Showing you easy ways to treat and prevent colds and flu

Nip it in the bud

• At the first hint of a cold, drink elderflower tea. Put 2 to 5g dried flowers into a cup of boiling water to make an infusion. Leave to infuse for 5 to 10 minutes and strain. Drink at least 3 cups a day.

  Elderflowers are only available from May to July so it's a good idea to make your own elderflower cordial - or make elderberry wine (the flowers and berries seem to be equally effective) - and keep it in the larder year round both as a pleasant drink and as a treatment for colds.

• Sniff vitamin C powder (available from pharmacies) at the first sign of a sniffle. Targeting the vitamin directly at the nasal mucosa can stop the virus in its tracks before the cold has a chance to take hold.

  This particular strategy is most effective for those who are subject to exceptionally high levels of physical stress, such as marathon runners. Be warned that sniffing vitamin C powder can sting a bit.

• Zinc nasal gel has been shown by one study to be effective in reducing symptoms of a cold and its duration. Zinc plays a key role in immune system activity and it is thought that delivering treatment via the nose works more effectively than an oral dosage.

  You need to use it within 24 hours of symptoms starting, and sniff gently as vigorous application can damage the delicate lining tissues of the nose and may impair your sense of smell. Do not take zinc for longer than a week, because long-term use of zinc can actually weaken immunity.

Head off a head cold

• As soon as you notice cold or flu symptoms, start taking 200mg of vitamin C five times a day, with food. Buy a brand with added bioflavonoids, which have been shown to enhance the effectiveness of vitamin C by as much as 35 per cent. If you develop diarrhoea, cut down on the dose.

• Take one 200mg astragalus capsule twice a day until you recover. This ancient Chinese herb stimulates the immune system and seems to be highly effective at fighting colds and flu. To prevent a relapse, continue taking 1 capsule twice a day for a further week once your symptoms have gone.

• Goldenseal stimulates the immune system and has germ-fighting compounds that can kill viruses. As soon as you begin to feel ill, take 125mg goldenseal extract (on its own or in combination with 200mg immune-boosting echinacea) four times a day for five days.

What's wrong
If your symptoms are above the neck - congestion, sore throat, sneezing, coughing - you probably have a cold, caused by any one of 200 viruses that other people's sneezes or coughs have placed in the air or on something you've touched.

If you have all those symptoms plus a fever of 38.5°C (102°F) or more, headache, muscle aches, extreme fatigue, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting, you're more likely to have flu. It usually lasts for a week or more and can leave you feeling weak and down-in-the-dumps for days or even weeks afterwards.

Bring on the flu fighters

• At the first sign of flu, take 20 to 30 drops of elderberry tincture three or four times a day for three days. Elderberry has been used in Europe for centuries to fight viruses, and one research study found that people who took it recovered from flu significantly faster than those who didn't.

  You can also buy elderberry lozenges (take six a day until symptoms subside).

• Naturopaths recommend Oscillococcinum, a homeopathic remedy said to reduce the severity of flu symptoms. It is sold online and in some pharmacies and health-food shops. Be sure to use it within 12 to 48 hours of the first appearance of your symptoms. It comes in vials: take one vial every 6 hours.

• Try N-acetylcysteine (NAC), a form of the amino acid cysteine. It helps to thin and loosen mucus and reduce flu symptoms. Take one 600mg dose three times daily.

Soothe a sore throat

• For a sore throat, fill a 250ml glass with warm water, mix in a teaspoon of salt and gargle. The salt will soothe the pain.

• The traditional sore-throat gargle - a squeeze of lemon juice in a glass of warm water - is ideal because it creates an acidic environment hostile to bacteria and viruses.

Sip chicken soup to combat a cold

• Chicken soup, the natural remedy of natural remedies, offers more than comfort for colds and flu. Modern scientists have confirmed that chicken soup stops certain white blood cells - neutrophils - from congregating and causing inflammation, which in turn triggers the body to produce copious amounts of mucus.

   

  It also thins mucus more effectively than plain hot water. Homemade soup is best - especially if it's made by someone you love.

 

• Add fresh chopped garlic to chicken soup. The Egyptian pharaohs used garlic to fight infection and its healing powers are legendary. Among its active compounds are allicin and allin, shown in test-tube studies to kill germs outright.

