Colds and flu are particularly common in winter. More than 200 viruses cause the common cold.

Flu (influenza) is caused by a different group of viruses and is a far more severe health condition that can lead to death.

Antibiotics are not a suitable treatment for colds and flu because antibiotics target bacteria, not viruses.

Take steps to protect yourself from colds and flu this season.

To do this you need to:

1. get immunized and protect yourself from flu
2. cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze,
or use your inner elbow
3. throw tissues in the bin after you use them
4. wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you
cough or sneeze
5. use alcohol-based hand sanitizers
6. clean surfaces and objects such as doorknobs, keyboards and
phones regularly
7. avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth as germs spread this way
try to avoid close contact with people who have a flu-like illness.

If you have flu-like symptoms you should:

1. stay home from work or school
2. limit contact with other people to keep from infecting them.

No treatment will cure your cold, or make it go away more quickly, but if you get plenty of rest and stay hydrated you can expect to recover quicker.

Medication
Taking paracetamol will help to relieve your headache, muscle aches and reduce your fever.

It’s important to check the active ingredients on your medications and be careful you don’t double dose (many colds and flu medicines have paracetamol as an active ingredient).

Discuss medicines with your pharmacist or doctor before using or giving to children to make sure they are safe.

The flu vaccination can help to protect you against getting the flu.

Whether you’re seeking winter sun in the north, or (trying to!) stay warm in the south; it’s important to keep up your healthy eating habits and get your 30 minutes of physical activity a day.

So, keep your heart healthy with these 7 healthy tips for winter.

1. Enjoy winter seasonal vegetables and fruit
Grapefruit, kiwifruit, mandarins and oranges are all delicious and in season over winter. Try involving fruit in your breakfast if you’re not already, and add an extra serve of vegetables to each main meal. Broccoli, carrots and cauliflower are great winter vegetables, particularly for soups.

2. Take time for tea
Drinking tea dates back to ancient China, and in recent years the spotlight has been on its health benefits. Black and green tea are rich in plant chemicals, some of which are called flavonoids, which have antioxidant effects. In studies of people who drink tea regularly, their blood vessels were healthier and their risk of heart disease lower. Of course, many people who drink tea do other healthy things too, like eating more vegetables and doing more exercise so it can be hard to pinpoint the effect to tea-drinking alone. But why not take on all of these healthy things this winter: more vegetables, taking time to enjoy tea, and going for a walk every day.

3. Stews, casseroles and leftovers
A great winter warmer! Make your casseroles and stews with lots of vegetables to boost your meals with heart healthy foods. When cooking stews and casseroles remember to trim fat off meat before cooking and add kidney beans, chickpeas, soy beans or lentils for fibre, and use reduced salt stock. Making extra means lunch is sorted too. For winters desserts, stew some fruit and save some for breakfast for the next day.

4. Perfect your portions
Winter is a great time to re-think the size of your meal, especially with foods such as rice, pasta and potatoes which, while delicious, can be easy to over-serve. Choosing a healthy amount for you can help to manage your weight, and free up space on your plate for more vegetables! Try using smaller plates when dishing up and waiting 20 minutes before heading back for seconds.

5. Get active indoors
Join a team or a physical activity program. There’s lots of indoor activities to embrace over winter, such as yoga, bowling, dancing, soccer and so on. The key is making your winter activity enjoyable and social. Try out your local indoor swimming pool; if you’re not a great swimmer try some simple aerobics moves in the shallow end.

6. Sit less
Get active around the house. Don't want to miss your favourite show? Try jogging or skipping on the spot or even just stretching while you watch. Try getting active gardening, cleaning, washing the dog or dancing. Have fun getting physical in the comfort of your warm home. Use an activity tracker to make sure you’re still getting your steps up. Set a target to achieve the same amount of steps you would complete over the warmer months.

7. Rug up
Keep an eye on the weather and if it’s not raining, get out outside and go for it. Once you get moving you’ll warm up. When you’re out and about look for incidental ways to exercise walk or cycle to the local shops instead of driving the car. Use the stairs instead of the lift or escalator.

1. Give lip service.
Thirty minutes of making out can improve allergy symptoms. Research shows that kissing reduces the amount of chemicals your body releases in response to allergens.

