Ways to banish the winter blues

New Zealand might have had the mildest May since records began in 1909, but weather-watchers are predicting winter will quickly descend and bring with it the usual cold-weather woes and illnesses.
There are a number of options for trying to beat those winter blues, but unless you are wealthy the most pleasant - lying on a tropical beach somewhere slapping on the sunblock - is probably out of reach.
So those of us left on our chilly South Pacific island will have to try some less exciting ways to keep those bugs from invading our bodies and making us feel beneath the weather this winter.
Here are a few tips that may help ...
Colds and flu

Both are caused by viruses, but although the common cold is often just a nuisance, flu can affect the joints, cause pneumonia, respiratory failure and even death.
Influenza is deadly for about 400 people in New Zealand every year, which is about the same as the road toll.
The common cold is caused by adenovirus or coronavirus, of which there are countless sub-categories infecting the nose, sinuses, throat and airways.
Symptoms include sneezing, a stuffy and/or runny nose, coughing, sore throat and watery eyes.
Colds and flu are caught by contact with other people's mucus, either through walking into someone's sneeze, or from touching a contaminated surface. Kids usually get up to eight colds a year.
In a non-swine flu year, between 10 and 20 per cent of the population usually get the flu.
Flu symptoms include a sudden fever, accompanied by chills and shakes, extreme fatigue, muscle aches, a hacking cough, diarrhoea and vomiting, which can lead to dehydration.
Colds and flu usually last seven to 10 days, but flu symptoms can linger for up to a month.
The cure

For colds, fluids, decongestants and cough syrups can help ease symptoms, but rest is the best.
With flu, antiviral drugs can speed recovery by blocking the bug's ability to reproduce itself, but they are most effective within the first 48 hours. Iron supplements should be stopped for a couple of days as viruses use iron as part of their reproduction cycle.
Antibiotics are useless against cold and flu viruses, but some secondary infections and complications are bacterial and may need such treatment. If symptoms persist or worsen, see your doctor.
Prevention is better than cure, so the best defence against colds and flu is good hygiene. Making sure vitamin C levels are kept up also helps.
Flu vaccine shots can prevent 70 to 90 per cent of infections in healthy people under 65.
Chapped lips
These become much more common in winter because when you're cold less blood is pumped to the extremities of your body, including the lips, drying them out.
The condition is exacerbated by exposure to wind and fluctuations in humidity. Left untreated, chapped lips can become a persistent, painful, cyclical condition.
The cure

Lip balms with cocoa butter and/or beeswax protect the sensitive lip tissue from further harm.
Fit to fight the blues

The healthier you are the better chance you have of beating the winter blues.
One of the best ways to keep healthy and happy in winter is to exercise regularly.
When exercising outside, warm up beforehand and beware of slippery footpaths on frosty mornings. If it's too wet for you, why not try an indoor sporting activity or join a gym?
Eat to stay well

Biscuits and chips for dinner may taste good, but it's not good for your energy levels, which will fluctuate.
For energy, eat wholegrain bread, oats and brown rice. Boost immunity to winter germs with garlic and vitamin C.
Foods rich in vitamin D - oily fish, egg yolks and margarine - will counteract lack of sunlight. Eat seasonal or frozen fruit and vegetables, which are packed with minerals and vitamins.
Keep up your fluid intake because dehydration can lead to low energy levels and encourage snacking.