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		Ask Orisia Dear Orisia, I dread the coming winter season. With three school-age children and a husband who works in a busy office, it seems all we do from November to February is trade colds, coughs, and flu viruses! Is there anything I can do? Apprehensive in Abita Dear Apprehensive, As our own immune systems are at their weakest and most vulnerable in the winter months, it would be wise to take some simple steps to strengthen and support this guardian of our health. First, make sure everyone in your family takes extra vitamin C everyday. For children under 10 years of age, 500 mg.(there are tasty chewable vitamin C tablets available at most drug and health food stores). For children over 10, 1,000 mg.per day. For adults, 3,000 mg.per day from October through February is a good idea. Also, purchase some Echinacea/Golden Seal tablets at the health food store, and give 2 daily to children over 10 and adults. Children under 10 should take 1 daily. Echinacea and Golden Seal are herbs known to boost the immune system. Also, try to increase cooked vegetables and beans in your families diet by serving hearty vegetables and bean soups, (like lentils, carrots and onions, split pea, etc). Heavily sugared foods, like soft drinks, candy bars,etc., should be minimized as sugar weakens the immune system profoundly. Colds, coughs and "the flu" should be a rare occurrence, not a predictable house-guest each winter. Dear Orisia, This may sound silly, with all the latest news about saturated fat, hydrogenated fat and trans fat, but I'm still confused about cholesterol! My sister and I had an argument over a chocolate bar I was eating. She said that I shouldn't be eating chocolate because it was loaded with cholesterol. Is this true? What about all those boxes of cereal, crackers and cookies that claim "no cholesterol" on the label? Confused in Covington Dear Confused, It's not surprising that you're a bit perplexed. Food manufactures often put the words "no cholesterol" on their packages to lure you into a purchase. Often, as with most cereals, crackers etc., there was never any cholesterol in the raw materials they started with! Here's the scoop: Cholesterol is only found in animals and animal products. Nothing in the plant kingdom contains cholesterol (chocolate comes from a coco bean). All grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds are naturally cholesterol free. But do read labels. If that box of cookies has lard or butter as an ingredient, that means it also has cholesterol. If it swims, flies, gallops, walks or grazes, it has cholesterol. All products from animals contain cholesterol, no matter how low in fat. That means, eggs, dairy products, meats, fish, poultry, lard, butter, ice cream, luncheon meats, etc. Since we do all of the above (except fly!) we're animals too! We make our own cholesterol and don't need a single drop from any other source. But don't run out and buy a six-pack of chocolate bars! Chocolate bars often contain dairy products, and chocolate is loaded with fat and sugar, which is bad for your nervous system and brain. I wouldn't want you to get confused again! * Dear Orisia, My husband has been recently put on a diuretic for his high blood pressure. Are they safe? Also can I take an over - the - counter diuretic for weight loss and bloating? Concerned on Carrollton Dear Concerned, Many people take diuretics for high blood pressure and heart disease. A new study published in "The New England Journal of Medicine" found that while the drugs do lower blood pressure, they also do two things that increase the risk of heart attack. The drugs raise the blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, and they interfere with the body's use of insulin and sugar. (So you may reduce blood volume, but increase fat). Don't panic, but do ask your husband's doctor to review the study and give you his view. Some diuretics, called ACE inhibitors, do not do this, so check with the doctor to make sure he is on the right one. But please bear in mind that diuretics (whether prescribed or over the counter) force the kidneys into actions that are unnatural to it, just like laxatives force the colon to evacuate. There are better ways to adjust water balance in the body. ORISIA