Shot or Not, You Can Still Fight the Flu

Yeah, yeah, you already know the drill - wash your hands, avoid touching doorknobs, don't touch your face.

But did you know there are more ways to protect yourself? Take exercise, for instance. It can be an immune system booster - another reason to get into gear and get going. Exercise encourages the disease-fighting white blood cells in the body to move from the organs into the bloodstream. Anything counts, as long as you are moving your body. Aerobic exercise, the kind that gets your heart pumping, is one of the best types.

Exercise isn't the only thing you can do to fight the flu. Another way to boost your immune system is to make sure you are getting enough healthy foods that are full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. These factors are critical to your immune system.

Also, keep a humidifier in your home. Dry air helps bacteria and viruses thrive for several hours, but moist air can counteract the process.

You can avoid both catching and spreading the flu bug by washing your hands. It's not just a matter of running your hands under water. About one out of three people do not wash their hands after using the bathroom. Frequent hand-washing is the most effective way to avoid colds and flu.

• First wet your hands and apply liquid or clean bar soap. Place the bar soap on a rack and allow it to drain.
• Next rub your hands vigorously together and scrub all surfaces.
• Continue for 10 to 15 seconds or about the length of a little tune such as Happy Birthday. The soap combined with the scrubbing action helps dislodge and remove bacteria.
• Rinse well and dry your hands.
• Use a paper towel to turn off the faucet. Remember that dirty hands turned on the faucet. If possible, don't touch doorknobs without a paper towel.

For those who smoke, the flu can be especially difficult to fight. Particles, including viruses, get stuck in mucous deep within the lungs. Smoke paralyzes the cilia, microscopic hairs that normally move these trapped particles and mucous up through the respiratory tract, where we cough or sneeze them out. If you smoke, the cilia are prevented from performing this function. The flu virus, if stuck deep in the lungs, can then lead to serious infection.

If you should be so unlucky as to get the flu, you can choose an antiviral medicine that can cut down on it's severity and duration. Four medications exist - amantadine, rimantadine, zanamivir (Relenza®) and oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu®) - which your doctor can prescribe. Keep in mind that they work only if you start taking them within the first two days of flu virus symptoms. Symptoms of flu include fever, headache, tiredness, sore throat, dry cough, nasal congestion and body aches.

If you are sick, do yourself and your co-workers a favor by staying home until you are feeling well again.

Source:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.