Natural Prevention Tips
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
Your first line of defense against germs. Beating the flu takes a little common sense and proper hand-washing habits. Instead of putting your health at risk by taking a flu shot or giving them a pill, wash your hands more often.
2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach.
Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).
3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water.
Most influenza takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don’t underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water.
Not everybody may be good with a Neti Port (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.
5. Vitamin D boosts our immune system.
Expose yourself to that wonderful sunlight. Or, take a Vitamin D supplement. First, it enhances the strength of our white blood cells, whose primary function is to fight off invaders, such as flu viruses. Second, it has anti-inflammatory properties, which means that it can lessen symptoms when you have been infected with a virus. Children are especially at risk for seasonal flu because their immune systems are less mature, they eat more sugar-laden foods and because flu can spread around a classroom.
6. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C.
Vitamin C is essential for supporting a strong immune system.
This list is vast in the fruit and vegetable department.
Here are a few favorites pictured.
7. Drink LOTS of warm liquids.
Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.
8. Avoid sugar.
Sugar suppresses immunity. Because sugar lack minerals and vitamins, they must draw upon the body’s micro-nutrient stores in order to be metabolized into the system.
Flu Shots Don’t (always) work….
2008 Study (Pub Med): In the October 2008 issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine found that vaccinating young children against the flu had no impact on flu-related hospitalizations or doctor visits during two recent flu seasons.
2008 Study (Pub Med): The Lancet found that influenza vaccination was NOT associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia in older people.
2006 Study (Pub Med) : 51 studies, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, found no evidence that the flu vaccine is any more effective than a placebo in children under 2. The studies involved 260,000 children, age 6 to 23 months.
All these are simple ways to prevent, within means of most households, and certainly much less painful than to wait in long queues outside public hospitals.
Denver Nutrition, LLC is owned and operated by Debbie Allen, Functional Nutritionist. As a Master Nutrition Therapist and Certified Natural Health Practitioner, Debbie provides services based on credible medical research and scientific evidence. This site offers health, wellness and nutritional information and is designed for educational purposes only. Please Note: Working with a nutritionist should not and does not take the place of medical advice or care. Before starting any nutrition program, please seek the advice of a medical doctor.
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