October 23, 2009 4:44 PM
H1N1 swine flu prevention - six simple steps
If you do not plan to get the H1N1 shot, it is important to take some proactive measures to keep your family healthy. As I discovered last year, it's much easier to discipline myself to ratchet up my family's daily health habits than to deal with illnesses and frequent trips to the doctor.
We've been drinking our morning Health Smoothies for a year and the kids got sick only once last winter. I also give my kids daily multi-vitamins and Vitamin C (if your child has trouble swallowing, bury it in a spoonful of yogurt). At the first hint of congestion, use a SinuCleanse (Neti-Pot) and Mucinex to clear everything.
My kids with special needs used to get sick 4-6 times a winter - and by doing these things, I cut it back to once. So I know the power of prevention. And while at first it seemed like a monumental task to incorporate new protocols, it was well worth it and they quickly became so routine I don't even notice. I love making the shakes in the morning because my kids surround me like little birds just waiting to be able to fill their bellies with that goodness - including blueberries, strawberries, papaya - YUM!
I'm telling you this as an introduction to these special protocols for helping your family avoid the H1N1 flu this year. There are a couple things we haven't done (daily gargle) which I plan to start doing right away. I hope you will take these seriously and add them to your family's daily routine. I know you're already working hard, but dealing with sick kids is the hardest thing of all.
Preventing H1N1 infectionThe only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.
While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face
3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
4. Clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. If you don't use a Neti-Pot or Sinus Cleanse, blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.
5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.
HT: A Mac and a Mug o'Joe
Don't forget the elbow sneeze!
Posted in Health, Swine Flu | Permalink
Comments
Thank you!
Posted by: Lauren | October 23, 2009 5:40 PM
hi Barbara, I am so glad you did this post. I was seriously thinking of writing about this normal daily routine: washing your nostrils thoroughly. I hear about so many children having ear infections and I bet that it's caused by congested and nasty nostrils. I know that when I wash my nostrils with salt water like you described my ears pop, so imagine where all that mucus go if you are not rising it OUT with water and salt!!! Anyway, just like your children my children do NOT get sick. the hand washing, no touching face, washing nostrils with salt water at first sign of congestion and cleaning nostrils EVERYDAY is normal routine here at our house. Also important is good nutrition: lots of fresh fruits and vegetables that are loaded with vitamins. We try our best to stay away from sugar and milk, specially if we are becoming congested. I am glad you shared this. It's so much easier and cheaper to prevent than to medicate after you are sick. :) BTW, I love reading your blog. :) Tereza
Posted by: tereza crump AKA MyTreasuredCreations | October 23, 2009 5:55 PM
Could you give some tips on doing these things (specifically the no face touching, gargling. and nose cleansing) when all your children are very young? None of mine are old enough to gargle or drink hot liquids, and I think I'd have a rather hard time convincing them on the neti-pot. I think these are fabulous ideas. I am just not sure how to implement them with small children. I am doing well to get them to keep their hands out of their mouths, much less keep their hands off their faces!
Posted by: mamashortcake | October 23, 2009 7:48 PM
Thank you for this Barbara! I have been giving my kids (and taking myself as well) probiotics and Vitamin D to help stay healthy in addition to regular handwashing and vitamins. I get the probiotics in the capsules that need to be refrigerated and open the capsule and hide the powder in something cold like applesauce or yogurt. They love their "medicine!" Probiotics keep the gut healthy which lowers the risk for infection. And there's a lot of research about Vitamin D doing the same for the immune system. Stay healthy!
Posted by: Addie | October 23, 2009 8:19 PM
mamashortcake, I had a doctor once tell me that a salty soup has an affect similar to salt water. I've been making lots of soup for my little ones lately.
Posted by: Lauren | October 24, 2009 9:45 AM
Look what showed up in my inbox this morning (10/24):
msnbc.com: BREAKING NEWS: President Obama declares national emergency on swine flu
I can tell you the swine flu figures are not accurate as every person, esp every child, that comes in with ILI (influenza -like illness) is being diagnosed with 'swine flu' if they exhibit a cough. No testing is being done on a routine basis. This information was given to me by a relative who works in medical care.
I for one am not comfortable with the 'national emergency' designation. It opens the door for all sorts of government 'help' and interventions. I wouldn't be surprised if the swine flu vaccines went from being voluntary to mandatory.
Posted by: Renee P | October 24, 2009 11:36 AM
To mamashortcake-
I understand the frustration of having little kids who don't keep their hands off their faces.
( keep working on it!) There's still so much you can do to boost their immune system, like getting them good vitamins and making sure you are home so they can nap and get their rest. A good place for research is www.welltellme.com Cod liver oil is an immune system booster, as well as probiotics and colostrum. Berry Well is an awesome product for families with young children. Check it out at beeyoutiful.com I think you'd enjoy being on their mailing list as well. This ( berry well) is something you could give your kiddos ( over the age of 1) if they have been in public with lots of exposure, or if they are coming down with something. Of course, hand sanitizers are great- you might want to get a small container of lysol to clean grocery carts...I also think there's something to be said for avoiding large crowds of *little* children. I am speaking of the gym nurseries, church nurseries, etc...The germs are the absolute worst there. If you have a nursing baby, consider the power of what you take affecting you baby in a positive way. You could take garlic if you baby's nose is starting to run... Colostrum is a great immune booster for both you and baby.So if you are not nursing, do some research and see how much to put in baby's bottle. It takes time and research, but you * can* help your family's health! GL
Posted by: Lisa | October 24, 2009 12:52 PM
Another important thing is to make sure everyone in the family is getting plenty of Vitamin D. Many of us no longer do because we wear sunscreen, or simply don't get outside enough.
Check out these links:
and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-soram-khalsa/vitamin-d-for-swine-flu-p_b_310235.html
Posted by: Kristina | October 24, 2009 1:53 PM
Thank you for this! I had to go to the doctor today. I put it off as long as I could because I knew that I would be exposed to so much flu in the waiting room. This gives me some added things to do that I have not been doing to try to keep myself healthy.
Posted by: Karen | October 24, 2009 8:40 PM
Tereza, nobody's offered ideas on keeping your kids' hands away from their mouth, nose, and eyes, so I blogged about it today:
Hope it helps!
Posted by: Kristina | October 26, 2009 3:13 PM
All the ideas in the lead article make sense to me.
1. What is the technical source of the lead article?
2. I wonder why the main stream sources (CDC, etc) do mention prevention using with salt water, D3, etc ???
November 1 2009 Santa Fe, New Mexico
Posted by: Ralph Bruening | November 1, 2009 9:24 PM
Hi Barbara, Great site and articles. My boys have been sick every other week since my oldest started pre-k. Looking for ways to keep them healthy.
I was wondering:
What brand of daily multi-vitamins and Vitamin C do you use?
Do you add a multinutrient supplement to your smoothies? If so, what brand?
We've been using Flinstones gummies, Emergen-C & Carnation Instant Breakfast, but am checking if there are better alternatives. Thanks.
Posted by: Amy | January 20, 2010 2:34 PM
