The good news about colds is that you can never actually catch the same cold virus twice. The bad news is that there are an estimated 200 or more
types of cold and influenza (flu) virus, so there will always be one that you haven’t had before doing the rounds.
To avoid colds and flu, you need to take a two-pronged approach: firstly you need to minimize your exposure to cold viruses and secondly, boost your
immune system so that your body can fight viruses effectively and minimize the duration of an infection. With this in mind, my five top tips on how to
avoid a cold are:
1. Wash your hands more often. Cold and flu viruses are extremely transferrable, so it is well worth taking a few extra seconds to wash your hands
more often, and to be more thorough when you do so, soaping between fingers and not forgetting the backs of hands and wrists as well as palms. If
you are in germ-rich environments such as travelling by train or bus, or working in an open plan office with shared keyboards, keep a little bottle of
hand sanitizer in your bag and use it liberally. It is also worth making a real effort not to touch your mouth or face.
2. Keep warm. Whilst colds and chills are completely different things, there is growing research that suggests that keeping warm does help you to
fight the cold virus and, if you do catch one, to help your body combat it and fight it off more quickly. The Common Cold Centre at the University of
Cardiff, recommends keeping your nose covered if you have a cold or are in an environment where you will be more exposed to cold and flu viruses as
they say that the virus travels better in cold air than warmer air.
3. Boost your immune system. Take Echinacea at the first sign of a tickly throat or that tingling of the nose that so often precursors the onset of a
cold. I also take it if I have been sitting next to someone with the sniffles to prevent the onset of a cold. Research by the Centre for the Common Cold
at Cardiff University in 2012 found that in tests on 750 patients, taking three daily doses of Echinacea Purpurea for four months reduced the number of
colds and duration of the illness by an average of 26 per cent. They also found that the treatment cut the number of recurrent colds suffered by people
extract from Echinacea Purpurea root, equivalent to around 400mg of the root in easy to take tablets.
4. Look after yourself. Many of us feel that we have to ‘soldier on’ through a cold - but just end up making ourselves feel more unwell over the long
term. If you can, try to get some extra sleep at the very first sign of a cold, and make sure you eat plenty of wholesome food - particularly leafy green
vegetables which are rich in the all-important vitamin D that helps to fight infection. However, don’t let extra rest mean that you give up regular exercise:
small amounts of regular exercise such as brisk walking or cycling (wrapped up warmly, of course!) will also help to keep your lymphatic system
working effectively and help your body to fight off the virus more quickly.
5. Gargle. I gargle with boiled water (allowed to cool to a comfortable temperature) with a few grains of salt in it if I suspect I may be getting a cold. In
Japan, where they tend to take virus avoidance very seriously, a study showed that gargling with water three times a day could reduce your likelihood
of catching a cold by around a third. It is thought that this practice helps to clear mucus and literally wash out viruses from soft tissue in the mouth and
throat.
Superdrug, all major supermarkets, Holland & Barrett and online.
As with all alternative herbal medicines, it is very important that you make sure that you only use products which carry the THR (Traditional Herbal
Registration) mark, showing that they have been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the UK regulator.
Patricia Gallagher, Director of HRI Herbal Medicine, offers her suggestions on how to beat colds and
flu this winter.
Winter really has a grip now and, along with the cold weather and darker nights, comes the increased
risk of going down with a stinking cold or flu. Not only do colds and flu make you feel sorry for
yourself, and less like joining in with social activities in the run up to Christmas, they can really
challenge your immune system, making it hard to shake off other minor ailments and leaving you
feeling below par even after the actual cold or flu virus itself has died down.