2. Turn up the heat on your sheets.
Bedding contains thousands of dust mites that can irritate sensitive skin and exacerbate eczema, according to a new study. Wash sheets in H2O that's at least 140 F. to make sure you kill the critters.

3. D-stress.
Getting plenty of calcium and vitamin D can decrease your risk of developing a stress fracture by 20 percent. Active women should strive for 1,000 IU of vitamin D and 2,000 milligrams of calcium daily to keep their bones strong, experts say.

4. Get your head examined.
Melanomas found on your scalp or neck almost double your risk of dying compared with those detected elsewhere on the body, report researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Because they're often hidden by hair, malignant moles and other skin abnormalities are typically detected too late for treatment to be effective. See your MD for an annual skin check.

5. Clean up your mouth.
Two ounces of yogurt a day (the typical container holds six ounces) may protect you from gum disease, a recent study in the Journal of Periodontology shows. The "good" bacteria in yogurt helps fight germs in your mouth.

6. Play red light, green light.
For increasing your endurance, four to six 30-second bursts of all-out cardio are just as effective as up to an hour of training at a lower intensity. Short on time? Use intervals to get stronger more quickly.

7. Reboot your brain.
Mundane tasks, such as entering data into a spreadsheet, can switch your mind into default mode, making you more likely to mess up within about 30 seconds, scientists say. Feel like you're operating on autopilot? Snap out of it by going for a quick walk down the hall.

8. Debug your desk.
As many as 283 species of bacteria can thrive in ordinary office dust, including nasty streptococcus, the main cause of strep throat, and staphylococcus aureus, which can lead to MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant staph infection, according to a recent report. Wipe down your workstation, keyboard, and phone regularly with a disinfectant such as Formula 409 Antibacterial All-Purpose Cleaner or Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner.

9. Shrug it off.
Strengthening your trapezius muscle, which runs from your shoulders to your neck and upper back, can reduce chronic neck pain by up to 80 percent.

Get shoulder shrugs and other shoulder soothing exercises here

10. Juice your looks.
A diet rich in vitamin C and linoleic acid (a fatty acid found in many vegetable oils) can reduce the appearance of wrinkles, dryness, and thinning skin, according to a study.

Tips 11-20: Control Cravings, Fight Off Illness, and Stand Taller
11. Get sappy.
Spending just 30 minutes a day consciously thinking of a loved one can promote mental and emotional well-being, say University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers. Cultivating the feeling of love and compassion stimulates the brain to make new connections and neural pathways.

12. Chill out.
Just two to three minutes under cool water in the shower can boost your mood. The cold may cause the brain to release feel-good hormones.

13. Go slo-mo.
Doing tai chi regularly not only improves your endurance and flexibility but may also help control blood sugar and improve your immune system. The exercise increases levels of certain bacteria-fighting T-cells in your body, research shows.

14. Be a dairy queen.
Women on a low-calorie diet who took supplements to up their calcium from 600 milligrams a day or less to 1,200 milligrams a day lost an average of 10 pounds more than those who didn't boost their intake, according to a new study. Your brain may be able to detect low calcium levels in the body and tries to compensate by increasing your appetite for foods rich in this mineral, experts say. Skim milk, low-fat cheese, and fortified OJ are all good sources.

15. Straighten up.
Tension in your neck may affect how your body regulates blood pressure, animal studies indicate. At work, sit with your back firmly against your chair, your feet on the floor, your knees slightly higher than your hips and your chair close to your desk.

16. Go green.
Drinking green tea with your antibiotics helps the medication destroy harmful bacteria up to three times more effectively, researchers found.

17. Grab some garbanzos.
People who regularly consume beans typically weigh six pounds less than those who don't, even though they take in more daily calories. Researchers believe this may be because the legume eaters get more fiber but consume less fat, especially saturated fat, than those who shy away from beans. Throw a handful into salads, soups, or pasta sauce for an extra boost of protein and fiber.

18. Chomp cravings away.
Chewing gum after lunch can curb hunger, a recent study shows. But pick your stick carefully. Ingesting too much sorbitol, a common ingredient in sugar-free gum, can cause diarrhea and abdominal pain. We like sorbitol-free Ice Breakers Ice Cubes White sugar-free gum.

