Sneeze alert

GP Paul Heslin offers clear advice for your family’s health before winter sets in.

Most of us will get a cold at least once this winter and many of us will get the dreaded flu. There are many things we can do to reduce our family’s chances of illness and reduce the costs of illness too.

Here are my top ten tips:

1. Know what to expect: All colds affect the nose, sinuses and head. A cold will last three to five days on average. The flu affects the whole body, is more severe and will last up to ten days.

2. Boost your immunity: Your best chances of reducing the toll is to boost your immunity and increase your natural resilience. Do this by: regular exercise, good nutrition, enough sleep, relaxation or down time.

3. Prevention: The flu vaccine is now available and is especially important for people with vulnerable lungs or who get sick regularly. Vitamins, especially vitamin C and Vitamin D are good.

4. Moderation is the key: I recommend gradual, regular, gentle exercise, built up slowly through the winter. Swimming is great but don’t overdo it at first and make sure you are dry afterwards, the ears especially. Even after a brisk walk, a warm shower and change of clothes prevents the cold damp of sweat that makes us vulnerable.

5. Keep warm: Big changes of temperature in your house may cause you to get colds. The recommended room temp is 17-20C in a house.

6. Go to the doctor if you are concerned: Doctors are happy to see you and to examine you or your child, especially if you have a gut feeling that this illness has moved up to the next level and you are worried.

7. Do not over treat temperature: Treating temperatures over 39C is useful only if it makes the child feel better. It will not affect the illness as such. There is some evidence that treating the temperature will actually prolong the illness, so do not overdo the paracetamol and nurofen, nor try to create a perfectly normal temperature.

8. Watch the nose: Most of these winter virus infections will start in the nose and sinuses. At the earliest sign of a head cold, get a good night’s sleep, use a saline nasal wash as well as high dose vitamin C and avoid excess of any type, especially food, alcohol, exercise, or stress. Dairy food can make mucus stickier for some people during a cold.

9. Prevent the spread of infection: Most infections this winter will be spread through coughing on each other and through the hands. So wash hands often and carry throwaway paper hankies.

10. Take care when exercising this winter: Dark wet nights mean that some walkers and cyclists will not be seen by motorists, especially on wet nights and at dusk. More and more people are seeing the benefits of reflector shirts and blinking bike lamps.

¦ In association with health cash plan provider, HSF Health Plan, for more information visit, www.hsf.ie.