An extract from a South African geranium might reduce the length of your next cold by two days if you take it within 48 hours of your first symptoms. A University of Chicago study found that the plant—Pelargonium sidiodes—may weaken viruses and boost your immunity. Read More
They survive cold season without a sniffle. They fly in germ-packed airplanes unscathed. And they somehow avoid stomach bugs that decimate the office.
Wish you could be one of these women who never get sick? Try one or—even better—all of these secrets, and you may join this club come flu season. Read More
At the first sign of sickness, Jenny Spring, 29, of Cambridge, Mass., practices another tactic linked to good health: “I tell myself that I refuse to be sick.” Is she crazy to think that works? Not at all. In one study, participants who had heightened activity in a region of the brain associated with a positive attitude produced greater amounts of flu antibodies. Another study showed that people with sunny dispositions churned out more antibodies in response to vaccinations. Researchers aren’t clear on the connection, but they do know “the brain communicates with the immune system, and vice versa,” says Anna L. Marsland, PhD, director of the Behavioral Immunology Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh. And a growing number of psychologists stress that focusing on wellness, as opposed to illness, can have good results. Read More
For the past three years, Mindy Hardwick, 38, of Lake Stevens, Wash., has dodged all the major bugs while volunteering at schools and a juvenile-detention center. Her secret weapon: a monthly massage. Hardwick even sailed through a move (selling her first house) without the poststress blahs. “It’s got to be the massage,” she says. “I’m convinced it’s like taking medicine.” Read More
The überhealthy don’t shrug off an impending cold—they attack it. Jenny Spring, 29, of Cambridge, Mass., takes a double shot of vitamin C and zinc at the first sign of ominous sniffles or throat tickles. She sips the powdered drink mix Emergen-C (it packs 1,000 mg of vitamin C) once or twice a day, followed by a few blasts of Zicam, an over-the-counter zinc nasal spray. “I’ve warded off coughs and colds long enough that I don’t remember the last time I had one,” she says. Read More
In the last five years, Gwynne Berry, 39, of Waterbury, Vt., has avoided serious bouts of constipation by sipping a soothing home brew. When irregularity looms, she puts a few slices of peeled fresh ginger into a mug of hot water, steeps it for five minutes, and adds honey. “It tastes great and works like a charm,” Berry says. She sees results in about three hours, sans the diarrhea many conventional laxatives cause. Read More
Chris Pope Campbell, 39, of East Greenwich, R.I., washes her hands up to a dozen times a day—after using the restroom, upon returning home after work and errands, after blowing her nose, before eating. That’s unusual. Surveys suggest less than half of us are so vigilant. Campbell’s thrilled with the results: “I rarely get a cold, and there hasn’t been a stomach flu in my family for more than five years.” Read More
Gwendolyn Witherspoon, 54, of Baltimore, came across her stay-healthy secret—an icy shower—during a power outage. “I felt great afterward,” she says. A year later, she says her chilly regimen keeps her cold-free, her skin glowing, and her energy level higher than ever. Read More
Susan Spain, 54, of Conyers, Ga., hasn’t been sick since 1992, and she credits that to one daily ritual: eating a clove of raw garlic right after breakfast. “I quarter it and put it in applesauce so it is easier to swallow and doesn’t upset my stomach.” Read More
Don’t put a topical drug up your nose
Some frequent travelers report that this simple trick is germ-killing genius. Not so, says Neil Schachter, MD, director of respiratory care at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City. Neosporin treats only topical bacteria, not the ones that cause airway infections. Plus, it’s powerless against viruses and may irritate your sensitive nasal lining. Read More
Copyright © 2008 Health Media Ventures, Inc. All rights reserved.
The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. See the Terms of Service for more information.
