Proactive medical treatments are always better than reactive treatments because it saves us from the aches, pains and stresses of the ailments. However, only a handful of people really think about diseases, infections and all sorts of medical conditions when they are in the best position to deal with it. Medical treatments have always been regarded merely as responses.
Proactive measures against the common flu virus will only entail some basic habits of healthy living that all of us have gone through in school. See if you can recall hearing some of these items from your elementary classes.
1. Wash your hands often
Most of the germs and bacteria that enter our body got there with the aid of our hands. Our hands are exposed to the most number of germs as compared to any part of our body.
It’s important to wash your hands every time you’ve come into contact with other people. But don’t’ confine hand washing to that. Wash as often as you can especially before eating.
2. Hands off please
Refrain from touching your nose and eyes. Germs usually go in through these body parts. If you need to wipe something off your eyes and nose, use a tissue or clean hanky.
3. Go to bed early
Start sleeping as early as you can so you’ll wake up naturally, not by the sound of your alarm clock.
Sleep is our best recovery activity. Enough sleep is only achieved when you are left to wake up on your own. It’s hard to keep on sleeping unless you are still tired. So, the best way to know if you have slept enough is by the way you wake up.
Give yourself enough time for a complete recovery by going to bed early.
4. Feed your immune system
Support your immune system with healthy foods. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
5. Exercise
Make your immune system stronger with the challenge of exercise. Working out is not only good for the muscles but in boosting up your immune system as well.
6. Avoid sick people
This advice may sound harsh but it’s the best you can do to keep yourself healthy and avoid infecting others.
Viruses can infect you or, they can just go along for a ride until they can infect others. So, by avoiding people who are coughing and sneezing, you are not only protecting yourself but the people you will come into contact with as well.
The only thing worse than catching the flu, is infecting others with it.
7. Sanitize
Always carry along a bottle of sanitizing alcohol so you can sanitize your hands whenever sinks and lavatories are unavailable.
8. Avoid smoking
Smokers are more prone to infection because of the structural changes in the respiratory tract and weakened immune system.
9. Avoid dips
The dips you are sharing with your friends have more to it than just salsa. Nobody swallows chips in whole. There is always that end that already has saliva from a bite that is dipped to the dip you are sharing.
10. Drink and drink
You are most vulnerable to infection when you are dehydrated. Dehydration has already started when you feel
So, drink when you can even if you are not feeling up to it.
You can follow all these 10 healthy practices religiously to minimize your chances of being infected by the flu virus but, that is just the thing about it. It can only minimize the chances and not really offer a full blanket of protection.
Your best armor against flu is to get a flu shot.
Where can you get flu shots?
Flu shots, nowadays, are just very convenient over the counter medicines that you can buy in pharmacies. All Walmart Pharmacies sell flu shots and can administer them on the spot.
Flu shot’s cost is minimal. This investment will protect you from the flu virus for up to one year. If you consider the yearly protection in terms of months, it it’s only around $2 per month or about a 6-cent daily investment.
When can I get a flu shot?
It is best to get a flu shot as soon as possible. Pushing the schedule back on and on creates more time and opportunity for flu to strike. The best time to have the flu shot is now while you are healthy and up to the idea.
Never get the flu shot when you start feeling the flu or cold coming in as this might result to a sickly feeling of drowsiness as an after effect of the vaccine.
It’s quite of a challenge to get people’s attention to getting flu shots when they are well and healthy. Normally, people only consider the necessity of preventive medication as soon as the infection has set in.
The best way to beat this common mindset is to get the flu shot now, not later, not tomorrow.
