Tips for Fighting Cold and Flu
It's the dreaded cold and flu season but there are simple things you can do to avoid it, Dr. Yael Halaas, ear, nose and throat specialist has some great tips.
What are some steps we can take to avoid getting sick?
Dr. Halaas: Well the most important thing you can do is be proactive. Prevention should always be your goal. It sounds simple but a lot of people just don't wash their hands enough. Someone with a cold sneezes onto their hands and then touches a doorknob, a telephone or the computer keyboard. The germs can live for hours, even days on these surfaces. The next person who touches the same object then becomes infected. So, wash your hands often and keep an alcohol based hand sanitizer when you are on the go.
Also don't touch your face... so many cold and flu viruses enter your body through the eyes, nose or mouth.The second that you feel that scratchy throat or stuffy nose coming on, I highly recommend that you immediately start taking Cold-EEZE zinc lozenges within 24 hours of your first cold symptom. The high-powered zinc gluconate found in Cold-EEZE's lozenges or oral spray has been clinically proven to shorten the duration of a cold by nearly half. It works great with your decongestants and pain-relievers and gets you better faster.
The proprietary Cold-EEZE formula allows for the release of activated zinc ions in the mouth and prevents the virus from attaching to the lining of your throat. Studies from both the prestigious Cleveland Clinic and Dartmouth College have proven its efficacy.The lozenges come in a ton of flavors... even sugar free!
What else can we be doing?
DH: Drink lots of water and exercise regularly.Water keeps you hydrated and releases toxins in your body...drink at least 8, 8 ounce glasses a day...aerobic exercise speeds up the heart to pump larger quantities of blood; makes you breathe faster to help transfer oxygen from your lungs to your blood; and makes you sweat once your body heats up. These exercises help increase the body's natural virus-killing cells.
What about myths for getting sick? Is it true that temperature, going out with a wet head etc....can get you sick?
DH: Common myths are that weather can make you sick...its not true, you wont get sick by going out with a wet head...there is absolutely no evidence to those myths. Also, drinking milk or eating things with milk--doesn't create more mucus - that's another myth. Also, starving a cold...not true, its important to eat well -nutrients keep you strong and help fight infection.
Where can we go for more information?
DH: Go to coldeeze.com to learn more about Cold-EEZE or cdc.gov to learn more about the common cold and the flu.
Sponsored by: Cold-EEZE