   

  Garlic also appears to stimulate the release of natural killer cells, part of the human immune system's arsenal of germ-fighters.

Should I call the doctor?
Colds are miserable but generally go away on their own, helped along by rest and home remedies. The same goes for less severe cases of flu; more severe cases may require a doctor's care. If you don't know whether it's a cold or flu, let the symptoms be your guide. Contact your doctor if you've had a fever above 38°C (101°F) for more than three days, or any fever above 39.5°C (103°F).

Call, too, if you start to wheeze, find it hard to breathe, feel severe pain in your lungs, chest, throat or ear, or cough up copious amounts of phlegm, especially if it is bloody or has a greenish tinge. In children, a fever can quickly lead to dehydration, so it's important to keep pushing fluids and to talk to your doctor if you are worried.

Wet your whistle - and everything else

• Fighting off colds and flu can rob your body of moisture. Drink as much water as you can - eight or more 250ml glasses - to keep your mucous membranes moist and to help relieve dry eyes and other flu symptoms. Fluids also help to thin mucus making it easier to blow out.
• To help keep mucus loose, stay in a moist, warm, well-ventilated room. To keep the air in your bedroom moist, place bowls of water near the radiator (in winter) or run a humidifier. Or open the lid of an electric kettle and let the water boil, which will fill the room with steam.

A reeking remedy

• A dose of neat garlic - a natural antiseptic - will fight those viruses. If you're feeling brave, hold a small clove of garlic in your mouth and breathe the fumes into your throat and lungs. If the flavour gets too strong as the clove softens, just chew it up quickly into smaller pieces and swallow with water.
• You can also get a therapeutic dose of garlic in capsule form. The usual dose is 400 to 600mg concentrate four times a day, with food. Look for pills standardized to 4000mcg of allicin potential. If you develop indigestion, wind or diarrhoea when taking garlic, then you may find that enteric-coated capsules help to reduce these side-effects.

Old wives' tale
Getting chilled does not cause a cold - at least not under laboratory conditions. In one study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, two groups of people were exposed to viruses that cause the common cold. One group was exposed to the germs in a chilly 5°C (41°F) room; the other group, in a balmy 30°C (86°F) room. The result? Both groups caught colds at about the same rate.

Get yourself vaccinated
Consider having a yearly flu jab. Health authorities advise it, especially for people with chronic heart or kidney disease; chronic lung diseases like asthma, bronchitis and emphysema; or those with diabetes or who have depressed immunity for any reason.

It is also recommended for people over 65. The vaccine is usually available at your GP's surgery from early October. Have the jab early, as it takes at least two weeks for it to work, and you want to be protected before the flu season starts.

Blow that virus away

• You can cut short a cold with your... hair dryer? As outlandish as it sounds, inhaling heated air may help to kill a virus working its way up your nose. In one UK study, people who breathed heated air had half the cold symptoms of people who inhaled air at room temperature.

   

  Set your hair-dryer on warm (not hot), hold it an arm's length from your face and breathe in the air through your nose for as long as you can - at least two or three minutes and ideally 20 minutes.

Clear out congestion

• For a congestion-busting blast, buy fresh root ginger or horseradish, grate it and eat a small amount. (Or buy horseradish in a jar and eat as much as half a tablespoon.) To avoid the risk of a sore tummy, try these remedies after a meal.
• Drink a cup of ginger tea. Make it with a ginger tea bag or with ½ teaspoon of grated root ginger. Ginger helps to block the production of substances that cause bronchial congestion and stuffiness and it contains compounds called gingerols, which are natural cough suppressants.
• Spike stock or soup with a dash of Tabasco sauce, chilli pepper flakes or wasabi, the hot condiment (usually made from horseradish) eaten with sushi. All of these hot seasonings can increase a broth's decongestant power. In fact, adding any of them to any food can help you to breathe more freely.
• Wear wet socks to bed. Believe it or not, this soggy strategy is a recognized naturopathic remedy that can help to ease a fever and clear congestion. It works by drawing blood to the feet, which dramatically increases blood circulation. (Blood stagnates in the areas of greatest congestion.) First warm your feet in hot water.

