Tips to Beat Colds and the Flu

Now that Winter has arrived (well here in Australia at least), I've been reading up about practical tips to help avoid getting sick and also how to minimize the severity of common colds and the flu.  It seems fitting that this is the first post on my new Blog...


These are consistently the top tips you need to be aware of:

1. Wash your hands!  This can't be stressed enough.  The majority of bugs are spread because you have touched an infected surface and you have not washed your hands before eating etc.

2. The most common factors to a weakened immune system are:

• Vitamin D deficiency
• Eating too much sugar and too many grains
• Not getting enough sleep
• Insufficient exercise
• Inadequately managing emotional stress in your life
• Any combination of the above

3. THE Number One Way to Conquer a Cold or Flu is Vitamin D

This is not a typo!!!  You need regular safe exposure to sunlight in order to keep your vitamin D levels at the optimal level - there is a lot of research to indicate that Vitamin D is the most vital to your body's general well-being.  So try to get some morning sunshine.  Keep in mind that Vitamin D3 is formed on the surface of your skin when exposed to UVB radiation from the sun.  It can actually take up to a couple of days for this Vitamin D3 to be fully absorbed by your body, so be mindful of this when you shower.  If you really want to maximize your absorption of Vitamin D3, limit using soap to only those essential areas of your body during those first 48 hours after sun exposure.

4. If you are coming down with a cold or flu, AVOID sugar, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, processed foods and grains.  We seem to instinctively turn to those comfort foods when we aren't feeling well (and we also tend to eat more junk food when Winter comes - admit it!!).  The problem is, viruses like the common cold and influenza thrive in the acidic environment these types of food provide.  You really need to be strong and determined when you feel like you are coming down with something - and AVOID THE SUGAR and the other things mentioned above.  By doing this, viruses simply aren't able to reproduce quickly enough and your body's natural immune system can destroy the virus before it really knocks you around.

5. Drink more water than usual, eat green vegetables, try supplements like Olive Leaf Extract and Vitamin C (but NOT orange juice - it is full of sugar).  I can't stress enough that green vegetables (alkalizing foods) are your best friend, especially when you want to avoid getting sick.  If you find you can't get enough vegetables in your normal diet, try supplementing with nutrient-rich and convenient forms of things like Wheat-Grass, Barley-Grass, Chlorophyll.  You can usually buy these in powder or liquid form from good health food stores or pharmacies (even supermarkets stock all of these today).  And it's just so quick and easy to add a couple of teaspoons to a glass of water.

6. If you have INFLUENZA (FLU) symptoms (ie high fever, shivering, sweating, severe muscle aches), DON'T GO TO WORK!!  Go see your doctor as early as possible and ask if an antiviral drug like Tamiflu is required.  These types of drugs don't come cheaply, however if you start a course of antiviral medication within the first 48 hours of a FLU infection, the symptoms and recovery time are improved dramatically.  

But please note - you really need to consider exactly what type of illness you are dealing with.  See below:

What is the difference between cold and flu?

Cold	Flu
Mainly affects head and throat.	May get symptoms throughout the body.
No fever, except toddlers and infants  who may show a fever of between 37.5 and 39ºC.	An abrupt fever in the 38.5 to 42ºC range.
Nasal stuffiness, sneezing and runny nose, sometimes a throat irritation.	Sudden fever followed by flushed face, body aches, headache, lack of energy, and sometimes dizziness and vomiting.
Symptoms begin 1 to 5 days after catching a cold, usually with irritation in the nose or a scratchy feeling in the throat, followed within hours by sneezing and a watery nasal discharge.	Symptoms begin within 1 and 3 days - usually fever, tiredness, and muscle aches followed by an increase in respiratory symptoms which can include croup, sore throat, bronchiolitis, ear infection and/or pneumonia.
Usually over in 7 days , although a cough may linger.	Symptoms (except a cough) usually disappear within 4 to 7 days.  Sometimes the fever returns. The cough and tiredness may last for some weeks.
Very common infectious disease caused by more than 200 different types of viruses.	Seasonal flu is preventable. Each year, there are two or three different strains of influenza virus that cause flu. Vaccines are developed to combat the flu strains predicted.

Dr Mercola has some provided a very good article about the two types of UV radiation from the sun and how these relate to your body's Vitamin D levels:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/05/12/shocking-update-sunshine-can-actually-decrease-your-vitamin-d-levels.aspx

I hope this information is helpful.  Please stay healthy this winter!!