Herbal teas, homeopathic remedies, foods and natural supplements are plentiful and effective, especially if the lifestyle one leads is compatible with the winter season, in which nature rests and crystallises.

Traditional Chinese medicine, with its wealth of millennia-old knowledge, speaks plainly by setting out the theory of the
five elements: "the alternation of energy present in the seasons also influences the lives of human beings. Ultimately, man is part of the universe and cannot escape its rules."

It will therefore be up to us to prevent illness by
listening to ourselves,
resting sufficiently,
eating in a way appropriate to the season, with its fruits. And once the very first, unmistakable symptoms of a seasonal ailment have been recognised, there is no need to worry — once again, nature will lend us a hand.

In these articles we will discover how.

edited by
Sonia Tarantola
and
Stefano Carnazzi

• They had forewarned us: this year the flu will arrive early and will be particularly "nasty". Allopathic vaccines are already available in pharmacies and most people equip themselves with vitamin and mineral supplements — which are indeed very useful, but not sufficient to ward off the attacks of this winter enemy. Here is the homeopathic response.
• We can also defend ourselves against seasonal ailments at the table.
  
  Home remedies…
• … and
  exotic remedies: from Pau d'arco to Camu-camu, the active compounds of plants known since the indigenous dawn of time.
• For the
  youngest, small attentions.

and, from the LifeGate
archive…

• Eucalyptus, lemon, thyme, juniper, lavender,
  sandalwood, niaouli, echinacea: essential oils and active compounds with antiseptic, disinfectant and restorative properties that

  can prove of great help
  in coping with the climate of the
  season.

• Phytotherapy has always been capable of providing, in a natural way and without dangerous contraindications, a valid preventive action and also a powerful therapeutic action against colds and flu, supporting the entire respiratory system.
  At the herbalist's, what relief…
• Protective activity against toxins or disorders of certain specific organs, anti-tumour, toning and restorative properties for the immune system or the organism as a whole… these are
  the properties of some herbs that are friends of good health.
• Regular sexual intercourse stimulates the immune defences against colds and flu, better than many medicines and vaccines. This has been established by some American researchers.
  In short,
  when you have a cold, make love.