It also found one in four people believe alternative remedies can help to relieve common ailments like back pain, stress and coughs and colds.

BBC: Britons keen on complementary medicine

It is depressing that a poll carried out by the Health Protection Agency found that a quarter of people wrongly believe antibiotics are effective against most coughs and colds.

BBC: Action on antibiotics

The theory behind outdoor napping is that children exposed to fresh air, whether in summer or the depths of winter, are less likely to catch coughs and colds - and that spending a whole day in one room with 30 other children does them no good at all.

BBC: The babies who nap in sub-zero temperatures

Poorly-cooked food brings stomach bugs, and unheated homes mean coughs, colds and worse.

ECONOMIST: Missing trees reflect the country's woeful recent history

The stem of Ephedra, for example, was used to relieve asthma symptoms, coughs, colds and allergies.

WSJ: Big Pharma's Real Roots | Wild Medicine | New York Botanical Garden | By Joanne Kaufman

Many are visiting with coughs, colds, backache and upset stomachs, it said.

BBC: North West England patients' A&E misuse costing ?79m

In 2008 her predecessor, Liam Donaldson, urged doctors not to use antibiotics to treat colds and coughs as these are caused by viruses and do not respond to antibiotics.

BBC: Health