First, you need to monitor your lifestyle. Incessant late nights, smoking and drinking will take their toll on your immune system, and those nasty germs will find a way in. Smoking weakens the mechanisms that keep bacteria out of the lungs and alcohol causes dehydration and damage to the liver–your body’s primary filtering system–making you more prone to infections.

Dr Li Jie, a certified TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) doctor, reminds us of a few simple but effective lifestyle factors: “Open your windows regularly to keep the flow of fresh air around the room, wash your hands frequently and cook your food thoroughly–particularly with the current threat of bird flu. Be sure to exercise regularly and wrap up with some heat!”

Oriental Medical Doctor Doris Rathgeber signals that saunas or steam rooms are a good way to strengthen the immune system. Viruses can’t survive in that stifling, misty heat. She advises, “Be sure to always take a cool shower after, to restore the balance of heat.”

Food for Thought

There are ways to beat the bug before it gets you. Since childhood, we have been told to eat our greens, but you shouldn’t underestimate their potential. Fruit and veg’ are a great source of vitamins C and E, and contain antioxidants, which boost the immune system.

Dr Zhang Yifang, a Chinese Medicine professional, recommends stocking up your shopping trolley with oranges and dark green vegetables like spinach or broccoli. “It’s also important to eat lots of protein,” explains Zhang. “Protein helps build up your immune system and build antibodies to fight against viruses–meat and nuts are the best source of this.”

Zhang also sings the merits of dates. “They are a good source of nutrition and they help blood circulation.” They may smell bad, but garlic and spring onion also provide great protection against infection. So start popping those cloves, but just make sure no one gets too close.

“Eat the fruit of the season,” says Rathgeber, “Apples or pumpkins are good and pear juice is good for coughs, particularly if mixed with almond.”

Remedy it

Our bodies are subject to enough chemicals, so rather than diving straight for the medicine cabinet, there are a few natural means of reducing those nagging symptoms. Dr Zhang warns against dairy products. “Try and avoid an overload of dairy products for a while because they will increase congestion. And combat the early signs of a runny nose by eating chili peppers–they clear the sinuses.”
To fight the fever, look to the herb–peppermint tea, in particular, has soothing properties. “You can also apply pressure to the tops of your ear with your finger tips,” says Zhang. Alternatively, Rothgeber advises wrapping cold towels around the calves and neck.

For sore throats, honey and lemon in hot water is an age-old remedy, as is gargling with salt water. “It’s important to drink lots of fluid if you are suffering–plenty of water,” adds Zhang, as this will help loosen mucus and re-hydrate you–flushing your system clean of toxins. Steam inhalation is also an easy and effective method to clear those passages–add some chamomile, eucalyptus or thyme essential oils.

Fancy a cuppa?

A lot of teas contain natural antibiotics that counterbalance some of the effects of colds or flu. The experts stress the antiviral qualities of ginger tea. “It helps with congestion, coughs, and tickly throats. It has quite a pungent taste so restrict yourself to two cups a day. You can sweeten with a drop of honey too,” advises Zhang.

To make the tea, boil one tablespoon of grated fresh ginger per cup of water for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and steep for 10 minutes.

Shopping List

A by all means non-exhaustive list of stuff you should munch on:
Green Vegetables
Apples
Pears
Lemon
Pumpkins
Nuts
Nuts
Garlic
Onions
Honey
Ginger
Peppermint Tea