19. Reach new heights.
Wearing a pair of moderately high heels (2 to 2 1/2 inches) can strengthen your pelvic-floor muscles, which can improve your sex life.

20. Munch a bunch.
About one cup of red grapes a day can help suppress the abnormal cell formation that leads to most types of breast cancer, according to a recent study in Cancer Prevention Research. Resveratrol, a natural compound found in grapes, grape juice, and red wine, may prevent estrogen from reacting with DNA molecules, which can lead to cells becoming cancerous, scientists say.

Tips 21-31: Eat Better, Relax, and Get Your Game On
21. Run for your life.
Joggers have a 40 percent lower risk of dying than people who don't lace up their sneakers, according to Stanford University researchers. Runners are less likely to have cardiovascular problems or develop disabilities as they age. Motivate yourself to become fit by training for a 5K.

Get our beginner-friendly six-week training plan

22. Be cuckoo for coconut.
An oil high in fatty acids made from coconut oil has been shown to burn fat and promote weight loss, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. People who consumed four to five teaspoons of this type of oil (in baked goods and through cooking) every day for 16 weeks lost almost four pounds more than those who used olive oil.

23. Get crackin'.
Adding one egg a day, yolk and all, to your diet can increase good HDL levels without increasing bad LDL cholesterol levels. Low levels of HDL have previously been linked to memory loss.

24. Strike a pose.
Relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation help your body beat the symptoms of stress before they harm your health, according to researchers at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

25. Tap into the magic of mushrooms.
White button mushrooms can boost your immune system by improving how your T-cells work, according to recent preliminary studies. T-cells are the white blood cells that help protect your body from harmful intruders.

26. Try the silent treatment.
Being exposed to just 35 decibels of noise (about the sound of people talking softly) while in bed could raise your blood pressure by six or seven points, according to a recent study. Snooze more peacefully by investing in a white-noise or sound machine like the Obus Forme Sound Therapy Relaxation System ($30, amazon.com).

27. Get your game on.
Playing video games with a lot of action sequences can sharpen your visual skills by 20 percent, according to research from the University of Rochester in New York. A fun game to try: Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Anniversary for Wii ($30, amazon.com).

28. Hit the sauce.
People who munch on apples, eat applesauce, or drink apple juice are 27 percent less likely to develop metabolic syndrome — a combination of health problems, such as increased blood pressure and blood-sugar levels, that can lead to heart disease and diabetes, research shows. Other studies suggest that eating apples may reduce your risk of breast cancer.

29. Take a nature break.
Heading outdoors for 30 minutes when the sun is shining can make you happier and improve your brain's ability to process new information, according to a study at the Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics.

30. Go, go, go!
If you feel the urge, race to the restroom. Having an overly full bladder can increase stress on the heart, upping the odds of a heart attack in those at risk, a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows.

31. Fly away.
Women who take at least two vacations a year are more happily married than those who rarely get out of town, because they are less likely to be depressed, tense, or tired. Book your summer trip now.

