Don't let the cold affect you this year
Nobody escapes the common cold – according to the NHS, the average adult in the UK catches between two and four colds every year.
Despite great advances in medicine, common virus infections such as the common cold or influenza continue to cause a considerable economic burden, due to loss in productivity and high medical costs.
The cold facts:
· The common cold causes more days off work or school than any other ailment
· An estimated 22 million school days are missed every year due to colds
· More than two hundred different viruses can result in a cold
· Most colds take around 3-5 days to recover from, though some won't go for at least a week
· One sneeze can travel as far as 5 metres!
There are no known cures for cold and flu, so cold and flu prevention should be your goal. A proactive approach to warding off colds and flu is apt to make your whole life healthier.
Here are some tips you can use to help prevent colds and the flu naturally:
Wash your hands. Most cold and flu viruses are spread by direct contact. Washing hands reduces the risk of transmission of viruses and bacteria. Teach children to do the same.
Avoid touching your face, especially the nose, mouth, and eye areas, if you are around someone with a cold or have been touching surfaces in a public area.
Take a probiotic. Probiotics are known to activate certain defence cells in the immune system, particularly the T cells. These immune cells constantly monitor the body for foreign substances such as viruses, and are known to send messages to destroy these foreign bodies wherever they are present, hence preventing the infection from spreading. Try ProVen Adult Probiotic 25 Billion (£12.95 for 30 capsules. Available in Lloyds pharmacies, leading health food stores and online at www.provenprobiotics.co.uk.).
Practice healthy habits. Eat a balanced diet; Get enough sleep; Do your best to keep stress in check; Exercise. It can help the immune system better fight off the germs that cause illness.
Don't Cover Your Sneezes and Coughs With Your Hands. Because germs and viruses cling to your bare hands, muffling coughs and sneezes with your hands often results in passing along your germs to others. When you feel a sneeze or cough coming, use a tissue, then throw it away immediately. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow.
Avoid people already ill with colds or flu.
Femalefirst Taryn Davies
Tagged in Health cold and flu