Article: Flu and Cold Season Tips, Resources and More
Flu and cold season is right around the
corner.
So, in this edition I am posting Flu and Cold
resources, coupons for
medicine,
health freebies and more. Have a safe and wonderful
week!
12 Important Tips to Prevent Cold and Flu Infection
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Since there are no known cures for colds or the flu,
prevention should
be your
goal. A proactive approach to warding off colds and
flu is apt to make
your
whole life healthier. The most effective way to
prevent flu, frankly,
is to get
a flu shot. It may not be natural, but it works better
than anything
else. But
there are other strategies you can employ as well.
#1 Wash Your Hands
Most cold and flu viruses are spread by direct
contact. Someone who has
the flu
sneezes onto their hand, and then touches the
telephone, the keyboard,
a
kitchen glass. The germs can live for hours -- in some
cases weeks --
only to
be picked up by the next person who touches the same
object. So wash
your hands
often. If no sink is available, rub your hands
together very hard for a
minute
or so. That also helps break up most of the cold
germs.
#2 Don't Cover Your Sneezes and Coughs With Your Hands
Because germs and viruses cling to your bare hands,
muffling coughs and
sneezes
with your hands results in passing along your germs to
others. When you
feel a
sneeze or cough coming, use a tissue, then throw it
away immediately.
If you
don't have a tissue, turn your head away from people
near you and cough
into
the air.
#3 Don't Touch Your Face
Cold and flu viruses enter your body through the eyes,
nose, or mouth.
Touching
their faces is the major way people catch colds.
#4 Drink Plenty of Fluids
Water flushes your system, washing out the poisons as
it rehydrates
you. A
typical, healthy adult needs eight 8-ounce glasses of
fluids each day.
How can
you tell if you're getting enough liquid? If the color
of your urine
runs close
to clear, you're getting enough. If it's deep yellow,
you need more
fluids.
#5 Take a Sauna
Researchers aren't clear about the exact role saunas
play in
prevention, but
one 1989 German study found that people who steamed
twice a week got
half as
many colds as those who didn't. One theory: When you
take a sauna you
inhale
air hotter than 80 degrees, a temperature too hot for
cold and flu
viruses to
survive.
#6 Get Fresh Air
A regular dose of fresh air is important, especially
in cold weather
when
central heating dries you out and makes your body more
vulnerable to
cold and
flu viruses. Also, during cold weather more people
stay indoors, which
means
more germs are circulating in crowded, dry rooms.
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#7 Do Aerobic Exercise Regularly
Aerobic exercise speeds up the heart to pump larger
quantities of
blood, makes
you breathe faster to help transfer oxygen from your
lungs to your
blood, and
makes you sweat once your body heats up. These
exercises help increase
the
body's natural virus-killing cells.
#8 Eat Foods Containing Phytochemicals
"Phyto" means plants, and the natural chemicals in
plants give the
vitamins in
food a supercharged boost. So put away the vitamin
pill, and eat dark
green,
red, and yellow vegetables and fruits.
#9 Eat Yogurt
Some studies have shown that eating a daily cup of
low-fat yogurt can
reduce
your susceptibility to colds by 25 percent.
Researchers think the
beneficial
bacteria in yogurt may stimulate production of immune
system substances
that
fight disease.
#10 Don't Smoke
Statistics show that heavy smokers get more severe
colds and more
frequent
ones.
Even being around smoke profoundly zaps the immune
system. Smoke dries
out your
nasal passages and paralyzes cilia, the delicate hairs
that line the
mucous
membranes in your nose and lungs that sweep cold and
flu viruses out of
the
nasal passages. Experts contend that one cigarette can
paralyze cilia
for as
long as 30 to 40 minutes.
#11 Cut Alcohol Consumption
Heavy alcohol use destroys the liver, the body's
primary filtering
system,
which means that germs of all kinds won't leave your
body as fast. The
result
is, heavier drinkers are more prone to initial
infections as well as
secondary
complications. Alcohol also dehydrates the body -- it
actually takes
more
fluids from your system than it puts in.
#12 Relax
If you can teach yourself to relax, you can activate
your immune system
on
demand. There's evidence that when you put your
relaxation skills into
action,
your interleukins -- leaders in the immune system
response against cold
and flu
viruses -- increase in the bloodstream. Train yourself
to picture an
image you
find pleasant or calming. Do this 30 minutes a day for
several months.
Keep in
mind, relaxation is a learnable skill, but it is not
doing nothing.
People who
try to relax, but are in fact bored, show no changes
in blood
chemicals.
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Soothe Your Sore Throat Naturally
Perhaps one of the most uncomfortable parts of having
a cold or flu is
a the
dreaded sore throat or in medical term, pharyngitis
which means a
painful
inflammation felt in the tonsils, pharynx, or the
larynx.
A sore throat is a symptom of many illness but the
major cause of sore
throat
is infection. These infections can be caused by
viruses like the flu
and common
cold or by certain types of bacteria such as strep,
mycoplasma, or
hemophilus
that cause the inflammation.
Viral sore throats typically accompany flu and colds
and are highly
contagious
and spread quickly. Sore throats can also go along
with other viral
infections
like measles, chicken pox, whooping cough, and croup.
Streptococcus is the most common bacterial cause for
sore throat. This
is a
serious infection that can also damage not just the
throat, but also
heart
valves and kidneys as well as cause tonsillitis,
pneumonia, sinusitis,
and ear
infections.
Pollens and molds that irritate the nose when inhaled
and cause
sneezing and
colds can bring on a sore throat as well. Cat and dog
danders and house
dust
are common causes of sore throats to people with such
allergies.
Pollutants and chemicals in the air irritate the
throat and the nose
leading to
sore throat. The most common air pollutant is the
smoke from tobacco.
Other
irritants are alcohol beverages, and spicy foods.
A person who strains his or her voice from yelling and
shouting gets a
sore
throat not just because of muscle strain but also
because of the rough
treatment of his or her throat membranes. Sometimes a
sore throat also
occurs
due to regurgitation of the stomach acids up into the
back of the
throat.
It is a good idea to go to your doctor whenever you
have a sore throat.
You
need to determine the cause so as to rule out those
that are serious.
In the
event that your sore throat is deemed to be a common
cold or flu
variety, here
s some home remedies that you might find useful.
For mild sore throat associated with cold and flu
symptoms, increase
fluid
intake if necessary. Warm tea with honey is good.
You may also use a streamer or humidifier in your
bedroom.
Gargle with warm salt water several times daily.
Lemon juice squeezed into a glass of lukewarm water is
good for a sore
throat.
The juice of fresh pomegranates is good to gargle with
then to drink.
Add 1 dessert spoon of hydrogen peroxide to ½ tumbler
of warm water
and gargle.
Consulting a physician is necessary for sore throat
infection.
The most effective way of combating sore throat
infection is through
proper
personal hygiene. These are important things to keep
in mind. Remember
that as
always, prevention is better than cure.
Lee Dobbins writes for
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where you can find
out more about natural treatments and herbal remedies.