It’s that time of the year when the flu is going around, and those of us who are still healthy want to say that way, while those who have already caught it, want to get rid of it a.s.a.p. and without any complications.
eHow.com has an article on how to prevent a flu, and their 8 tips are:
- Avoid sharing utensils with people who are sick.
- Wash your hands before eating
- Increase your vitamin C intake
- Drink at least eight glasses of water a day
- Get enough sleep
- Manage your stress
- Take a multivitamin every day
- Exercise regularly
The general idea behind their advice is that “maintaining a healthy immune system is your best bet for avoiding the flu”. While I agree with the general premise (that people with weak immune systems are more susceptible to catching a flu), having been diligently doing all 8 out of the 8 above-quoted points, I am now in bed with a bad flu.
Yesterday I posted on my Facebook wall:
Apparently, I’m not alone (see the circled comments above).
By looking at what people (and professional doctors and nurses) recommend it seems that the following 5 points will help me recover quicker:
- Getting plenty of rest/sleep
- Drinking healthy fluids (water, fresh cranberry and orange juices, teas)
- Remembering the good ol’ chicken soup
- Making things more tolerable with painkillers
- Taking immune-boosting remedies (echinacea, Omega 3, vitamin C, etc)
What is helping you recover from (or prevent) flu every year?
I’ve been told: “One needs to dink a lot of herbal tea. Green tea is best for immune system. Take a vitamin c and a multi vitamin. Tylenol or advil 2 tabs for aches and to aid sleep. Drink extra water. Soup for meals. Sleep as much as possible. Do not go out to eat.”
I’ll add that when I have a bad cold or flu symptoms I also like to drink Gingerale. I’m also a club soda person [whether I’m sick or not] I mention different things to drink because when one is sick it is important to drink lots of liquids in order to “flush” out the germs.
If I just have a cold I’ll mix orange juice with club soda or lemonade with club soda. I wouldn’t drink these mixes if I have an upset stomach.
Great tips, Rhianna. Thank you for taking the time to post them. In addition to night’s sleep (which has actually been pretty terrible over the past two nights for me), I’ve been sleeping for an average of 4-5 hours a day yesterday and today. It really does help. Will have to try out Gingerale. I’m hearing that the actual ginger is very good for you (especially when you have a cold or a flu).
I feel that a nice cold Gingerale (soda) is good to drink when one has a bad cold and/or flu. During the day I like to drink either the cold or hot liquids that appeal to me. The good thing about drinking something cold is that you can drink a lot of it in a relatively short amount of time as opposed to hot tea [one needs to take a while with tea so that the hot tea doesn’t burn one’s tongue]. The goal of drinking lots and lots of liquids is to “flush” out the germs.
Depending upon one’s symptoms actual Ginger can be good. Here is a good Youtube video on how to make homemade cough syrup [includes Ginger]:
Homemade Cough Syrup: Natural Home Remedies for Persistent Coughs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHGqL-Evsrc
1) Get a flu vaccination every year.
2) Don’t put your hands in your mouth without washing them first.
3) Takes a whole food type multi vitamin every day.
I was always wondering about those flu shots. I’m hearing that flu mutates considerably from year to year (and even from person to person) and they shouldn’t really help. Has your experience been different, Todd?
So far, so good. They certainly can’t hurt (much). The only times I have ever caught the flu was when I didn’t get the vaccine.
Luckily, I avoided it at the event somehow. I make it a point to not touch my face at all unless my hands are clean. Also, we created a branded hand sanitizer key chain and brought it to the event to giveaway. Those went over very very well.
Also, I was reading that Vitamin D (SUN) really helps too. Apparently locations that are warm in the winter have opposite cold/flu seasons then we do.
Thank you for more comments, Todd and Bonnie. After this flu (btw, I’m already doing much better after resting a lot, and drinking a lot of homemade Russian cranberry mors) I will definitely get a flu shot next year.
If I could, I’d get three flu shots each year. Feel better Geno.