   

  Then soak a thin pair of cotton socks in cold water, wring them out, and slip them on just before going to bed. Put a pair of dry wool socks over the wet ones. The wet socks should be warm and dry in the morning, and you should feel markedly better.

   

  Only try this remedy in a reasonably well-heated room: wearing wet socks to bed would be unwise if the room was uncomfortably cold.

 

• Soak your feet in a mustard footbath. Add 1 tablespoon of mustard powder per litre of hot water in a large bowl - a washing-up bowl is ideal. The mustard draws blood to your feet, which helps to relieve congestion.
• An old-fashioned remedy for chest congestion is a mustard poultice. Grind 3 tablespoons of mustard seeds to a powder (or use ⅓ cup of mustard powder), add this to a cup of flour or fine oatmeal, then stir in just enough water to make a paste.

   

  Smooth a layer of petroleum jelly over your chest to protect the skin, then slap on the paste. The pungent aroma helps to unblock stuffy sinuses, and the heat improves blood circulation and eases congestion. Don't leave the poultice on for more than 15 minutes, however, or it may burn your skin.

Give it a miss
Some cold medicines contain an antihistamine, which works well for allergies, but does nothing for congestion caused by colds. In fact, antihistamines can make mucus thicker and therefore harder to blow out or cough up.

If you're stuffed up, choose a simple decongestant. Otrivine and ephedrine are effective decongestant nasal sprays, but don't use them for longer than three days; over-exposure can cause a rebound effect that makes your nose even stuffier.

Steam clean your nasal passages

• Pour very hot water into a large bowl, lean over the bowl and drape a towel over your head to create a steam tent. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth for 5 to 10 minutes. Don't put your face too close to the water or you risk scalding your skin or inhaling vapours that are too hot. Set the bowl on a steady table - don't attempt this remedy in bed.
• To make steam inhalations even more effective, add a few drops of thyme oil or eucalyptus oil to the water. Keep your eyes closed as you breathe the steam, as the combination of essential oil and steam can irritate your eyes.
• Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil or Olbas oil to a hanky. Whenever you feel congested, hold it to your nose and inhale.

Warm a stiff neck

• Flu can give you a horrible stiff neck. To ease the ache, wet a hand towel, wring it out, put it in a plastic bag and microwave it for 60 seconds. Or simply dip a towel in very hot water and squeeze it out.

   

  Check that it's not too hot, then wrap the towel around your shoulders and neck and lie down. (Put a beach or bath towel under you to keep the bed dry.) To lock in the heat, wrap a dry towel around the wet one.

Did you know?
When you blow your nose, you should do it gently. Otherwise you might create reverse pressure that can send the virus or bacteria up into your sinuses. To keep reverse pressure to a minimum, blow one nostril at a time.

The power of prevention

• During the colds and flu season, take 200mg echinacea up to three times a day. Alternate it every three weeks with other herbs that boost the immune system - such as astragalus, goldenseal and pau d'arco.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you use a public toilet or if you work with people who are unwell. In 1998, a large US study ordered 40,000 naval recruits to wash their hands five times a day. The recruits cut their incidence of respiratory disease by a huge 45 per cent.
• Don't touch your face with unwashed hands. Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer gel to use when you can't reach a washbasin.
• It may seem rude, but avoid shaking hands with anyone who has a cold.
• In winter, use a cool-mist humidifier to counteract the drying effect of central heating and keep indoor air moist.
• Practise relaxation techniques all year round, but especially during the colds and flu season. Research suggests that the more stress you're under, the more likely you are to become ill.
• Get some rest. Most people get colds or flu when they're run down. So phone in sick and sleep. Research shows that even if you are marginally sleep-deprived, your resistance to viruses declines dramatically. In one study, certain immune cells that stalk viral infections dropped by 30 per cent in people who got just slightly less sleep than usual in a single night.
• Widen your circle of friends. In a study of more than 200 men and women, people who had strong social ties developed fewer colds.

   

  Researchers gave the subjects nasal drops containing rhinovirus, the bug that causes most colds, and they found that those with only one to three social relationships were four times more likely to come down with a cold than those who had six or more friends.

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