Return to Main Menu

Tips to prevent cold, flu the natural way With prevention the goal, a proactive approach to warding off colds and flu can make life healthier.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, patients who should be immunized include children aged 6­23 months; adults aged more than 65 years old;  persons aged 2­64 years with underlying chronic medical conditions;  women who will be pregnant during influenza season; residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities; children 6 months to 18 years of age on long-term aspirin therapy, health care workers with direct patient care; and out-of-home caregivers and household contacts of children aged less than 6 months. There are a few prescription medications that, if taken within a few hours from the onset of symptoms, may ease the discomfort associated with the flu and shorten its duration.  Charles B. Inlander, president of The People's Medical Society, suggests the following alternatives: Handwashing. Most cold and flu viruses are spread by direct contact. Don't cover sneezes and coughs with hands. Because germs and viruses cling to bare hands, muffling coughs and sneezes results in passing along germs to others. Keep hands away from the face. Cold and flu viruses enter the body through the eyes, nose or mouth. Touching their faces is the major way children catch colds, and a key way they pass colds on to their parents. Drink plenty of fluids. Water flushes the system, washing out the poisons as it rehydrates. A typical, healthy adult needs eight 8-ounce glasses of fluids each day. Take a sauna. Researchers aren't clear about the exact role saunas play in prevention, but one 1989 German study found that people who steamed twice a week got half as many colds as those who didn't. One theory: People who take a sauna inhale air hotter than 80 degrees, a temperature too hot for cold and flu viruses to survive. Get fresh air. A regular dose of fresh air is important, especially in cold weather when central heating dehydrates the body and makes it more vulnerable to cold and flu viruses. Also, during cold weather more people stay indoors, which means more germs  circulate in crowded, dry rooms. Do aerobic exercise regularly. Aerobic exercise speeds up the heart to pump larger quantities of blood; makes people breathe faster to help transfer oxygen from  the lungs to the blood; and makes the body  sweat as it heats up. These exercises help increase the body's natural virus-killing cells. Eat foods containing phytochemicals. Phyto means plants, and the natural chemicals in plants give the vitamins in food a supercharged boost. So put away the vitamin pill, and eat dark green, red, and yellow vegetables and fruits. Eat yogurt. Some studies have shown that eating a daily cup of low-fat yogurt can reduce susceptibility to colds by 25 percent. Researchers think the beneficial bacteria in yogurt may stimulate production of immune system substances that fight disease. Don't smoke. Statistics show that heavy smokers get more severe colds and more frequent ones. Even being around smoke profoundly zaps the immune system. Smoke dries out the nasal passages and paralyzes cilia. These are the delicate hairs that line the mucous membranes in the nose and lungs and, with their wavy movements, sweep cold and flu viruses out of the nasal passages. Experts contend that one cigarette can paralyze cilia for as long as 30 to 40 minutes. Cut alcohol consumption. Heavy alcohol use destroys the liver, the body's primary filtering system, which means that germs of all kinds won't leave the body as quickly. Heavier drinkers are more prone to initial infections as well as secondary complications. Alcohol also dehydrates the body—it actually takes more fluids  than it puts in. Relax. Teaching the body to relax can activate the immune system on demand. There's evidence that putting relaxation skills into action increases interleukins—leaders in the immune system response against cold and flu viruses—in the bloodstream. Picture a pleasant or calming  image. Do this 30 minutes a day for several months. Keep in mind, relaxation is a learnable skill, but it is not doing nothing. People who try to relax, but are in fact bored, show no changes in blood chemicals. The People's Medical Society is a nonprofit consumer health advocacy organization. Charles B. Inlander is president, and co-author of 77 Ways to Beat Cold and Flu. Friday, Oct. 15, 2004 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.