One of the best ways to maintain your health is by taking care of yourself. If you want to live a healthy lifestyle and enjoy your old age without being injected with several different kinds of shots, then change your daily lifestyle because even the simplest little healthy modification can cause great benefits.
Though it is difficult to put health and fitness as a top priority in this rat race day and age, it’s best to start with baby steps will surely peak your health tremendously. Today, Dr.K.M. Sunesara – General Physician, Mumbai will help us to lead a disease free life, by providing a list of top 20 healthy habits. Follow these simple steps to stay away from the constant acchoos and germ attack.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 1: Wash your hands often
Not washing hands before a meal is one of the fastest way you can fall ill. During our daily chores, we tend to touch several things at a time knowing and unknowingly. Due to this daily mechanism, germs can get easily transported from our hands to our mouth. Hence, always instill the habit of washing hands regularly to keep health problems at a hands distance.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 2: Stop nose picking
This habit of digging gold’ is one of the worst health habits. Picking your nose constantly can cause and spread various infections like cold and flu since cold virus is passed into your body through the mucus. After touching several things and then taking the same finger into your nose, will ensure that you land at the doctor’s clinic. Hence, stop this awkward habit of pulling out sticky substance from your nose.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 3: Stretching is important
Make stretching a part of your daily activities. Since we spend most of our time ina office and infront of the computer, our muscles tend to become stiff and contracted. This stiffness can increase the risk of injuries and sever pains. To avoid these injuries, make sure to regularly pratice stretching every morning – says Dr. Sunesara.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 4: Breathe the right way
The best way to improve your health is by improving your breathing technique – says Dr. Sunesara. Dr. Sunesara recommends – we should breathe from our diaphragm instead of breathing from our chest. This change in the breathing pattern will help to maximize the oxygen intake and will also ensure that you stay calm. Change your breathing style to improve the way your body functions and blood circulation.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 5:Eat a healthy breakfast
Always make sure that you eat a healthy breakfast every morning. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and a eating a healthy breakfast in the morning will help you to avoid snacking during the rest of the day. Result? You will prevent stomach upset which is caused due to digestion problem and weight gain.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 6: Bathing is good
Make sure you cleanse yourself thoroughly with a good refreshing shower gel or soap. A good shower is necessary to remove dirt and odor from your body and bathing also helps you to revitalize. Make your shower time a pamper time, by cleaning each part of your body thoroughly to prevent infection and foul odor.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 7: Cut your nails regularly
Long nails will not only make performing your daily tasks difficult but it can also act as a host for infections and germs. When you touch several things, there is a huge chances of the germs getting stuck into your nails – says Dr. Sunesara. These germs can pass to your mouth, when you nibble your food.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 8: Avoid sharing personal items
Sharing personal items like razors, toothbrush and nail clips etc. can lead to germ transfer. Keep your personal items just for you. Never share any item even with your family members.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 9: Always apply sunscreen
Make a habit of applying a good sunscreen on your skin, whenever you venture out.This habit will keep various skin problems like skin cancer and melanoma at bay. Besides, it will also decrease skin damage and give you a younger looking skin for a long time.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 10: Say no to sugary items
Sugary items are as toxic as alcohol and cigarettes. Excess presence of sugar in your body, can have sever negative effects on your weight and skin. Avoid sugary items and sweet sodas to keep diabetes and other chronic diseases at bay.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 11: Sweat it out
Give a break to your inactive life by adding a little exercise to it. Exercising regularly for 30 minutes have endless benefits as it helps to maintain healthy weight, decreases tension and boosts your energy levels and mood. Start exercising stay healthy and to avoid various cardiovascular diseases.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 12: Good sleep
Never compromise on your sleeping hours. A good night's sleep for 8 hours is very important to prevent various sleep disorders. Thus, always maintain a proper schedule and proper sleeping pattern. Choose a comfortable bed and never eat a heavy meal late at night.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 13: Stop worrying
The best thing favour you can do to yourself is by avoiding stress like plague. Stress is the cause of various health problems like depression, insomnia and heart ailment. Dr. Sunesara says – whenever stressed, practice breathing exercise and relax yourself.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 14: Monitor your monitor time
Reduce your monitor time, to avoid negative impact on your eyes and mental health – says Dr. Sunesara. If your work depends on the usage of monitors then protect yourself by using good pair of eye protection glasses and adjust the way you sit. Besides, make sure you avoid looking at any kind of a monitor before bed time to get a good nights sleep.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 15: Drink lots of water
Drink a minimum of 8-10 glasses of water every day, depending on your physical activity. Sufficient intake of water is very essential to flush out toxins from your body and to rejuvenate your cells. If you do not drink enough water, you will end dehydrated yourself and thus, exhausted.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 16: Say no to junk food
Fast food is rich in trans fat, sugar, spices and artificial preservatives. Constantly consuming junk food will expand your waistline and cause serious health problems in the long run such as high cholesterol, diabetes and heart problems. Since fast food is rich in bad fat, it raises the bad cholesterol in the body and leads to the hardening of the arteries, which can further cause plaque deposits. Hence, switch to a healthier diet and protect yourself from weight gain and other serious wellbeing problems.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 17: Quit smoking
Dr. Sunesara says – smoking even a single cigarette a day, can cause blood clots, which may prevent swift flow of the blood and hence can cause plaque to develop in your arteries and blood vessels. Besides, you may also damage the life of the nonsmoker who is living with you.
Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 18: Stay safe while having sex
Sex is a pleasurable act and if you act foolish you will land in serious health problems. Dr. Sunesara says – always use a condom while having sex to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and avoid unwanted pregnancy. Besides, don’t be a Casanova, stick to one partner for your sexual pleasures.

Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 19: Respect your body and yourself
Your body is your host, learn to respect it. Accept every flaw and weaknes and learn to live with it. If you want to stay happy with good health and high confidence then love your body the way it is.
Healthy Habit to Avoid Disease # 20: Start loving vegetables

The first habit to add in your eating rule book is to add all types of vegetables in your diet. The health benefits of eating vegetables are numerous. Vegetables are loaded with fiber, essential vitamins and various nutrients which promote good health in every way.

Did you know you can reduce your risk of cancer by eating a nutritious diet? Research shows that as many as one-third of all cancer deaths are linked to lifestyle behaviors including diet and physical activity.

Eating well can help you prevent and beat cancer in a variety of ways. Tweet thisIf you have cancer, eating well can positively support treatment. This may help you live well for years to come after treatment.

Here are some general guidelines to help reduce your cancer risk through eating right.

Tip #1: Keep a Healthy Weight
One in five people who die from cancer have an overweight or obese body mass index. But, exactly how weight affects cancer risk is unclear. Excess weight increases your risk by 50 percent for endometrial cancer and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Also, a higher number of postmenopausal women who are overweight develop breast cancer. Weight in the belly area is most closely connected with an increased risk of certain cancers. But, obesity is associated with cancer of the following ten body parts:

Colon
Gallbladder
Kidney
Liver
Ovaries
Pancreas
Prostate
Rectum
Thyroid
Uterus
Tip #2: Limit Calorie-Dense, Nutrient-Deficient Foods
Reduce your intake of foods with added sugars and solid fats that provide a lot of calories but few nutrients. These foods include: sugar-sweetened beverages, processed snack foods and desserts. Calories add up fast with these sorts of calorie-dense foods, which can lead to weight gain and leaves little room for more healthful, cancer-preventive foods.

Tip #3: Eat Vegetables, Fruits, Whole Grains and Legumes
Eating plenty of whole plant foods is linked with a lower risk of lung, oral, esophageal, stomach and colon cancer. At this point, it's not clear which components in vegetables and fruits are most protective against cancer. So enjoy a variety of whole foods naturally-rich in nutrients. Fill half your plate with vegetables and fruits, and make at least half your grains whole grains.

Tip #4: Moderate Your Meat Portions
Some studies suggest a link between colon cancer and eating large amounts of red meat. This is especially true for processed meat such as ham, bacon and hot dogs. Your best bet is to enjoy animal protein in moderation. Enjoy a small portion of meat and fill the rest of your plate with whole grains and vegetables.

Tip #5: Focus on Plant Proteins
Beans and lentils are nutritious and affordable sources of protein and dietary fiber. Nutrient-dense plant-based proteins also include tofu and tempeh. Eating more plant protein than animal protein is associated with a lower risk of many types of cancers.

Tip #6: Limit Alcohol
Evidence suggests all types of alcoholic drinks may increase your risk of a number of cancers, including cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, breast, colon and rectum. It's unclear exactly how alcohol affects cancer risk. It is considered more harmful when combined with smoking. If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to no more than one drink daily for women and two for men. (A serving of alcohol is considered 1½ fluid ounces of hard liquor, 5 fluid ounces of wine or 12 fluid ounces of beer.)

Tip #7: Eat Whole Foods
Whole foods are your best bet for reducing cancer risk. Research suggests the nutrients found naturally in foods offers a protective effect. The same findings do not appear to be true for supplements. Thus, the best sources of nutrients for cancer prevention are nutrient-rich whole foods and healthful beverages. Talk to your health care provider before taking any supplements.

For more tips on reducing your risk or managing diseases through nutrition, consult a registered dietitian nutritionist in your area.