied diet should help. Matthew Fisel, a naturopathic physician in Guilford, Connecticut, suggests yoga or meditation to tackle one of the immune system’s worst enemies: stress.