This is the season of the dreaded “flu,” common colds and coughs. One must keep fit and build resistance to withstand the germ infection of these dreaded enemies.

Give attention to your diet. Included in the dietary should be a proportion of milk, fruit and vegetables. Drink plenty of water. The wearing of suitable clothing (which should be warm without being stuffy), having as much exercise as possible, maintaining proper personal hygiene, avoiding hot ill-ventilated rooms and crowded buildings, keeping your distance from infected persons, and keeping out in the fresh air and sunshine as much as possible, are all important factors towards keeping fit.

If you have that heavy head, dry throat and cold, shivery feeling, it is advisable to take precautions. Have a hot bath and get right to bed with a hot water bottle. Take a few doses of baking soda (half a teaspoon to a tumbler of water) at intervals of about two hours. Copious hot fruit drinks are also efficacious. This treatment should break up the “cold” if the infection is not severe, and you should be well in the morning; otherwise you should keep to your bed for a day or two, and take precautions not to spread the infection.

If you have a temperature it is well to stay in bed for at least twenty-four hours after the temperature has become normal. Keep to a fluid diet for a few days.

Inhalations.

Inhalations of medicated vapour are often ordered for head or chest colds. The usual medium is a jug of hot water with inhalant and a bath towel over the head. This is an uncomfortable method as it parboils the eyes and opens the pores of the skin to admit a chill. The best way to give an inhalation is to pour a pint of boiling water into a receptacle, with the inhalant ordered, and leave for a minute or two to cool. Cover the receptacle with a brown paper-bag with a small hole cut in the corner. If the inhalation is given in this way, the steam goes directly into the nose, passages and lungs, without the discomfort of steaming the face. After use, the paper-bag should be burnt.