According to Benjamin Franklin: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Old Benjamin knew what he was talking about. While not all illnesses can be prevented, in most cases, it is better to take steps to prevent colds and flu than to try to “cure” them.
Use Techniques to Prevent Cold and Flu
You have probably heard many times the best things you can do to stay healthy and prevent cold and flu:
1. Wash Your Hands Regularly
Perhaps most importantly, wash your hands properly and regularly to prevent the spread of germs. Washing your hands helps you stay healthy while reducing the risk of spreading germs to others. However, you must learn how to wash your hands properly, and you may be wrong. So the right way to wash your hands is to wash all parts of the hand up to the wrist with liquid or soap for at least 30 seconds. Fingers, thumbs, and palms (because of wrinkles) are also a great help. Meaning.
2. Use alcohol gel
Soap and water are not always at hand, but germs are everywhere. If washing your hands is not possible, make sure to use a hand sanitizer with more than 60% alcohol to clean your hands thoroughly. This is especially important before touching your face, eating, or touching others.
3. Adopt a healthy lifestyle
Keeping your body healthy keeps your immune system healthy. This way, you can better prevent illnesses when you come into contact with germs. For example, eating healthy, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and reducing stress can help your body fight infections.
4. Quit Smoking
If you smoke, quit occasionally. Smoking weakens the immune system and increases the risk of developing common illnesses such as colds and flu. Smoking affects almost every part of the body in different ways.
5. Drink Plenty of Water
Keeping your body hydrated is more important than you think. Drinking enough water each day will keep your body performing at peak levels. Proper hydration of the body is fundamental and vital for the proper functioning of each of its different systems.
6. Don’t Share Drinking and Eating Utensils
This saying should be getting out there, but many people still share cups, water bottles, utensils, and snacks. Even if the person you are sharing something with is not visibly sick, they can pass on germs that make you sick. Your friend may be resistant to the virus, safe, and have had it in their body for a long time, but they can easily make you sick because you have never had such a germ in your body before.
7. Preventing illness
Common strategies like staying away (from anyone you know who is sick) can help, but the flu can be difficult to prevent because it takes a full 24 hours for symptoms to appear. Someone who was at work yesterday but is resting at home today because of the flu actually spread germs around the office the day before, before they knew they were sick.
For this reason, it seems wise to follow the precautions mentioned above. Also, make sure to clean and wash your hands regularly after touching surfaces at work or in the office, as this can help reduce the spread of germs. People rarely realize how many germs are on their computer keyboard, work phone, or cell phone, but they touch them so often that they are often filled with germs and viruses.
The same process applies to surfaces in your home. Cleaning items like doorknobs, faucets, and TV controls are often overlooked, but if you touch these surfaces frequently, you can easily come into contact with the source of infection.
8. Get vaccinated to prevent colds and flu
For the vast majority of people, there is no reason not to get vaccinated. Numerous studies have shown that vaccines are safe and effective and save millions of lives each year. Get vaccinated every year, unless medically prohibited, including the recommended flu vaccine. While there is no 100 percent protection, the risk of getting seriously ill from the flu if you are vaccinated is very low.
You may think of the flu as a simple illness, but it is not. The disease kills thousands of people in the United States each year and sends hundreds of thousands more to the hospital. Vaccination can prevent this.
Adults may think that they do not need any vaccine other than the flu vaccine, but this is not necessarily true. If you are in regular contact with children, you will probably need Tdap, which protects against tetanus, whooping cough, and diarrhea. Even if these symptoms do not seem too serious to you, the incidence of whooping cough is increasing and can be fatal for children. The vaccine you received as a child is probably no longer effective and if you receive it, you could also infect your children.
If you are over 65 and in a high-risk group, you should also get vaccinated against pneumonia. This protects you from the most common forms of pneumonia caused by pneumococcal bacteria.
If you have children, get them vaccinated according to your country's national vaccination schedule. These vaccines are safe and effective and can protect your child from serious and often fatal diseases.
9. Supplements
There is a very large segment of the pharmaceutical market that aims to help prevent colds, flu, and other illnesses through nutritional supplements, herbal remedies, oils, or vitamins. Do you consume them too? Are they worth the money? The short answer is no!
While research in this area is limited, there are studies on more common treatments such as vitamin C, echinacea, and Akti. Unfortunately, the National Center for Complementary Medicine notes that the science does not support them for preventing or treating colds and flu.
Another problem with this part of the market is that it is almost completely unregulated. As long as these products contain the disclaimer that they are not intended to treat or prevent a disease, no government agency or company can manufacture them and certify that their quality or safety is guaranteed. Many of these products do not even list the ingredients on the label, so you are not necessarily consuming what you think you are buying.
There is very little evidence to support the idea that supplements should be taken to prevent common illnesses. If you know that your body is lacking in certain vitamins or minerals, it may be helpful to take supplements to increase these levels. However, you should consult a doctor first. If possible, it is best to get these supplements through your diet rather than taking commercial supplements.
Not all illnesses can be prevented, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your family. It is good to boost your immune system, but it is equally important to avoid contact with germs as much as possible. If you follow the prevention tips mentioned in this article, you will certainly be well on your way to having the healthiest year of your life!
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