Swine flu is a respiratory disease that is quite similar with the familiar seasonal flu. Officially known as HINI, it is now classified as a global pandemic since its first outbreak in Mexico in March. The symptoms of swine flu look like an ordinary flu, it include high fever (greater than 100°F or 37.8°C), cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. There is also report of diarrhoea and vomiting being part of the symptoms of swine flu.
We do not have to stop doing everything or stop going out. Here are some steps on how we can avoid and reduce our chances of contracting swine flu.
1. Take care of personal hygiene. Use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose if you sneeze or cough. Throw the tissue away immediately after use. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after you sneeze. If there is no water or soap available, use alcohol based cleansers or anti bacterial gel to clean your hands.
2. Stay at home if you do not feel well. Your immune system may be low when you are sick and the chances of contracting flu can be higher.
3. Anything you touch may be affected with swine flu, hence it is important to wash your hands constantly or keep your hand clean with anti bacterial gel to help you avoid infection.
4. Though there are no known cases of swine flu being transmitted through fruit and vegetables, it is known that the life span of a virus can vary as much as 48 hours to 100 years depending on the strength of the virus. To avoid any possibility of contamination, it will be prudent to wash your vegetables and fruit thoroughly.
Besides taking care of our exposure to the environment, one of the best ways to avoid swine flu is by boosting our immune system. Increasing your intake of dietary supplement can help build your immune system, keep your body healthy to fight any flu virus.
Here are some steps on how to build your immune system to avoid swine flu:
Sleep deprivation can affect our mind and body in various ways. Not only will it reduced our concentration, it can weaken our body’s immune system. Getting plenty of sleep will help our body recharge and repair and hence keep us healthy.
Set aside time for physical activity such as walking or other form of exercise. Exercise will train our immune system to be more prepared for any virus attack.
Vitamin C is a common dietary supplement to counteract flu. Hence increasing your Vitamin C especially if you are exposed to the flu might help your body fight the virus
Green tea is known to have strong antiviral properties. There are many health benefits linked to green tea. The polyphenols which is a powerful antioxidant in green tea can help build your body immune system.
Take Vitamin E to increase production of natural killer cells that will seek out and destroy flu germs.
Bioflavonoids are powerful antioxidant known to fill up cell receptor sites to prevent flu virus from getting into your cells and cause infection. You can increase your intake of bioflavonoids with food such as grapes, peppers, garlic and blueberries. Alternatively, you can boost your immune system with bioflavonoid supplements such as resveratrol which is a kind of polyphenol known to protect cells and body chemicals.
No comments:
Post a Comment