Take your best shot at avoiding flu
It's no secret that because of an unexpected shortage, millions of Americans will go without a flu shot this season. Unless you're at high risk for infection (i.e., elderly, a health-care professional, a pregnant women or a person with a chronic illness), it's unlikely you'll receive vaccine. So we healthy folk will have to fend for ourselves.
Here are 10 things you can do to decrease your chances of catching a cold or the flu.
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1. Wash your hands. Most flu viruses spread by direct contact. Germs and viruses planted on an object by those who are sick can live for several hours and then cling to your hands when you touch that object. On the flip side, muffling coughs and sneezes with your hands will result in passing your germs to others, unless you use a tissue or wash your hands immediately after you sneeze or cough.
2. Don't touch your face. Germs and viruses cling to your hands but actually enter your body through the eyes, nose and mouth. Therefore, touching your face can be an open invitation for a cold or flu virus.
3. Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water and other fluids will flush your system of toxins while hydrating you. A typical, healthy adult needs eight 8-ounce glasses of fluids each day.
4. Hit the sauna. A 1989 German study found that people who sat in a sauna twice a week got half as many colds as those who didn't. Why? One theory is that in a sauna you inhale air hotter than 80 degrees — a temperature too hot for cold and flu viruses to survive.
5. Get fresh air. A regular dose of fresh air is important, especially in cold weather when central heating dries you out and makes your body more vulnerable to cold and flu- viruses.
6. Exercise regularly. Regular aerobic activity provides both physiological and psychological benefits that result in a stronger immune system. A 2002 study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise examined 550 healthy adults and found that regular exercisers experienced half as many colds as nonexercisers each year.
7. Eat yogurt and phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are naturally occurring, immune-boosting substances found in plants. Dark green, red and yellow vegetables and fruits have the highest degree of flu-fighting phytochemicals.
A daily cup of low-fat yogurt can reduce susceptibility to colds by 25 percent. Researchers think beneficial bacteria in yogurt may stimulate production of immune system substances that fight disease.
8. Don't smoke. Statistics show that heavy smokers get more severe colds and more frequent ones.
9. Decrease alcohol consumption. Alcohol affects the liver's ability to filter, so heavier drinkers are more prone to first-time infections.
10. Relax. There's evidence that people skilled in relaxation can actually increase the components of the immune system that fight off cold and flu viruses.
— Adapted from WebMD.com, as originally provided by Charles B. Inlander, president of The People's Medical Society and author of 77 Ways to Beat Cold and Flu.
Rikki Cannioto has a doctorate in exercise science and teaches at State University College at Brockport. She reminds you to always consult your physician before you start a new exercise program. Write to her with your health and fitness questions at drrikki@rochesterinsider.com
