Build A Positive Life

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The flu has been around for about as long as human beings.  Each year, new strains make the rounds.  Some years, the fright of a pandemic strain goes global.  There is always controversy:  to get the flu shot or not?

The same is true of this year, in the midst of the H1N1 pandemic, as the world waits for the vaccine to be plentiful enough to innoculate the general public.

Whether you choose to get that shot, or any flu shot, there are common-sense ways to maintain good health and lower your odds when colds and the flu make their rounds.

1. You’ve heard it since you were a child:  wash your hands and wash them properly.  You don’t need an anti-bacterial soap, as it actually contributes to the super-bugs that resist treatment.  Those bugs are living organisms that strive as hard to remain alive as we do to wipe them out, so the harder we try, the stronger they become.  Use regualar soap, and wash your hands for 20-30 seconds.  Dr. Mehmet Oz recommends singing the Happy Birthday song twice to make sure you wash long enough. 
2. Change towels and linens frequently, and always wash and dry them on high heat settings to kill germs.
3. If you have to cough or sneeze, use the new method, and sneeze into the crook of your elbow.  Aside from air-bourne germs, hands are the biggest way the flu and colds spread from person to person.  All it takes, if you have the germs on your hands, is a rub of the nose, eyes, or mouth to catch whatever is on them.
4. In this time of energy consciousness, some homes are too tightly sealed against drafts.  Air your home, even in the colder season, for 5 or 10 minutes twice a day.
5. Spend time in the winter sunshine, minus sun screen, for 10 minutes or so a day….twice as long if you are dark skinned.  It is the optimal way to get the great health benefits of vitamin D, something many are low on.
6. Add immune boosting exercise and stress reduction techniques to your daily routine.
7. Each day, take a decent multi-vitamin and mineral supplement specifically created for your gender and age group.
8. Load up on food and drinks that boost the immune system:  green tea, yogurt bearing the seal “Live and Active Cultures,” garlic and onions, wheatgrass juice, shiitake mushrooms, flaxseed oil, seaweed (aka kelp),  all berries and many more colorful fruits and vegetables.  See comprehensive article on WebMd
   

These ways to maintain good health during the cold and flu season won’t guarantee that you’ll not catch something, but they lower the odds of it, and if you do get sick, you’ll have more health power with which to fight back.

Sources:  WedMd, Fitfaq, MSN Health and Fitness

Karen Chaffee 2009

Health and Wellness Health, staying healthy, winter health