Common Cold
 The common cold is an infection of the nose and throat that is caused by any one of more than 300 constantly mutating viruses. Your immune system is your best weapon against the common cold. The viruses that cause the common cold are spread via the hands or through the air when you talk, sneeze, cough or breathe.
The symptoms of the common cold commence one to four days after the virus has infected you. A dry or sore throat is usually the first symptom of the common cold and this may occur a day or so before other symptoms.
The other symptoms of the common cold include runny nose (which at first is clear and watery but soon thickens), nasal congestion, headache, sneezing (which is your body’s attempt to clear the nasal passages), coughing, fever, scratchy throat, sore throat, general soreness and hoarseness.
When carrying the common cold the most important thing is to rest and drink plenty of water to keep the body hydrated. It is also important to continue eating a well balanced diet even though you might not feel that hungry, those nutrients are going to give your body the energy and tools it needs to help remove the infection from your body.
Cold & Flu Tea
(Makes 2 Litres)
Tea’s similar to this have been used for centuries to help alleviate the symptoms associated with colds and flu’s. They help boost the immune system and help sooth sore throats and clear nasal congestion.
2 Litres water
Juice of 4 lemons
2 ginger teabags
3 cloves of garlic
5cm piece of ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon honey
Method:
1. Boil water.
2. Chop garlic, ginger and cinnamon in a food processor and add to boiling water.
3. Add lemon juice and honey.
4. Boil for 5 minutes and strain to serve.
This delicious & healthy recipes is courtesy of the Golden Door Health Retreat, Queensland, Australia.
Does Echinacea help prevent colds?
Echinacea may help you stay healthy this winter. Echinacea is now well-known as a herbal therapy for treating symptoms of the common cold and other upper respiratory tract infections.
It shortens the duration of the common cold and reduces the severity of the symptoms. It can also help to prevent the common cold (and possibly other upper respiratory tract infections).
Echinacea is a potent stimulant of the immune system. It stimulates the body to produce more infection-fighting compounds such as interferon’s and interleukins that combat the viruses that cause the common cold.
It also stimulates the production of every type of white blood cell that destroys cold-causing viruses. It is through these actions that colds can be prevented or if infected a faster recovery would generally occur.
Thexton have a variety of Echinacea products available which range in strength and size.
Does Vitamin C help prevent colds?
Vitamin C helps to prevent influenza infection and shortens the duration of symptoms in influenza patients. One human study found that dockworkers receiving daily vitamin C supplements for ten months had a 28% reduction in their rate of influenza infections compared to fellow workers who did not receive vitamin C.
In those workers who did contract influenza, the duration of influenza infection symptoms was, on average, 10% less in those workers receiving vitamin C.
The usual dosage of Vitamin C is between 1,000 - 3,000 mg per day for the prevention of influenza and between 3,000 - 5,000 mg per day for treating existing influenza infection. However Vitamin C does need to be used with caution for people who have haemochromatosis (people that absorb to much iron) as Vitamin C can increase the amount of iron which is absorbed from the diet.
This article is courtesy of 
Thexton.
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