The Method - Health in the Real World
Nov 2, 2026 · 46 min · 12 segments
Can you really boost your immune system? This week, Dr Greg and Charlie explore if a ginger shot will actually keep the winter bugs away. They discuss why colds are more common in winter, how your…
Greg PotterHost
Charlie EdmondsonHost
So one of them is to do with breathing cold air, and that drops the temperature within your nose, and that in turn affects some of the innate immune system within your nose, and you produce fewer antiviral substances in your nose, and then you're more likely to pick them up.
It's so broadly you've got two branches to your immune system there's an analogy that's widely used i think is helpful and that is that your innate system is a little bit like a police force always around they act quickly and they're pretty non-specific they just treat problems the same way But there's a separate branch to your immune system, which is called the adaptive immune system, clues in the name.
And they are trying to build up information about novel invaders, people they're not familiar with who are doing some harm.
They're fingerprinting them, trying to work out where they're going and when they're going there.
And then they come up with something that's customized for that person, personalized arrest warrant.
And so speaking there about the innate system, but we'll come back to adaptive immunity later.
Another factor that affects risk when it's cold is within your nose, you've got these little hairs that basically sweep mucus through your nose.
But if they're not doing that sweeping as well, then they're more likely to cause problems.
lot of people are waxing the inside of the nose now, aren't they? Have you seen it on social media where people are sticking those sticks up the nose covered in wax? Surely that can't be.
So one of them is to do with breathing cold air, and that drops the temperature within your nose, and that in turn affects some of the innate immune system within your nose, and you produce fewer antiviral substances in your nose, and then you're more likely to pick them up.
It's so broadly you've got two branches to your immune system there's an analogy that's widely used i think is helpful and that is that your innate system is a little bit like a police force always around they act quickly and they're pretty non-specific they just treat problems the same way But there's a separate branch to your immune system, which is called the adaptive immune system, clues in the name.
And they are trying to build up information about novel invaders, people they're not familiar with who are doing some harm.
They're fingerprinting them, trying to work out where they're going and when they're going there.
And then they come up with something that's customized for that person, personalized arrest warrant.
And so speaking there about the innate system, but we'll come back to adaptive immunity later.
Another factor that affects risk when it's cold is within your nose, you've got these little hairs that basically sweep mucus through your nose.
But if they're not doing that sweeping as well, then they're more likely to cause problems.
lot of people are waxing the inside of the nose now, aren't they? Have you seen it on social media where people are sticking those sticks up the nose covered in wax? Surely that can't be.
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