 With chaotic weather patterns across the world, ‘Flu season’ has been extended! While colds won't kill you, they can weaken your immune system to the point that other, more serious, germs can take hold in your body. Just think how many times your cold turned into bronchitis or a sinus infection. And given that the average adult suffers two to three colds a year, that's a lot of opportunities for serious illness!
We can't promise you'll never get hit with another cold or suffer another bout of the flu, but you can increase your odds of staying well with these strategies. If you do get sick, we've also included some tips for getting better faster.
Keeping the Germs Away |
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Wash your hands and wash them often. The American Naval Health Research Center conducted a study of 40,000 recruits who were ordered to wash their hands five times a day. The recruits cut their incidence of respiratory illnesses by 45 percent. |
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Use your knuckle to rub your eyes. It's less likely to be contaminated with viruses than your fingertip. This is particularly important given that the eye provides a perfect entry point for germs, and the average person rubs his eyes or nose or scratches his face 20-50 times a day. |
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Prevention Is Key |
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Get a flu shot every year. The Health Promotion Board of Singapore recommends flu shots for anyone 50 years old or older, people of any age who have chronic medical problems (heart or lung disease, asthma, diabetes, etc.), pregnant women, and people whose immune systems have been weakened (by cancer, AIDS, or other causes). Of course, anyone who just wants to avoid the flu should also get one. Hate shots? Ask for the nasal spray vaccine. |
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Leave the windows in your house open a crack during cold weather. Not all of them, but one or two in the rooms in which you spend the most time. This is particularly important if you live in a newer home, where fresh circulating air has been the victim of energy efficiency. A bit of fresh air will do wonders for chasing out germs. |
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Inhale air from your blow-dryer. It sounds ridiculous, we know. But one study conducted at Harvard Hospital in England found that people who breathed heated air had half the cold symptoms of people who inhaled air at room temperature. Set the dryer on warm, not hot, and hold it at least 18 inches from your face. Breathe in the air through your nose for as long as you can - 20 minutes is best. |
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Take a garlic supplement every day. When 146 volunteers received either one garlic supplement a day or a placebo for 12 weeks between November and February, those taking the garlic were not only less likely to get a cold, but if they did catch one, their symptoms were less intense and they recovered faster. |
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Sneeze Brigade |
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Eat a container of yogurt every day. A study found that people who ate one cup of yogurt -- whether live culture or pasteurized -- had 25 percent fewer colds than non-yogurt eaters. |
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Once a day, sit in a quiet, dim room, close your eyes, and meditate. Meditating is a proven way to reduce stress. And stress, studies find, increases your susceptibility to colds. In fact, stressed people have up to twice the number of colds as non-stressed people |
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Wipe your nose - don't blow. Turns out that the force of blowing not only sends the gunk out of your nose into a tissue, but also propels some back into your sinuses. And, in case you're curious, experts discovered this using dye and X rays. If you need to blow, blow gently, and blow one nostril at a time. |
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Sneeze and cough into your arm or a tissue. Whoever taught us to cover our mouths when we cough or sneeze got it wrong. That just puts the germs right on our hands, where you can spread them to objects and other people. Instead, hold the crook of your elbow over your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough if a tissue isn't handy. It's pretty rare that you shake someone's elbow or scratch your eye with an elbow, after all. |
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