Cold and Flu Prevention

It seems as though everywhere I turn, someone around me has a cold or the flu. A lot of people travel for the holidays, and airplanes can be breeding grounds for germs, so here are a few tips for preventing sickness (or making your symptoms disappear more quickly if you do catch something!).

Prevention

• Only the elderly need to get a flu shot. This is especially true if you live in a senior community. It is also ok to get a flu shot if you work in a hospital.
• Keep your hands clean and away from your face
• Use your arm/elbow to sneeze or cough into, not your hands
• Drink plenty of water to help flush out your system
• Exercise to bolster your immune system
• Keep digestion light—avoid overindulging on sugar and fatty foods on a regular basis.
• Eat extra fruits and vegetables—phytochemicals in these foods help fight disease. Garlic and green tea have also been know to prevent sickness.
• Drink as little alcohol as possible
• Sit in the sun for about 20 minutes to get natural vitamin D, which also helps your immune system
• Get enough sleep—when you feel sleep-deprived that means your immune system isn’t functioning at its best either!
• Stop by the Iluminar office and pick up PriorityOne’s BioVegetarian tablets or a Meyer’s cocktail. BioVegetarian tablets contain several ingredients to help boost your immune system, and the Meyer’s cocktail is an IV with a combination of vitamins and minerals.

If you do get sick…

• Do everything listed above to help make your cold or flu go away faster.
• Gargling with warm water and salt to help a sore throat
• Try taking Echinacea as soon as symptoms begin
• Oscillococcinum is a great homeopathic remedy for flu symptoms

Getting sick isn’t always a bad thing, though, since getting sick can be a sign that the adrenal glands are functioning properly. When the adrenals are working correctly, they are able to engage a virus and fight it off.