Proven Ways to Protect Yourself from the Influenza Virus

Having a newborn at home, I am willing to try just about anything to avoid catching the flu virus this year.  So, I figured some of you would appreciate a comprehensive list of natural methods effective at boosting your immune system against the influenza virus as well!

Let’s Start With The Obvious

1)    Wash your hands -  it seems obvious to wash your hands, but take this idea one step further. Assume that others around you may not be washing theirs because let’s face it – many aren’t! Door knobs, customer service pens, and shopping carts are havens for germs. 

• Use a bathroom paper towel to turn off faucets and open the door before leaving,
• bring your own pen to sign credit card receipts in lines, and
• wipe your cart down with a sanitary wipe before shopping.  

Quick steps along your typical day can significantly reduce the volume of germs exposed to you.

2)    Get enough sleep – The average adult can function quite well off of 7-8 hours of sleep. Without adequate sleep the body becomes weak and thus more vulnerable to infection and disease.

Side note – did you know that your body keeps a sleep deprivation bank? Although you won’t have creditors calling for payments, failure to pay off your sleep debt causes decreased mental and physical health.

Reduce stress – funny right?

3)    So maybe think of stress relieving – This may be easier than you think. Studies show that light exercise, such as walking, is a natural anti-depressant. Check out the walking trail surrounding our home office. 

Fresh air and breath taking views help the Amistaffers relax during the day!

4)    Take a yoga class or get a massage.  Now you have another excuse…oh wait – another reason…to get that massage you’ve secretly been wanting.  Yoga and message eradicate toxins and chemical waste from your body clearing the way to absorb vital nutrients. Consider it doctor’s orders, after all you don’t want to get the flu!

5)    Pick up a new hobby such as fishing or cooking. And yes men, you can have hobbies too! Not all hobbies require yarn and a needle!

 

Herbal Remedies

6)    Adding green tea to your diet can protect you from many strands of the flu virus each year. The UK Tea Council says that green tea aids in fighting the flu in two ways – suppressing the growth of influenza cells and killing existing influenza cells.

7)    Ginseng is an immune stimulating herb that can be taken as a supplement.

8)    Take an echinacea vitamin.  But interesting to note – Echinacea is most effective when taken every day for two weeks and then not take for seven days, then taken again for two weeks, etc.

Balanced Diet

9)    As momma always says, “Eat your fruits and veggies, or no dessert!” Vegetables, fruits, nuts and spices containing phytochemicals boost the effects of vitamins on your immune system.  Phytochemical-rich foods include blackberries, almonds, tomatoes, and rosemary.

10)    Yogurt is a great immune system enhancer with the good bacteria acting as a natural pro-biotic. So try putting a combination of fruits and yogurt in a smoothie for breakfast or a snack each day.

11)    Drink the recommended 64 ozs of water every day. Bored with plain, old tap water? Try adding a bit of lime juice, peppermint extract, or cucumber slices for a refreshing twist. Check out this list of water flavoring ideas!

 

Wrapping it up!

Perhaps the most controversial way to protect from the flu is getting the flu shot. Did you ever wonder why there is an annual flu vaccine, but yet other vaccines (Hepatitis B, Meningitis, Measles, Mumps, & Rubella, Polo, etc.) last a lifetime?

Well, for the answer to that question I turned to Infection Control Today’s article Researchers Examine Ways to Combat Flu Virus.  According to Suresh Kumar, assistance professor of chemistry and biochemistry:
 

"The influenza virus is ‘smart’ in that it modifies proteins on the outside so that the hosts’ body cannot recognize it…We need to be one step smarter than the virus and attack something it is not anticipating.”

 

Thanks to a grant from the National Institutes of Health, four researchers from the University of Arkansas will look into the ways the virus attacks host cells in hopes of developing a one-time-fights-all influenza vaccine.
 

So, I hope this list of recommendations keeps you guarded from the flu virus this season! And please share other ways to stay healthy in our comments section below!