Flu is really going around

With fears of the Swine Flu (H1N1), the flu season is definitely upon us. My Nephew Calvin has been sick most of the week, Pam was really concerned that it could be swine flu, but it turned out to be strep throat. Still not something very pleasant to have, but not the swine flu.

I's seen many people on Facebook also have a lot of concerns about this. I thought I would put together a short list on what you can do to protect yourselves.

1. Frequent Hand Washing. This is probably one of the most important habits you can encourage your family to do.
2. Hands Off Face. Continually remind your family to keep their hands away from their face. This is a habit we all have but with conscious effort we can certainly minimize it.
3. Salt Water Gargles. Gargle with a salt water solution in the moring and evening. This helps to keep any virus from proliferating.
4. Nasal Saline Spray. Use a saline spray to flush nasal passages at least once a day. Blow nose well afterwards.
5. Vitamin C and Yogurt. Eat foods plentiful in vitamin C and also eat Yogurt, both will increase your immunity to colds and viruses. For better Vitamin C absorption, also take Zinc.
6. Drink Warm Liquids. Drink plenty of warm liquids, such as tea and soup. Warm drinks help flush viruses from the throat into the stomach, where viruses can no longer survive.
7. Plenty of Rest. Our bodies need rest to keep our immunity strong, so this is especially important during flu seasons.

Just do these simple steps and you should be able to lower the risk of catching and lower it's impact if you do catch it by doing this.