By Inna Hemme
Hot, hot, icy! This year summer lasted until October. Berliners were even more surprised by the single-digit temperatures this week. Can we still cold?
“Such an abrupt change in temperature is a big challenge for the body,” says Berlin general practitioner Dr. Carsten Lekutat. “Normally temperatures fall gradually and our immune system has some time to adjust. This year it’s different. “We have to do something all the more urgently now to avoid getting sick.”
Because: Coughs and colds are not an inevitable fall fate; we can build up a good protective shield against infections with a few simple measures. Here are the most effective ones:
► Socks on
And grandma was right! “It is particularly important now to keep feet warm. Because there is a reflex arc between the feet and the nasal mucosa,” says the general practitioner. A study by Cardiff University in Wales was actually able to show that cold-footed people get more severe colds. Because reduced blood circulation below weakens the immune defense above.
► Learning the cold with contrast showers
“The best way to train the change between cold and heat that we now subject our bodies to through sudden heating air indoors and low temperatures outside is with alternate-temperature showers,” advises Dr. Lecutate.
Studies show that with regular use you get fewer respiratory diseases. Researchers even speak of the body’s learning effect: by getting used to temperature changes, the organism can deal with them better.
Outdoor sports are also perfect for becoming more resistant to the cold. “Wind and weather additionally irritate the organism, the body has more blood flow and produces more antibodies.”
► You can eat autumn health
Diet plays an important role in the body’s defense, because 70 percent of all immune cells are located in the intestine. Instead of drawing up a complicated nutritional plan, the doctor simply recommends a plant-based, colorful diet: “The secondary plant substances that strengthen the immune system are responsible for the colors,” he explains.
A drink made from ginger, honey and lemon is a real virus killer. A hot chocolate won’t help you much, however. “Industrial sugar increases inflammatory processes in the body and thereby burns out the immune system!”
► Sleep against colds
A study by the US University of Pittsburgh shows that if you sleep less than seven hours a night, you catch a cold three times as quickly as if you sleep more than eight hours. The expert knows how important rest is for our body: “During sleep, breathing, pulse and digestion slow down, the body has time and energy for repair work.”
► Don’t forget to wash your hands
“Strangely enough, Germans have become tired of washing their hands; studies show that they do it even less than before the pandemic. Washing your hands is the simplest method against around 80 percent of all infectious diseases,” says the expert. Especially in big cities like Berlin, a whole cocktail of bacteria gets stuck on door handles, public transport stops and touch screens on ticket machines.
Dr. Carsten Lekutat: “By washing your hands regularly, you can reduce the number of pathogens on your hands and become much less likely to get sick.”
It’s that easy to cope with the cold!