How to stay healthy in flu season?
Catching whatever bug is going around will usually just slow you down for a couple days, making you feel miserable. They’re more inconvenient than anything else. There’s no sure-fire way to make sure you don’t catch cold or flu, but there are a few things you can do to increase your odds. If you do get sick, there are also a couple things you ought to keep in mind to avoid spreading your illness to your friends, co-workers, and loved ones. Here are explained some measures to prevent from seasonal flu.
1. Forget the anti-bacterial soap : Anti-bacterial soap offers no particular advantage over soap alone, it’s the washing that counts, regardless of the soap. The main threat in flu season is viruses, not bacteria. The introduction of anti-bacterial substances into our hand soap, laundry detergent, dish soap, hand lotions, toothbrushes & just about everything else contributes to the evolution of resistant strains of bacteria. In the long run, posing a greater threat than, the risk of normal household bacteria.
2. Use hand sanitizer : The active ingredient in most hand sanitizers is alcohol, not specialized anti-bacterial agents. If you cannot wash your hands & there is no visible dirt on your hands, hand sanitizer is a reasonable second line of defense. Only if you can’t wash your hands use it before you eat or prepare food, but also after using public transportation, visiting the bank teller window or anywhere else where people put their hands a lot, using a shopping cart & selecting meat at the supermarket.
3. Avoid the buffet : They are also among the least sanitary ways to serve food. Almost every customer before you has touched the tongs, spoon, or spatula the food is served with, introducing all manner of bacteria & viruses into the dish. Food is rarely kept hot enough to kill any germs that get on or in it. Generally, buffet food is kept at a temperature well within the comfort zone of food poisoning bacteria.
4. Stay home if you are sick : A lot of people go into work sick, feeling that they have too much on their plates to miss a day. Those people are profoundly disturbed & should see a therapist immediately. In any case, the reality is that more productivity is lost due to sick workers than to absent workers. You risk infecting your co-workers, reducing their productivity as well.
5. Cough into your sleeves, not your hands : When you cough, cover your mouth with your elbow or shoulder, not your hands. Bacteria & viruses will quickly die in the fabric of your shirt or blouse, while the oils & warmth of your hands will keep them alive for hours. Bottom line, you won’t be spreading germs everywhere you go.
By following the above said advice will not completely eliminate the risk of illness, but it will certainly reduce your risks. Certainly a healthy diet & lifestyle can help, as can a round of flu shots, but neither of those is very useful if you don’t minimize your exposure to the germs that cause illness.
1. Forget the anti-bacterial soap : Anti-bacterial soap offers no particular advantage over soap alone, it’s the washing that counts, regardless of the soap. The main threat in flu season is viruses, not bacteria. The introduction of anti-bacterial substances into our hand soap, laundry detergent, dish soap, hand lotions, toothbrushes & just about everything else contributes to the evolution of resistant strains of bacteria. In the long run, posing a greater threat than, the risk of normal household bacteria.
2. Use hand sanitizer : The active ingredient in most hand sanitizers is alcohol, not specialized anti-bacterial agents. If you cannot wash your hands & there is no visible dirt on your hands, hand sanitizer is a reasonable second line of defense. Only if you can’t wash your hands use it before you eat or prepare food, but also after using public transportation, visiting the bank teller window or anywhere else where people put their hands a lot, using a shopping cart & selecting meat at the supermarket.
3. Avoid the buffet : They are also among the least sanitary ways to serve food. Almost every customer before you has touched the tongs, spoon, or spatula the food is served with, introducing all manner of bacteria & viruses into the dish. Food is rarely kept hot enough to kill any germs that get on or in it. Generally, buffet food is kept at a temperature well within the comfort zone of food poisoning bacteria.
4. Stay home if you are sick : A lot of people go into work sick, feeling that they have too much on their plates to miss a day. Those people are profoundly disturbed & should see a therapist immediately. In any case, the reality is that more productivity is lost due to sick workers than to absent workers. You risk infecting your co-workers, reducing their productivity as well.
5. Cough into your sleeves, not your hands : When you cough, cover your mouth with your elbow or shoulder, not your hands. Bacteria & viruses will quickly die in the fabric of your shirt or blouse, while the oils & warmth of your hands will keep them alive for hours. Bottom line, you won’t be spreading germs everywhere you go.
By following the above said advice will not completely eliminate the risk of illness, but it will certainly reduce your risks. Certainly a healthy diet & lifestyle can help, as can a round of flu shots, but neither of those is very useful if you don’t minimize your exposure to the germs that cause illness.
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