So here in the Alishan office, surrounded as we are by health foods, you’d think never a sniff or a cough was heard. Well, you’d be wrong. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him gargle. I wish there was a wonder cure for the common cold but there just isn’t. The heavy duty cold cures you find in drug stores will make sure you function enough for work but they don’t cure the cold; in fact I often find they make my colds last even longer.

The key, it seems, is to not catch a cold in the first place. I used to think if there was a bug going round I was bound to get it and sure enough I’d get the sore throat, swiftly followed by a full blown cold. After reading around and actually listening to those miraculous people who seem never to get sick though I’ve learned a great deal. First off, I needed to deal with my environment. I wash my hands. A lot. Using alcohol gel if I can’t get to soap and water. I try not to rub my eyes, bite my nails, (or pick my nose!) as that’s the most common ways for cold germs to enter the body. I make sure I put out clean hand towels at home every day (sorry, yes, I was a bit slack there) as these are another great breeding ground for germs. I try and keep the humidity of the room high by simmering soup on the stove, or hanging wet washing up in the living room (not attractive, but effective!). I try to make sure I never get too cold (and that includes not washing my hair at night if I’m feeling run down as damp hair in a cold bedroom is asking for trouble) and I am in love with my fluffy leg warmers (very 1980s!).

Then I needed to take a look at what I ate. Vitamin C, zinc and ginger are all great immunity boosters. Surprisingly oranges are not the best source of vitamin C but are topped by guava, red pepper and kiwi fruit. Dark green vegetables like broccoli and kale are also good and will give you a hit of iron too. Meat is one of the best sources of zinc, but for vegetarians and vegans out there pumpkin seeds are the next best thing. They are packed full of zinc and are great to snack on. Finally ginger, which is easy to use in any number of Japanese dishes. According to macrobiotic theory though if you want the health benefits, ginger should be thinly sliced and dried outside for a few days before use.

Last but not least I need to rethink what I did if I ever did get that warning sore throat. I used to reach for whatever medicine was to hand and head off to my bed. Unfortunately this was not the answer if I was to avoid getting sick. Resting seems to make things worse whilst staying active seems very effective at staving off a worsening cold, no matter how shattered I feel at the time. I also drink a lot of liquid. Hot herbal teas, hot ginger, water; anything to keep my body hydrated. I take echinacea extract three times a day in a glass of water, and gargle with a teaspoon of ume extract dissolved in warm water for my sore throat. And believe it or not, it works! I haven’t had a bad cold in several years and any cold that has caught me has been quickly dealt with. Trust your body to fight off the cold and don’t reach for the medicine cupboard. This advice is not fashionable, it’s not a magic answer and it does involve a change in the way you look at the way your live but it definitely works.