Protect your family from cold and flu viruses this season
With cold and flu season just around the corner, it is important to know and practice healthy habits. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 35-50 million Americans are infected with the flu each year between November and March. Children are two to three times more likely to spread the virus. If you’ve got little ones in daycare and dread spending all of your sick days braving doctor visits and pharmacy lines, you’re not alone. Here are some helpful tips to keep your family virus-free:
Eat well. Eat nutritious food and get enough sleep and exercise.
Sanitize toothbrushes. This sanitizer cleans your brush in between uses, buy new toothbrushes after an illness, and use disposable cups in the bathroom.
Stay Clean. Wash hands frequently, for 20 seconds each time. Colds are most often spread by hand-to-hand contact.
Wash bedding. When your child is healthy again, wash her bedding with hot water.
Humidify. If you don’t own a steamer or humidifier, boil water on the stovetop with the lid off, or use an electric coffee maker.
Keep cool. Put a feverish child in a lukewarm tub and let him blow bubbles. When the child gets bored, feed him a Popsicle right in the tub. There’s no mess, and the fever comes down.
Hand washing 101
Washing your hands . . . it sounds so simple. But, the majority of people don’t realize that they are not washing effectively enough to get rid of illness-producing germs. As the winter season approaches and the sniffles start to spread, regular hand-washing remains the easiest, most effective and cost-efficient way to protect your family from germs.
Since many of our hand-washing habits are formed as children, it’s important to teach kids the best way to wash. Some bacteria can live two hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks.
Use warm water.
Lather with antibacterial liquid hand soap. Liquid hand soaps, and particularly foaming hand soaps, are easier for young children to lather and use.
Thoroughly rub soapy fingers and hands together for at least 20 seconds.
Don’t forget to wash under the fingernails where germs often hide. A nail brush is helpful for this.
Rinse hands and turn off the faucet with a paper towel. Faucets also harbor germs.
Dry well.
You’re sick anyway, now what?
Stay home from work or school for a day or two. The beginning stage of a cold is the most contagious period.
Get plenty of rest so you’re not more susceptible to serious complications.
Drink plenty of hot liquids-at least eight ounces of hot water or herbal tea every two hours. Try adding honey to hot water, lemon juice, or weak tea.
Take hot showers to keep your throat moist and less irritated.
Eat chicken soup-it’s not just an old wives’ tale. Research has shown that it clears up nasal passages better than plain hot water.
Apply salt water to your nose drops as needed.
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