In an article in the Times this week it was claimed that fluctuating your weight can actually weaken your immune system making you more vulnerable to all sorts of diseases. In a study conducted by the men and women in white coats at the University of Washington, it was found that women who had gone on diet and succeeded in losing ten pounds on two or more occasions in the last 20 years had weaker immunity than those who had not dieted in this way. Immunity was measured objectively by counting the number of natural killer cells in the blood. Natural killer cells (or NK cells) are the soldiers of the body who fight bacteria, viruses and other dangerous substances in the body. A lower NK cell response has purportedly been linked to a higher risk of cancer as well.

British nutritionists tended to agree with the general idea of the findings of their colleagues across the Atlantic. Said Sarah Schenker of the British Nutrition Foundation: ‘It is far healthier to lose weight gradually by reducing food intake gradually (that’s two ‘graduallys’ in once sentence, Sarah) and becoming more physically active. We agree.

1. At the very start of a cold, when you can just feel that familiar tingle in the back of your throat, start taking Aconite 6c every hour for the day. This is your best chance of warding the cold off, but you must use it early.
2. When you are really feeling down with a cold, with shivers down your spine, a fever and very sore throat, use Gelsemium 6c hourly.
3. Towards the end of a cold, when that dry cough just won’t go away, use Bryonia 6c three times a day until it does, but no longer than two weeks after which you should have a doctor listen to your chest.