Beating the cold

I ought to be acclimatised to the semi bitter cool weather by now, since it was a fair bit colder in London than it is here. But no, the sneaky yet deathly chill got to me, creeping into my chest and frankly I feel a bit yuck.
I have been pretty tough at beating the cold ever since my move to Greece, eating better (well, kind of, excluding cakes and Greek yumminess) and not buying so much processed foods or foods out of tins and jars. I mean who woudda thought I'd be making my own sauces and stuff from scratch (with the exception of Thai Green curry sauce!)?

No matter how much I try to battle a common cold, it always seem to get the better of me but I've tried some basic tricks to get me on the road to recover much quicker without the help of antibiotics. Every year like clockwork I stock up on vitamin C (with added bioflavonoids to enhance the effectiveness of Vit C) & echinacea, sometimes starting as early as October.

Some other tips and tricks?

• Drink plenty; fruit juices, water and herbal teas over coffee, tea or alcohol, which are diuretic and can aggravate dehydration.
• You will laugh at this one but when I do have a fever or a common cold, I stick a hairdryer up my nose (on medium not too hot setting), inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth - the inhalation of warm air helps kill the cold virus. Alternatively try a hot sauna, bath or steam inhalations.
• Soothe a sore throat by soaking a muslin cloth in cold water, wring out and wrap around the neck and cover with a woolen scarf for around half an hour. Also sip some lemon and honey tea to warm you up! Or gargle lemon juice in warm water - it creates an acidic environment hostile to bacteria & viruses.
  
• Garlic has lots of antibacterial properties - chuck it in your cooking! Or if you're really brave, have a clove and go raw! Bet your partners/boyfriends/girlfriends will love that! Not.
  
• Enjoy some heartwarming dishes, such as stews, soups that contain onions, leeks and garlic. Homemade chicken Soup is amazing for colds too! Apparently it stops certain white blood cells (neutrophils) from congregating and becoming inflamed-something which triggers the body to produce mucus, double yuck! Oh and chuck some garlic in the soup!
  
• Keep your hands clean!!! Nuff said there! For all of you who have to deal with public transport - especially the Tube, will know what I mean!
  

Do you have any natural remedies to help beat the cold or flu?

Anyhoos, I'm loving this vibrant, nomadic shoot that the beautiful Liu Wen did for Vogue, Germany in the November issue. Shot by Greg Kadel. (Sorry Leia - there's fur involved!)

via here

Wishing you all a fun & fabulous November!
ΚΑΛΟ ΜΗΝΑ!

source: Reader's Digest '1,001 home remedies'