By Judy Martin

You may be asking yourself, “Can anything be done to prevent colds and flu this winter?” The short answer is – yes, a lot can be done. In fact, there is a host of remedies to ease the winter woes. Symptomatic colds and flu are more tolerable when we accept that this is the body’s “spring clean” process and is a way of bringing back balance.

When the conditions in our body are right for allowing a virus to thrive, the body reacts in a number of ways:

• a rise in temperature, which is one of the body’s methods of “burning up” toxins (so it may not always be necessary to reach for something to suppress this symptom)
• mucous secretions
• sweating

These natural detoxification functions often manifest as a sore throat, nasal congestion, thick head, and many other congestive symptoms of colds and flu, which are often interpreted as something awful rather than something the immune system is doing for good reason.

It must be acknowledged that it is difficult to totally avoid exposure to winter bugs, or develop total immunity, since there are so many different viruses and they mutate from year to year.

So what can be done to avoid these maladies? It’s best to be prepared and to ensure that the immune system is as strong and functional as possible. A simple plan would be the following:

• When the first symptom of a cold or flu rears it’s head, immediately eliminate junk food and add more vegetables and fruit, garlic and onions, soups and herbal teas to your diet. (Not easy to do when all you want is junk food and hot chocolate in this weather!)
• Avoid milk, cheese, bread, sugar and other mucous-forming foods , such as chocolate and banana.
• Avoid alcohol and stop smoking, as both deplete healthy immune function
• Rest as much as possible. Try to spend a couple of days in bed, if possible, and take a break from gym until you feel better
• Increase your Vitamin C intake
• Add Vitamin A,Vitamin E, Zinc and Selenium to boost the immune system
• Don’t forget those wonderful fish oils
• Drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water daily
• A good multivitamin will be beneficial as the body needs all the support it can get during this time
• Herbs such as Echinacea and Olive Leaf are great for healthy immune function.

Don’t leave the decision to improve your health too late. Spring is, after all, just around the corner.