Winter colds and flu

Good News: There IS a cure for the common cold, after all

10 top tips for preventing or treating winter colds and flu

5  top tips to stop a cold dead in its tracks

5  top winter health supplements

Flu is nothing to sneeze, or laugh, at. Symptoms such as muscular aches and pains, chills and fever, sore throats, dry coughs, headache, exhaustion and depression can leave sufferers feeling wiped out for a few days and tired for a few weeks. Worse, it can cause death in the elderly and chronically ill.

There are hundreds of different, constantly mutating, viruses causing both colds and flu, which make it impossible for medical science to find a 'cure'.

The good news is: There is a cure for the common cold, and flu - it's called a Healthy Immune System.

With a prevention strategy that combines diet, supplements and lifestyle management, you may make it through the winter months with barely a sniffle.

To give you a helping hand, follow these links:

10 top tips for prevention of colds and flu

5 top tips to stop a cold dead in its tracks

5 top winter health supplements

1. Eat at least five good-sized portions of fresh vegetables and fruit every day. Have a variety, but make sure to include broccoli, greens and carrots. Prunes and kiwi fruits are also particularly helpful, both for the immune system and the bowels. 5 kernels of sweetcorn and 4 thin strips of green pepper on a stodgy pizza base DO NOT count as two portions!

2. For takeaway lunches whilst working, try home-made vegetable soups (there's a scrumptious pumpkin soup recipe on this website, which is best made in large quantities and frozen into single portions. TIP: If you can find organic pumpkins (try Waitrose) you can blend the baked skin into the soup - no-one will ever know, and think of all the Vitamin A you'll get in the form of beta carotene. Everyone knows Vitamin A is good for the skin, but it's also good for the 'skin' of every cell, so that viruses can't get in or out of cells and multiply. Of course, pregnant women need to watch their Vitamin A intake.

3. Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day (room temperature or hot water with lemon). Go on - this really does make a difference. Herbal teas such as Yerba Mate and Lapacho are also particularly helpful.

4. Eat garlic as much as your friends and social life will allow (or take garlic capsules).

5. Reduce sugar and refined foods as much as possible (e.g. cakes, biscuits, chocolate, sugar in drinks, white bread, white rice). Sugar dramatically lowers immunity.

6. Ideally, avoid saturated animal fat which clogs up the lymphatic system. Your immune cells can't travel down congested pathways. Instead, eat fish, skinless chicken and turkey. Avoid excessive cheeses and full-fat milk. Any kind of cows milk (including skimmed) can cause catarrh. For those who enjoy their beef or lamb steaks, cut off as much fat as possible, but if you have already succumbed to a cold, then you're better off with fish and vegetables.

7. Restrict alcohol and avoid coffee and soft drinks. These adversely affect blood sugar levels, leading to short term energy highs followed by energy slumps, which then encourage us to eat sugary foods. They also reduce magnesium which is needed to handle stress and blood sugar balance. Many people nowadays alternate one glass of alcohol with one glass of water, or drink them side by side.

8. Take a good quality multivitamin and mineral everyday, as well as some extra vitamin C, particularly during the winter months. (Click on men or women as appropriate for a good multivitamin and mineral.)

9. Avoid cigarette smoke if at all possible.

10. Take some exercise at least 3 times per week. This doesn't have to be in the gym - a good old fashioned work-out to some energetic dance music in the living room, or an exercise video, is just as good for the immune system. If for any reason you're not able to do vigorous exercise (injury, elderly or ill) then any movement is better than none. All movement helps to cleanse the lymphatic system which enables immune cells to travel more efficiently.

11. Find ways to deal with stress - whether it's relaxation exercises, working fewer hours, delegating at home and at work to those less busy, exercise, 'letting go', or whatever is needed.

OK - so that was 11 tips.

1. Take 3,000mg of vitamin C immediately. Follow this with another 1,000mg every 2 hours until symptoms subside. A form of Vitamin C which is gentle on the stomach is Magnesium Ascorbate, which comes in powder or tablet form.

2. Take Samento 3 times per day, plus a multivitamin and mineral complex.

3. Don't overeat. Light meals consisting of vegetables, fruit and small portions of fish are ideal. Homemade vegetable soup is excellent, but leave out the large chunks of bread.

4. Drink lots of water, at room temperature or higher. Also Lapacho Tea.

5. Avoid alcohol, coffee and soft drinks.  Avoid mucus forming foods such as cheese, milk and meat. Above all, avoid sugar.

1. Vitamin C

2. Rio Health Samento (read up on this if you want to be amazed)

3. Garlic

4. Multivitamin and mineral                                                               (try True Food All Man or True Food Wise Woman) - recommended to take this one all year round

5. Nutriscene IMU9 (herbal to aid the immune system)

Other useful Winter health supplements