Wisdom

What is quercetin? Quercetin is a flavonoid found naturally in food. Flavonoids are a type of antioxidant that help mop up damage caused by those unstable atoms: free radicals. Antioxidants are a buzz word in the nutrition and beauty industry for good reason.

Vitamin D has hit the headlines again with reports in the Daily Mail, Guardian and BBC about the importance of adequate vitamin D as a coronavirus lifesaver.

Keeping our immune system functioning optimally is a concern for many during these unprecedented times.

Our immune system does a remarkable job at defending us against disease. Ensuring you have a balanced diet high in fruit and vegetables will help to keep it functioning as it should be. However there are times when we are particularly vulnerable to infections.

Teenagers go through huge mental and physical changes during adolescence and we know from the work of neuroscientists that adolescence isn’t only characterised by hormonal changes.

It is a modern dilemma – do you go out in the sun and top up your vitamin D levels but risk sunburn and sun damage, which at its worst can lead to skin cancer?

Poor circulation can be caused by a number of underlying problems but there are plenty of relatively simple, yet healthy things you can do to help improve your circulation.

Spring, a time of new beginnings, is when we finally see the end of the cold dark winter and look forward to long hot summer days. Whilst most people welcome warmer weather, for others spring means the start of the allergy season. According to the British Allergy Foundation, approximately one in four of the UK population will suffer from an allergy at some point in their lives, and the number of people affected is increasing by 5% each year.

Q. My husband’s snoring is becoming a real problem– we are both tired from disrupted sleep. Is there anything you can suggest to help?

Our immune system can be vulnerable to attack at any time of the year, but the majority of colds and flu-related illnesses are caught during the colder months, and the classroom or place of work are ideal breeding grounds for the nasty bugs that cause them.

Q. Help! My son and I have come down with a cold –what can I do to support us both?

Are we too clean for our own good? Hygiene has come a long way over the last century, but scientists seeking to understand the causes of the dramatic rise in allergic disease seen in industrialised populations over the same timespan have questioned if this was the cause.