What helps fight colds? Part 2

I recommend Cat-Cow a yoga posture where you move slowly between the two positions to increase your spine's flexibility. Yoga Cat-Cow Position Guidelines

1. Start on your hands and knees with your wrists directly under your shoulders, and your knees directly under your hips. Point your fingertips to the top of your mat. Place your shins and knees hip-width apart. Center your head in a neutral position and soften your gaze downward.
2. Begin by moving into Cow Pose: Inhale as you drop your belly towards the mat. Lift your chin and chest, and gaze up toward the ceiling. Broaden across your shoulder blades and draw your shoulders away from your ears.
3. Next, move into Cat Pose: As you exhale, draw your belly to your spine and round your back toward the ceiling. The pose should look like a cat stretching its back.
4. Release the crown of your head toward the floor, but don't force your chin to your chest.
5. Inhale, coming back into Cow Pose, and then exhale as you return to Cat Pose.
6. Repeat 5-20 times, and then rest by sitting back on your heels with your torso upright.

• Place your forearms on a bolster or stack of firm blankets to lift your torso more upright. This variation is especially useful for women who are pregnant.
• If your knee caps hurt, fold your mat or place a firm blanket under your knees.
• You can practice this pose throughout your day and while traveling. Sit in a chair (or airplane/bus seat) with your feet flat on the floor. Press your hands against a table, desk, or wall in front of you and perform the same spinal movements as in the regular pose.

• In Cat, let your head drop, releasing the back of your neck. Do not force your chin to your chest.
• Also in Cat, you can increase the abdominal massage and strengthening effects by drawing your belly button firmly in toward your spine
• In Cow, let the movement start from the tailbone. Allow your neck and head to be the very last part of the movement.
• Keep your shoulder blades broad and draw your shoulders away from your ears. This helps to protect your neck during the movements.
• Be aware of your breath and its coordination with your movements. Imagine your breath traveling up and down your spine as you inhale and exhale, like an ocean wave flowing onto the beach and retreating.

Around half of all women will get cystitis or some other unirary tract infection (UTI) at somepoint in their life.  The female anatomy makes women more susceptible.  Having had cystitis many years ago I can vouch for the pain.  As some women are prone to suffer multiple episodes, I wanted to share some natural options to help them stop coming back. Cranberry Juice 300-500ml of unsweetened cranberry juice or 400mg of concentrated cranberry extract twice a day appears to be sucessful is preventing or reducing the number of urinary tract infections (UTI).  However, there is limited evidence that cranberry can stop a UTI once you have it. Acupuncture Acupuncture was put to the test against sham acupuncture (the needles go into the wrong place or inserted in the wrong way) or no treatment for UTI prevention.  After six months 85% of those who had genuine acupuncture sufferend no UTIs compared with 58% of those of the sham group and 36% of the untreated group.  In another study UTI-prone women receiving acupuncture twice a week had half the rate of infections compared to those receiving no treatment.   References https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27251185 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9612877 https://europepmc.org/abstract/med/12721123

I am sure it hasn't escaped your attention that there has been a huge increase in the focus on mental health over the last couple of years.  So I wanted to share with you the results and conclusions of the largest study carried out here in the uk to help people with mental health issues. The Get Set To Go program started in 2015 was funded by the national lottery and supported by Sport England.  The study had 3,585 participants, of these 1,000 particpants progess was actively tracked.  This makes it the largest study of its kind to assit people with mental health issues to get physically active. A report by the Mind Charity,  two years into the project concluded that:

• Physical activity plays an important role in building resilience.
• Physical activity plays an important role in mental healty recovery.
• People who are physically active on a regular basis are more likely to experience better wellbeing.

• Reducing the risk of depression by up to 30%.
• Lifting mood.
• Improving self-esteem