Colds & Flus

Shopping and gatherings are great, but those places also become like the Grand Central Station for transmittable germs and infections that are just waiting to come onboard. But all is not grim if you are prepared and with a few of my precautions and tips, you can flow through this cold & flu season unscathed.

Precautions to Follow

1. Watch what you touch in public places. Whether you’re at work, stores or friends and relatives’ homes, always assume that the doorknobs, phones, light switches, handles and railings might have been touched by someone who is sick. Try to use paper napkins or handkerchiefs to open doors, turn handles, etc.

2. Carry and use liquid hand sanitizer if you can’t wash. Keep those disinfectant wipes around to regularly wipe off phones, doorknobs, etc.

3. Wash your hands before you touch your face or eat, and never share food or drinks. Our hands become the number one transferor of germs from contaminated public items we touch, especially when we eat or touch our nose or mouth.

4. Never sneeze into your hands. As a reflex, most people sneeze into their hands rather than sneeze onto their immediate environment. Your hands can easily can easily contaminate doorknobs, phones, shopping carts, faucet handles and other public or shared items.

5. Hold your breath for five seconds when someone sneezes or coughs near you, and step a few feet away. Sneeze droplets are not airborne for long and may be evaded with a few feet of distancing.

6. Wash your hands after shaking someone’s hand. Follows #1 to #3 precautions.

7. Although this may be hard for some of you, do cheek kisses versus kissing lips.

8. Don't smoke because it lowers your immune system and irritates the nasal and throat passages.

9. Get plenty of fresh air. If you find yourself spending too much time in air conditioned or stuffy rooms, periodically (every 50 minutes) take a 5 minute break outside.

10. Avoid cold drafty places. The human body has a outer immune defense system that is closely associated to the skin cells and interferon. In Chinese medicine, we refer to this layer as "Wei Chi", or outer defensive energy. Persistent cold draft can weaken this defense and cause cold and flu-like symptoms.

11. Get plenty of exercise. This increases your peripheral vascular circulation, increases lung capacity and reduces stress.

12. Drink lots of water. Dehydration adds to biotoxic buildup.

If you follow these simple precautions, you will reduce the chance of becoming sick by 75%. (my empirical figures, nothing scientific J)

Other considerations:

1. Ginger and cinnamon stick teas are a great herbal drink to boost the peripheral vascular circulation, which can add a little extra to your auto immune defense system.

2. Cheese and other dairy products are phlegm-producing, so be careful if you are prone to respiratory infections.

3. One gram of vitamin C three times a day helps to keep the doctor away.

4. Take full, deep breaths. Breathe in while expanding your abdomen, and then your chest. Fill your mouth and nasal cavities with air, hold for 10 to 20 seconds, and exhale slowly. Repeat 3 times. This is a great way to quickly boost your energy.

5. Another easy way to combat fatigue is to sing. Try it, you’ll like it. Enjoy holiday songs.

Now here are some psycho-somatic tips to prevent you from becoming sick.

1. Stamp your foot on the ground with conviction and intent, while saying out loud, “I WILL NOT GET SICK”.

2. Take a deep breath, hold it a few seconds, and then let it out, while smiling into your body and into your cells. Visualize a face on the cells, and try to make it smile back at you.

3. If you observe yourself needlessly worrying, frightened or sad, tell yourself, “Don’t worry, don’t be scared, don’t be sad.” Do this as frequently as these emotions crop up.

There is no mystery about how frequent emotional stress lowers the immune system. Add these actions to your bag of remedies, and you will be pleasantly surprised to notice their effectiveness.