HOW TO CURE A COLD THIS WINTER

Lets begin by busting the myth that you catch a cold if you go out in the cold with wet hair.  Cold is a virus and you can only get it from somebody else or from germs in the environment around you. 

How does a virus work? In order to take hold, a virus must get inside the cells and re-programme them to replicate more viruses, which then infect other surrounding cells.

So what happens when your body is under attack?  Firstly your body will only succumb to a virus attack if it’s run down, as the body is unable to defend itself. Imagine if you send an army out to fight a war with no weapons, it will fail to defend itself and will fall to the invader.

During an infection, both the virus and our immune system, produce free radicals to destroy each other.  This puts the body under a lot of stress. However, taking extra anti-oxidants can rectify this damage.

People with strong immune systems can catch a cold virus as well, but they are more likely to fight it off faster. What they might get is more like a ‘pre-cold’ and it’s over in 24 hours or so, instead of suffering for a week. So it is a good idea to keep your immune system healthy all year round by eating well, and filling in any gaps in your nutrition by taking good quality pharmaceutical grade nutritional supplements.

In the unfortunate event that you succumb to the virus, the best form of defence is attack, the quicker you give your body what it needs before the infection sets in, the better your chances of a speedy recovery. 

Here are some tips that may help, if you catch a cold this year:

1/ Take in plenty of Anti-oxidants. The best antioxidants to fight a cold are Vitamin C and Grape Seed Extract, as they are Antioxidants, Immune Boosters and Anti-viral.  When under attack we need high doses of Vitamin C.  At least (3-5 grams) which is a 1000 milligram’s 3 to 5 times a day in order to achieve tissue saturation. Fortunately Vitamin C is not toxic and cannot be stored in the body.  Its best to eat small light meals and take extra protein to build immune cells.  Avoid dairy products, as they are mucus forming.

2/ The immune system works best in a warm environment, which is why the body temperature rises, so keep yourself warm and get plenty of rest.  One day of rest can make all the difference especially if you are combining it with step no. 1.

3/ Drink plenty of clean water or herbal teas.  As the body is fighting it produces lots for waste products, which are eliminated from the body by drinking lots of water and it also helps the body to detoxify.

4/ If it’s a head cold then steam can help tremendously and gargle with warm salt water a few times a day to relieve a painful throat.

I hope you all have a healthy COLD FREE winter, remember start working on building a strong immune system now so that you can avoid them altogether.