Beat those winter blues! (Complementary/Natural Health in general)

Member Name: kes33

Product:	Complementary/Natural Health in general
Date:	05/01/02 (413 review reads)
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Advantages: Less colds & flu

Disadvantages: None, unless you're a hypochondriac!

Nobody enjoys the winter; it's a time for endless rounds of colds and flu's, short, cold and rainy days and for many, the least prosperous time of year.

Winter slows down our metabolism, with central heating making us feel sluggish, stodgy foods lacking in nutrition and lack of fresh air and daylight dulling our circulation. A walk every day will stave off those feelings of depression as the extra oxygen to your brain sharpens your senses, and gets the circulation flowing freely again. None us like walking in pouring rain and gale force winds, but on those beautifully crisp, clear days, get out of the house/office and fill your lungs with that lovely fresh, cool air. This will go a long way to making you feel better and think of the vitamin D that is gained by being out on a sunny day (even if it is freezing). The effect of sunlight as it hits the retina of the eye stimulates the pineal gland to produce hormones, which give us the feel-good factor missing in those dark winter days and nights.

At the beginning of each winter, invest in some Echinacea from your local health shop or ideally, from a medical herbalist. Echinacea has been proven to boost the immune system, warding off winter infections and keeping you healthy throughout the winter. Take the lowest dose recommended as a matter of course, but up the dose to the maximum recommended if you catch a cold, you'll get rid of it much quicker! Echinacea has been linked to infertility by the media and this was proved to be incorrect with the scientific credibility of the 'study' carried out by the media said to be 'laughable'. However, if you are pregnant or trying to conceive, DO NOT take any herbal medicines without consulting a qualified medical herbalist.

Vitamin C also helps to ward off infection. The body can only absorb small doses at a time though, so take small doses often throughout the day or eat lots of fruit rich in Vitamin C such as citrus fruits.
Roses hip shells are also rich in vit C. These can be ground up and put into capsules, again see your medical herbalist.

Ginger is great for the circulation, digestive system and for warming the blood; the Chinese use this as a blood tonic. Drink ginger teas or add freshly grated ginger to meals, you should be able to turn down the central heating too. Ginger is recommended for people suffering from Raynaud's Disease and people with circulation problems, you know who you are, your fingers always go white in the winter!

Ginkgo Bilbo is another circulatory stimulant. It is also said to protect the serotonin sites in the brain, (a lack of serotonin can lead to panic attacks and depression). This can also be found in health shops or ask your herbalist if it is suitable for you. Again there have been stories in the media fairly recently that Ginkgo Bilbo contained a substance called 'colchicine' that could be harmful to unborn babies. This has since been proved to be incorrect and this is completely safe, Ginkgo is one of the best researched herbal products in the world, having had more than 120 clinical studies carried out on it.

If you have a cold and suffer badly from catarrh, stay away from dairy products as much as possible. Dairy products increase the production of catarrh and will make it worse. If you drink lots of tea and coffee, try switching to fruit or herbal tea for a while, there's a wonderful assortment out there these days!

I hope this has been helpful to keep you healthly this and every winter, thanks for reading!

© Kerry Downing 2002

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