Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Avoiding the flu bug! Ten strategies.

The 2017-16 flu season promises to be a tough one. At least, that's a few of the indications I was seeing from the so-called experts. So, how can you avoid, or at least, limit the chances of catching Influenza this year?
  1. Avoid crowded venues!
Visits to grocery stores and shopping malls should be kept to a minimum. If you do venture out, try and go during the early morning hours when fewer people are out and about!

  1. Wash your hands!
If everyone remembered to wash their hands fairly often, we'd all see fewer colds and flu problems! Make a special effort to wash up after any outdoor excursion or contact with others.

  1. Avoid touching your face!
    The average person touches their face with their hands 1-3 times every 5 minutes! (There! You just did it again)! Try to curtail this nervous habit by groping tying your hands to your waist instead. Just kidding....
  1. Butt those hands!
    Butting hands with someone else, as a form of greeting is way better than shaking them. You'll walk away with only a fraction of the germ transfer that might otherwise occur. Then, visit step #2 again.
  1. Avoid anyone who looks ill! - Duh!
    When your out and about, keep your situational awareness keyed up. Watch out for anyone who appears even slightly ill and if you see someone like that, head the other direction!
  1. Get a flu shot!
    Of all the things you can do to help avoid a week or more of abject misery, an early season visit to your doctor, health clinic or pharmacy could be just the ticket. Only, remember, after getting your flu shot, it still takes about two weeks for the vaccine to become effective!
  1. Use credit cards, not cash!
    During the hectic holiday periods when many of us tend to shop a lot more than we usually do, cash becomes a great medium of germ exchange. Switch, instead, to credit cards or even better opt to make most of your gift purchases on line!
  1. Eat well, exercise and get plenty of sleep!
    Maintaining your over all conditioning, getting plenty of sleep and eating a balanced diet will do wonders for how you feel and can add some protection against rhino viruses and the flu bug.
  1. Avoid stress!
    Right next to following the advice in #8, reducing stress has a direct impact on that status of you immune system. Anyone who has made it through a holiday like Christmas can attest to all the opportunities to become stressed out!
  1. Skip those holiday parties and stay home!
    OK, so this one might be a little hard to do.

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