When I was a wine buyer there was one thing that I was always desperate to avoid during the winter months…. catching a cold or flu. It’s pretty obvious that a blocked nose would simply render you unable to work, which is why at the first sign of any symptom I would quickly dose myself with aspirin and vitamins. An over reaction perhaps, but it seemed to work quite well for me, and over the years I don’t recall spending too many periods out of action.

The reason I mention this now is because I am just recovering from a nasty bout of “man flu” (and yes, it apparently does exist). A new study suggests that men may actually suffer more when they are struck down with flu – because high levels of testosterone can weaken their immune response! The study was carried out by the Stanford University School of Medicine – and that’s good enough for me. The reality is however, that apart from a few flu tablets and a day or two in bed, there’s not really too much that you can do…. apart perhaps from one small discovery that I made recently – the Neti Pot.

When I get a cold it usually goes straight to my head and fills my sinuses, and the neti pot is a way of offering some relief. It is otherwise known as nasal irrigation, which might sound disgusting, but does appear to work. I would recommend giving it a try, but only on the proviso that you follow the instructions carefully – using the correct saline solution made from distilled or boiled water (to get rid of possible impurities).

By the way, I did feel bad, but that’s not me in the photo!

When I was a wine buyer there was one thing that I was always desperate to avoid during the winter months…. catching a cold or flu. It’s pretty obvious that a blocked nose would simply render you unable to work, which is why at the first sign of any symptom I would quickly dose myself with aspirin and vitamins. An over reaction perhaps, but it seemed to work quite well for me, and over the years I don’t recall spending too many periods out of action.

The reason I mention this now is because I am just recovering from a nasty bout of “man flu” (and yes, it apparently does exist). A new study suggests that men may actually suffer more when they are struck down with flu – because high levels of testosterone can weaken their immune response! The study was carried out by the Stanford University School of Medicine – and that’s good enough for me. The reality is however, that apart from a few flu tablets and a day or two in bed, there’s not really too much that you can do…. apart perhaps from one small discovery that I made recently – the Neti Pot.

When I get a cold it usually goes straight to my head and fills my sinuses, and the neti pot is a way of offering some relief. It is otherwise known as nasal irrigation, which might sound disgusting, but does appear to work. I would recommend giving it a try, but only on the proviso that you follow the instructions carefully – using the correct saline solution made from distilled or boiled water (to get rid of possible impurities).

By the way, I did feel bad, but that’s not me in the photo!