Do you spring clean your house?   Well your body conducts it’s own spring clean from time to time, but unfortunately we don’t realize what it is doing.   In our vocabulary we believe we have a cold.

It is lucky that the common cold does not develop a huge inferiority complex because it really is the most poorly understood health complaint.   It is not a disease – yes you read that correctly a common cold is not a disease it is a cure!

The cold is our body’s way of curing viruses!   You know those pesky little things that doctors can’t give us anything for?  Well our body has a way of curing them.   Firstly it makes your nose run, sometimes it even causes sneezing.   This is to try and eject the virus from the body.   If this doesn’t work then the body will call on another bouncer and a cough will develop.   If the virus or toxin is still being stubborn and refusing to leave then further help will be enlisted – vomiting and diarrhea.

This is why the best thing to do when you have a cold is to rest – leave your body with the strength it needs to cure you.   Drink plenty of fluids, your body is working hard and let your body finish it’s spring clean!

Well there is something you can do to speed up the process and that is to take antioxidants.   Vitamin A is essential for the health of your body’s mucous membranes.   Vitamin A helps to increase cilia action which helps to expel the mucus.   Cilia are these little hair-like substances which act like the old fire lines used to - one passes a bucket of water to the next one who passes it to the next one etc.   As the mucus is moving along it is, hopefully, taking the virus or toxin with it.

Vitamin C helps the body defend against viral infections by improving the immune response which means that it should stop the viruses from causing the “symptoms” of a cold or at least minimize them.   I guess you could say that Vitamin C are your body’s Border Security guards, they stop some threats and minimize others by cleaning and spraying dirty boots or confiscating box cutters and illegal drugs.

Taking a good quality antioxidant is a great idea when you know that there are viruses ‘doing the rounds.’   If you do get cold symptoms then listen to your body, take it easy and drink lots of fluids so that your body can concentrate on expelling the culprits!

Incorporating a great range of antioxidant foods into your diet is also a great idea – you can find out more about how to here –