Galway Advertiser 1999/1999_07_08/GA_08071999_E1_012.pdf 

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O i f a r y O'Connor
News Views Fashion Features

cold,
Although we spend a fortune on remedies for colds, coughs, and sore throats, there is little we can do to cure a cold. However, we can strengthen our immune systems which will in turn help us ward off germs. You can build up your resistance by eating well, exercising, and by avoiding stress and smoking. By eating in moderation and adhering to a balanced diet, your immune system will get stronger. Cut out fried foods, white bread, and alcohol, and increase your intake of wholemeal bread, fruit, vegetables, and white meat. Cut down, if not out, on sweets and biscuits and avoid snacks before meals. The role of exercise in the prevention of disease has been the subject of much discussion over the years. Most experts now agree that people who exercise regularly have raised levels of infectionfighting cells in their blood. So, a regular exercise routine, even a walk around town, may get you through the summer without a sniffle. The dangers of smoking have been well documented. Smokers have a weaker immune system than non smokers. If you cannot bear to put aside the cigarettes, at least cut down on them. The damage to a smoker's immune system is reversible once you stop smoking. Stress is frequently talked about today. It has an adverse effect on the immune system too. Traumatic experiences, such as a death in the family, moving house, or losing one's job can often be a factor in illness. It is important to learn to relax and take at least 10 minutes each day to unwind.

w a r

MOST PEOPLE will catch at least one cold this summer. Many will catch several and find it hard to shake them off.
You can do this by just closing your eyes and shutting out all thoughts. Forget the mounting bills, the mortgage, screaming children, and the housework, and concentrate solely on relaxing every part of you. You will find it instantly beneficial. If you have done everything to strengthen your immune system, there is still a chance you will fall victim to some infection or other. Typical colds can last as long as seven days. Cold viruses produce no symptoms when they first enter the system : the real beginning of a cold therefore passes unnoticed. Cold and flu germs are transmitted mainly by hand-to-hand contact. Sufferers are infectious and are spreading their colds for days before their noses start to run or a cough develops. Many experts argue there is no direct connection between contracting a cold and getting your feet wet, walking in the rain, or sitting around in a draught. English researchers ran an elaborate experiment designed to discover the effect of chilling and physical misery on a group of volunteers. They divided the subjects into three groups and inoculated one set with COLD F A C T S cold viruses and had them stand around in the cold for half an hour wearing wet * A cold is a viral infection of the upper swimsuits. A second group was exposed to the same physical discomfort but not respiratory tract * You can be infected and infectious for inoculated. A third group was inoculated but left dry and cosy. Eventually, the first 24 hours before symptoms appear * Most adults get between one and three and third group succumbed to the sniffles at the same rate while the wet second colds a year group stayed healthy.

* There is no proof that you can catch cold by sitting in a draught or getting wet * Always feed a cold as any infection uses up energy and food restores it * People get fewer colds as they get older. Age seems to confer an increasing degree of immunity to common cold viruses. It is also likely that older people wash their hands more often and are more

careful about what they touch * A healthy infant gets between six and 12 colds a year. The frequency drops gradually until by the teenage years, young people get no more than two to three colds a year * There is some evidence to indicate that stress may precipitate the common cold.

H o w to keep colds at bay
* It is estimated that each person catches two to three colds a year * Keep away from anyone who is coughing or sneezing because which account for more time taken off work and school than any other cold viruses are quickly transmitted in this way illnesses combined * Eat light meals regularly. Avoid rich, heavy foods * If you catch a cold, wrap up but keep your windows open because * If you feel really sick, have a particulady high temperature and the cold virus breeds in unventilated environments find it hard to shake off your cold, visit your doctor * Build up your immune system with garlic, a natural antibiotic * Wash your hands often. You'll protect yourself by doing so which boosts the body's defences, vitamin C which prevents * Stop drying the dishes. Microbiologists say tea towels can carry as many as three billion bacteria, especially if the towel remains damp * Get plenty of sleep. Sleep is essential for good health as it helps