How to Avoid The Winter Flu
“Fresher’s Flu” – I thought it was a fictional term, but as an individual who’s had since coming to Uni, and I am sure you have all had it too can attest to it being real. It started as a simple cough and then became a full fledged stuffed up nose and hacking cough affair! It catches you out like that. And with winter in full swing the real, deadly, terrifying flu is knocking on our doors how do you prevent getting it again? With some simple changes to your wardrobe and lifestyle, then there should be no problem with what the winter season has to throw at you!
Wardrobe Changes
Recently, the weather in Abz has been really cold and wet – it is now officially Winter in Aberdeen! The plus side of this is that we can all go and stock up on winter closet requirements. Yay! Personally, I am focusing on accessories right now, rather than clothing (simply for the fact that sales occur nearer the xmas holiday!). I have already bought a cracker of a hat from Next (Cable Knit Pom Pom Beanie, £10) – it’s so cosy! Plus, a scarf from Dorothy Perkins (Cream Winter Fluffy Snood, £11.90).
The Aberdeen weather can be challenging to cope with, one week it can be torrential rain and the next, sunshine. This sneaky tactic of the autumn/winter season has lured us students into the false sense of security that if it’s sunny it could be warm…resulting in an unwelcome cold. In the last week alone, I have spotted a few girls around campus looking regretful with their choice of clothing put away the slip on shoe, store them away in your closets, it’s winter boots time! Embrace winter for its fashion opportunities! What better an excuse to shop then for your health – it’s a no brainer! If you invest in cosy, warm clothing then I’m sure you will be flu-less and fabulous for the winter season parties!
Lifestyle Changes
“Eat a healthy diet, take regular exercise and drink plenty of warm drinks in the winter months,” says Dr Joshi, vice-chair of the Royal College of GPs (http://www.nhs.uk/). It may seem like the basic facts but they do help. Plus, this gives you a reason to sit in with your flatties and drink hot chocolate with melted marshmallows when it’s snowing – bliss!
4 vitamins that will help your cold/flu this winter…
– Invest in Vitamin C tablets. Although not proven to prevent colds as such, they do have an effect on the length of time you suffer. The body requires doses of Vit. C to strengthen the immune system and in times of illness or stress the body’s needs increase. Ergo, you need more Vitamin C in your system!
– Zinc lozenges are one of the most popular remedies for colds and flus. Primarily because it’s proven that within the first two days of symptoms, if you take lozenges every two hours that the symptoms will decrease dramatically.
– Garlic! I know what you’re thinking – garlic breath. However ‘Garlic supplements seem to work just as well. A British study of 146 people found that volunteers who took a garlic supplement for 12 weeks during cold season were far less likely to get sick than those who took placebos. There were 24 colds in the garlic group compared to 65 in the placebo group. And the garlic takers who did get sick recovered about four days sooner on average than the others.’ I can already imagine the crowds of students in Holland and Barrett’s and demanding garlic supplements!
– Vitamin E is an “immune system booster” – this one won’t have an effect on the length of time of illness, but this can prevent you from catching a cold in the first place. (http://www.besthealthmag.ca/ )
*All information found
1. http://www.besthealthmag.ca/get-healthy/cold-and-flu/4-supplements-to-tr…
2. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/coldsandflu/Pages/Preventionandcure.aspx
*You must ask your doctor about taking these before consumption.
Now that I have had the cold, I am trying everything to not to get it again soon. When I am in lectures and someone coughs I can imagine myself as Sheldon. I wouldn’t say that I’ve become a germaphobe, but with appropriate lifestyle changes we can all save ourselves the excruciating horror of the winter flu.