How to avoid catching a cold or flu

A cold is your own body’s way of telling you to stop. It is your body communicating with you. This communications is usually a little bit late, as by the time a cold is coming on, you have already ignored warning signs and reached almost a point of no return – almost, because you can still reverse a cold, if you choose to.

Don’t get bogged down with all the mumbo jumbo on colds, flu, need for medication or flu jabs etc. A cold (and flu – both the same really) is your body’s way of telling you that you have/are over doing it and that you must relax and adjust a number of factors.

If you choose to listen to this last final warning, then you may well get well within minutes (really) or if you ignore it, then you may be bed bound for days.

So what’s the first thing to do at the initial signs of a cold?
Warm yourself up! A cold (so aptly named) is literally your body getting cold, so warm it up from the outset. Wear warmer clothes, stay indoors, avoid cold weather, turn the heating on, drink more hot fluids and raise your temperature.

This is one of the most effective ways of stopping a cold dead in its tracks. Of course there are lots of other things you can do, but if one was to choose just one method, then warming yourself up is that one method of choice.

Reverting back a little bit
Even before the “final call” of a cold, you must ensure that you avoid shivering in any shape or form. This shiver, however temporary is usually the final maker of a cold. A shiver can be caused by a cold wind, going into a cold environment or even by hearing something negative. Whatever the reason, a shiver has a ten-fold negative impact on the body’s defence system.

Be aware of shivers and prevent them as much as you can. If you have shivered, the first thing you must do is to over-heat the body to counter-act the negative effects of shivering

So as a general defence against colds, if you are working hard, eating little or highly stressed, make sure that you do not get physically cold and that you do not shiver. This is a great start to the initial avoidance and reversal of a cold.