A live Q&A will be hosted tomorrow the 1st of March between 12-1pm on the  Facebook wall of A Vogel http://www.facebook.com/AVogelUK

The live Q&A will be questions on sleep problems and giving tips on how to get a better night’s sleep. Everyone could do with some tips on how to get a better night’s sleep, so feel free to join Alison Cullen (not related!) to discuss ways to help improve your nocturnal habits.

Each winter we all hope to make it through winter minus the constantly streaming nose, the irritation cough disturbing our nights, the head full of cement. Unfortunately, bugs have a number of factors on their side. Viruses aren’t just airborne. They can live for up to 3 days on things like escalator handrails, door handles, coffee cups, drinking glasses and plastic surfaces. No wonder they can be so hard to avoid. The virus will then dock on epithelial cells in the nasal cavity and replicate, sparking the unpleasant cold/flu symptoms. Even if we escape the viral infection route, there are bacteria out there seeking a landing site on our hapless mucous membranes.

On the plus side, we have Echinacea to relieve the symptoms of colds and flu, as well as upper respiratory tract infections. It is one of our most popular herbs, used by countless people both in the UK and in many parts of Europe and North America. Three species are used medicinally – Echinacea purpurea, Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea pallida but it is Echinacea purpurea that carries the most credibility in the form of solid research evidence. Echinacea purpurea has been shown to work by improving the immune response to any potential bug, making it less likely that you’ll fall prey to any kind of infection, from colds to flu and throat or chest infections.
On average, adults can expect to get 2 or 3 colds a year and each can last up to a week so if you are prone to catching colds or flu, it’s important to have a supply of good quality Echinacea drops or tablets to hand in preparation for the cold season. Taking Echinacea regularly between October and the beginning of February means that your immune system will be on the alert, ready to deal with the miseries of colds and flu during the winter months. If however you have already caught a bug, Echinacea will help speed up your recovery time.

But even if you manage to stay cold free, the long nights of winter, together with cloudy skies have still to be faced. During these months the body is not exposed to as much sunlight causing the brain to release smaller amounts of ‘happy chemical’ leading to a feeling of low mood or slight depression. This is borne out by the fact that in the Northern hemisphere this problem becomes worse during the winter and increasingly so the further North you go. Research has shown that St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum), often referred to as the ‘sunshine herb’, does indeed lift the mood of people suffering from low mood or mild depression. Hypericum tincture is an excellent way to take this herb, as it absorbs easily into the bloodstream without having to be broken down in the gut (an important point for people who have less than ideal digestion).

During the cold or damp weather it is very important to keep joints warm. The cooler, damper weather of winter can result in the reappearance of aches and pains which have lain dormant during the summer. Gentle exercise will soon stop you from seizing up, but don’t try anything that puts too much pressure on joints. Swimming, gentle walking and beginner’s yoga or T’ai Chi are good options, if you take them slowly. Arnica has been recognised as a medicinal plant since the 16th century and has a special place in homoeopathic medicine. Its most popular use is a remedy for bruising. When used as a herbal remedy, however, arnica has excellent anti-inflammatory properties which may prove of benefit should you have the misfortunate to slip or fall due to icy conditions and suffer sprained or strained joints as well as other tissue injuries. Research has shown that Arnica gel is just as effective as ibuprofen gel and as a result many people like to keep a tube of this popular herbal remedy to hand, not only for use during the winter, but for all times of the year.

Guest Post by A Vogel

I saw the article in the Daily Mail recently about women going through the menopause earlier, and the trauma this is causing to those who still want children. I’d like to make a comment as a nutritional therapist, based on the many cases I see in my clinic.

It is true that there are some women who experience early menopause and are through it and out the other side before their peers feel the first faint warming glow of a flush. There are also, however, many women who are told that they are menopausal because their hormone levels are low but who find that this is due to other factors, such as lifestyle issues. Women who have been chronically stressed (e.g. with pressurised jobs, demanding home lives, sleep deprivation, etc.) have often exhausted their adrenal glands, which produce adrenalin, and this impacts on the output of other hormones such as the sex hormones.

An additional issue can be nutritional deficiencies due to poor dietary choices (often inevitable in stressful situations or where stress-related fatigue makes planning a healthy diet seem impossible) or poor absorption – stress shuts down the digestive system, so anxious women very commonly experience this.

So if you’re told you are menopausal rather earlier than you counted on, then don’t accept it as the final word – see a practitioner about sorting out your diet and lifestyle, and not only might your hormones come back on line but your overall health will benefit too. And let’s face it, if you’re going to have children then you need to be as healthy as possible to deal with them!

If you really are menopausal, make sure that you tackle flushes if they are your first sign of hormonal havoc – recent research showed that the earlier flushes started, the longer they tended to last. (Freeman EW et al. Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2011; 117 (5): 1095-1104) Try sage tablets, which has a long history of use for menopausal hot flushes and night sweats.

We are giving away 70 FREE Menopause Packs which include samples and fantastic information on the menopause. To enter just click the Twitter button below and tweet to get your free Menopause Pack.

****UPDATE: NOW GIVING AWAY 100***

Have you used Arnica gel? I was only familiar with the homoeopathic version of Arnica, pills and creams, but I tried a sample of the gel, which is made from non-homoeopathic Arnica flowers – just straight herbal stuff. It really does the trick – anything that aches or twinges, just shove it on (gently!) and it totally helps, pretty quickly.

I did a bit of digging around and found out that there are lactones in it that are extremely anti-inflammatory. So I gave some to my partner to use after a heavy day out working (he works on planting contracts, which is quite heavy duty on the muscles), and he was thoroughly impressed. He now carries it around in his jeep as well as having it handy at home! It doesn’t seem to stop being effective after a few weeks of using it, as he’s found with other topical painkillers.

Arnica seems to have been a very popular medicinal plant for many centuries, with lots of folk stories attached to it. For example, it used to be hung up on roofs as a protection against lightening! Don’t try this at home – it is not scientifically proven… On the other hand, there seems to be quite a lot of research evidence for Arnica used as a gel.

• A study of patients with osteoarthritis of the fingers found that Arnica gel was as effective as the commonly used synthetic topical painkiller, ibuprofen gel. [1]

• A study in patients suffering from mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the knees found that 3 out of 4 experienced an improvement in their condition after using Arnica gel. [2]

• A study of patients with rheumatic complaints in at least one body site found that average pain measurements decreased by 50% over 3 weeks of using Arnica gel, with 43% being able to reduce other pain medication. [3]

• A preparation of Arnica flowers was found to be more effective in the treatment of muscle ache when applied externally than placebo. [4]

[1] Widrig R et al. Choosing between NSAID and arnica for topical treatment of hand osteoarthritis in a randomised, double-blind study. Rheumatol Int. 2007; 27: 585-591.

[2] Knüsel O et al. Arnica montana gel in osteoarthritis of the knee: an open, multicentre clinical trial. Advances in Therapy. 2002; 19 (5): 209-218.

[3] Knüsel O et al. AtroMed®-Gel bei rheumatischen Beschwerden am Bewegungsapparat. Sonderdruck Aus Ars Medici 13 2006: 1-3.

[4] Barnes J, Anderson LA, Phillipson JD. Arnica. In: Herbal Medicines. 3rd ed. Great Britain: Pharmaceutical Press; 2007: 64-66.

Here’s the exciting bit – AVogel have 50, yes, FIFTY Sports Packs to give away to the first people to tweet this article. Click the button below to be entered into this very generous and exciting draw:

This post was guest written by A Vogel