How to stay healthy

Answer : ON average, adults have two to four colds a year. The symptoms may vary but the typical cold starts with a sore throat, sneezing, nasal congestion and a runny nose, frequently followed by a cough that can linger for a week to 10 days.

You may catch a cold - or flu - if you have a weak immune system. There are no cures for the common cold. However, there are numerous alternative and folk remedies worth trying to alleviate cold symptoms.

Get plenty of rest. Drink extra fluids to thin the mucus. A cool-mist humidifier to increase air moisture can relieve nasal symptoms. Abstain from smoking and stay away from smoky or polluted environment as these may prolong cold symptoms. Hot baths or alternating warm and cool showers will help you feel better.

For the immune system to function vigilantly, you must have good nutrition and take some supplements to boost it.

Beta-glucan, a long-chained polysaccharide molecule derived from the cell wall of the common baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), is an active, safe and potent immune regulator.

Beta-glucan activates the immune response through the specialised immune cells known as macrophage to yield various therapeutic effects.

In addition to these immune-enhancing effects, beta-glucan also helps to regulate cholesterol levels, promotes rapid wound healing and inflammation, protects against radiation exposure and prevents infection.

A formula of this with powerful anti-free radical nutrients such as beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, zinc and selenium is effective in helping to protect and building a stronger, healthier body.

These nutrients are excellent for you as you are also a smoker. The anti-free radical nutrients can help to neutralise the damaging effects to body cells caused by free radicals produced by smoking.