Colds and flu in the menopause

To recap

As I discussed in my blog post on hayfever and the menopause, although the menopause itself doesn’t cause you to catch colds and flu, the changing levels of hormones in the peri-menopause and menopause put tremendous pressure on the body and this can manifest in lots of ways, including:

• Weakening the nervous system
• Affecting digestion and your friendly gut bacteria
• Affecting sleep
• Causing fatigue
• Weakening your immune system generally.

How can all this make you more prone to catching cold and flu?

• If your nervous system is under pressure you get stressed more easily and it is known that stress, especially if it is on-going, will have a negative effect on your immune system.
• If your digestion is poor then you may be nutritionally deficient, which will affect the immune system. We also know that friendly bacteria play a pivotal role in supporting the immune system and that if your digestion and elimination are not good this can directly affect the level of friendly bacteria in the gut.
• We know that poor sleep can weaken the immune system.
• Fatigue can grind you down, making you more susceptible to infections.

So, if your immune system is weakened in any of these ways, it will be much easier for bugs to get a hold and cause those horrid infections.

Is there anything you can do to prevent this from happening?

Yes, there is plenty you can do!

Looking after yourself well in the menopause is really important, so make sure that you have a good, varied diet with lots of plain water, plenty of rest and relaxation, and sensible amounts of exercise. All of these can help to keep your immune system strong and healthy.

How can natural remedies help?

Natural remedies can often be really helpful for preventing and treating colds, coughs and flu.

Probably the best known herb for fighting the symptoms of colds and flu is Echinacea, and many people use this all winter as a preventative too.

Don’t Let Colds & Flu Stop You

It’s not just A.Vogel’s no.1 cold and flu remedy; Echinaforce® is trusted by many to help them fight the symptoms of cold and flu every year.

It’s award winning too! This year it has been nominated for even more awards including the Natural Lifestyle Product Awards for BEST HERBAL.

Other herbs that may be helpful if you do catch one of those lurgies going around:

• For those annoying chesty coughs you could try Bronchoforce
• For that tickly cough you could try Bronchosan Cough Syrup
• For blocked ears or earache or sore sinuses the herb Plantago can be used
• If your poor old throat is sore you could try the Echinaforce^® Sore Throat Spray
• If you just fancy something warming and soothing why not try our Echinaforce^® Hot Drink

Adding in a low dose vitamin C supplement little and often can also be of benefit.

So, here’s to a healthy, happy winter!