It's the time of year when many of us worry about catching colds and coming down with the flu. But with the H1N1 virus taking center stage this year, fears about contracting so-called "swine flu" are very real. By this time, many of us know someone--or know someone who knows someone--who has come down with this scary-sounding flu. I am one of them. And because I take maintaining good health so seriously--and want to make sure those I know and love are doing all they can to keep themselves healthy--I turned Dr. Vinay Goyal for direction by reading about a recent lecture he gave on the origin of and precautions against H1N1.
Avoiding 'swine flu' takes common sense, simple precautions
A thyroid specialist with more than 20 years of clinical experience, Dr. Goyal knows that when dealing with a global epidemic like H1N1, it's almost impossible to avoid any contact with it. But since the only ports of entry in the body are the nostrils and mouth/throat, it's important to take simple steps to prevent this flu from taking hold in your body. Among the ones he shares:
- Wash your hands--often. Our mothers told us this, and it bears repeating. Wash your hands, do it often--and with hot water and soap.
- Take a "hands-off" approach. Resist the temptation to touch your face unless you absolutely have to--and if you do, make sure the touch comes from recently washed hands.
- A gargle twice a day can keep the doctor away. Gargling twice a day with warm salt water (try to use sea salt rather than regular iodized table salt). Add a teaspoon of salt to a large glass of warm water, as this simple step can help keep H1N1 from proliferating in your body and causing symptoms.
- Keep your nose clean. Literally. Carefully swabbing your nostrils at least once daily (after blowing your nose) with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water can help control viruses that want to invade your body.
- Boost your immunity. Keep yourself healthy by eating foods that are rich in Vitamin C, such as citrus fruits. And if you find you need to supplement your consumption with Vitamin C tablets, look for those that also contain zinc in order to boost absorption.
- Keep warm liquids flowing. Drinking warm liquids has a similar effect as gargling--except that when you drink the water (or tea or coffee) goes down! Drinking warm fluids helps rinse proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach, where they can't survive or cause you more harm.
Let's do all we can to keep "swine flu" at bay and enjoy a happy, healthy holiday season!
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