Winter is coming. With that come colds and flus for some. We all know we should stop and rest, keep our fluids up and load up on vitamin C. But what else can we be doing to shorten the severity and duration of that dreaded cold? Kill the infection Many people think to take Echinacea when they are sick with the cold or flu. Well, forget Echinacea once a cold has taken hold. Echinacea is great for preventing colds so you can take it to ward off getting sick in the first place. Studies show i...

We are in for a cold winter this year and if it anything like the past winters it will mean lots of clients presenting to my podiatry rooms with tender, swollen, purple and red spots on their toes. This is why I thought it would be a great time to recap on our prevention and management guidelines for chilblains. So here goes.... Chilblains can present as itchy, tender red and purple swellings found on the extremities of the body, in response to cold. It is commonly found on the tips of the no...

We are coming to the end of the berry season but there are good reasons to keep on eating blueberries even in their frozen, canned, juiced or dried form. Blueberries are a super food that should feature in your daily diet. They are delicious so there is no twisting of arms needed to get people eating them. Why are blueberries so good? In animal studies the fruit has been found to prevent tumour formation, slow the growth of existing tumours, lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation in the bod...