Confession: all those mass forwards that well meaning friends and family send to my inbox? About 90% of them get deleted before I even read them.
Something gave me pause in the subject line of one forward I received last week, though: Preventing Swine Flu. I don’t know how this info and advice would stand up to medical opinion, but it made sense to me and I figure… what have we got to lose? Here’s the gist of the email.
The 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 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, natural steps can be practiced.
- Frequent hand-washing. (duh)
- Hands-off-the-face” approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of your face.
- 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.
- Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. If you can’t use a Neti Pot, blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton swabs dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.
- 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.
- Drink as much warm liquid (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.
As I sit here typing this I’m drinking my hot tea. It’s almost become a nightly habit. Before I go to bed tonight I’ll also clean out my sinuses with my NasaFlo Neti Pot. I’ve sung it’s praises before… you just can’t believe how clear your sinuses can be until you use something like this! I highly recommend that one. (Seriously, you have no idea the stuff in your nose until you flush it out this way.)
As for our children, they think it’s funny to have a wet cotton swab swiped around in their nostrils (yes, I’m very careful). I’m also policing the constant hand washing and the lotion-doling for the resulting dry skin. I’ve also been told that washing their sheets, or at least their pillowcases every day or two (I know, hassle…) will keep the germs at bay. Considering all the nighttime drooling that goes on, makes sense to me.
I’ll keep you posted on whether these methods Work for Me to keep H1N1 at bay.
What do you think? Do these preventative measures sound reasonable to you? Are you already doing any of them?
Update: FishMama found the source of info for the many-times-forwarded email I received. Here it is.
I’ve heard almost all of these as well and have implemented them in our family. The only one I hadn’t heard of yet was the gargling. I just might have to give that a try too! Thanks for the reminder! However, the most important thing that list didn’t have was this: PRAY and TRUST!! Just had to squeeze that one in there!
@Allyson, Definitely the most important thing! Thanks for the reminder.
Good to know. Thanks!
I have a Neti Pot, but it makes my teeth hurt. I know. Weird. If I turn my head really quickly, I can feel the water sloshing around in my face HOURS after I’ve used it. I guess that beats swine flu, though.
LOVE the gargling tip! Makes so much sense!
@Smockity Frocks, It makes your teeth hurt?! That IS strange…
I have to tip my head forward when I use it.
Blech! I hate the Neti Pot! More power to you, if you can use it. My dh uses it every day…
Getting chills just thinking about it.
Toni
Ok, so this is going to sound strange, but we do a homemade-budget version of the NetiPot. We just mix 8oz warm water with 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp SEA salt. We then gently push liquid through with head tilted. Definitely not pleasant still, but sure beats being sick.
@Allyson, Believe it or not, you’re not the only person who has told me about their homemade nasal rinse. I NEVER would have thought to do that! Clever!
@Amy,
I am glad to hear that I’m not as strange as a I thought!
Oops, I realized that I never said how we use the saline rinse. I went out and bought a nasal bulb syringe for my hubby and I (each).
I used to work with a woman who swore by a neti pot sort of thing (I’m thinking there was a plastic squeeze bottle involved) and a cousin currently swears by it. Didn’t remember that you were a fan. :>) I like the “clean booger sucker” alternative in the comments over there, as well as the detailed how to recommendations! Very helpful!
One thing I question about gargling – I’ve read that your throat closes to keep it from going down either your esophagus or wind pipe (too sleepy to look up that technical term!) so it doesn’t really do as much as you think it might. Though that was in conjunction with sore throats, so it may be a bit different here.
Here’s hoping everyone stays well!!
I agree with this recommendations! We’ve been persistent with hand washing, not touching (including not wiping eyes), and drinking warm liquids. I’m not sure about wiping out our nostrils, but I can see how it would help. Besides, it never hurts to try!
@Kelly, Yes. I don’t know if any of these precautions will do the trick, but I figure they certainly can’t hurt!
Interesting ideas – I certainly would never have thought to wipe out my nostrils! Thanks for sharing.
I do all of the above with wonderful results. We are really a pretty healthy family and I wonder if it’s due to these common sense approaches or just good genes. Who knows, but I’ll take it at any rate!
I love to gargle with salt water. It really helps a sore throat. I’ve even gargled at the first sign of a sore throat and felt better the next day at times.
Great advice! I had not heard of some of them, but I will definately try them. I have the Neti Pot and used it with my last pregnancy, it was the only thing I could use with a nasty cold/infection and 2 weeks til my due date!
Another important piece of advice: drastically try to reduce your sugar consumption. Sugar attacks your body’s immune system and can weaken your body’s ability to fight off infection. I’ve read that one soda pop can shut down your immune system for up to six hours!
@Emily, Yes! We are working on the sugar consumption big time. I’m even preparing a blog series on reducing sugar intake. Want to write a guest post for it?
Amy! Thank you for a post with some common sense and calmness to the whole H1N1 “thing”! Great tips! And I too, drink hot tea almost every night…and almost every morning, too.
Great tips! It never hurts to be pro-active! Another thing that might help – Vitamin D has shown great results in killing off the H1N1 virus. I found that information at Dr. Mercola’s website (mercola*dot*com). I have been taking 5000 IU of vitamin D3 daily for some time now as well as using the neti pot…so far it’s done the trick. I hope that all your readers and their families can stay healthy this fall as we battle the ugly colds and flus!
@Laurie Bovitz, I need to be better about taking vitamins. I’m off of that bandwagon more than I’m on it!
I’ve been meaning to pick up a Netti Pot, but somehow it never makes it to “The List”. I swear by hot tea with raw honey. I, too, drink it almost every night!
Never would have thought to swab the nostrils. Thanks for passing these tips along!
I’ve heard the Neti Pot does wonders. I haven’t tried it yet though.
The first swine flu vaccinations have today started in the UK. Seriously ill hospital patients are among the first to receive the jab. 11 million vaccinations will be rolled out from Monday the 26th of October. Swine Flu in the UK
I agree with all of the above but would (as a previous commenter mentioned) add Vitamin D3. My natural pharmacist friend suggested it and after I researched it’s benefits would highly recommend it.
For our kids, we increased their Vitamin C with those Emergen C packets you mix into water. They think it’s “special” juice! Even the 13 mo. old will drink it out of a sippy!
@Laura V., My kids would love that Emergen C drink. Thanks for the tip!
Awesome advice. thank you!
that’s great
thanks for sharing.
we are determined to not get the flu this year. And if we have to gargle and nostril swab every night, so be it.
Thhe hard part is convincing these boys that they don’t have to put EVERYTHING in their mouth
These are great suggestions. I need to go find my neti pot.
I was wondering, though, if anyone has recommendations for my 16-month-old thumb sucker besides washing his hands every 5 minutes. I didn’t know if anyone else has though of something I haven’t.
@Crystal Nale, The toddler age is so hard! Impossible to keep all the nasty germs away.
With young children you may want to consider changing their clothes and bathing them after an event where they may have been exposed to germs/viruses of any kind. We did this after church on Sundays when we discovered they usually got sick on
Mondays or Tuesdays. It does help.
Your diet has a great deal to do with this also. Eliminate sugar! and processed foods! Consider taking probiotics. I just read that 80% of your immune system depends on the health of your digestive system.
@Monica, Great tip on the changing of the clothes. A friend says she even changes their bed sheets every day or two during cold and flu season. A lot of work, but it might be worth it!
And yes on the sugar. So hard to do that, but very necessary.
These are all good tips. We use several of them in my home. Another good tip is to not overdo the exercise right now. Too much can weaken your immune system. I don’t mean give up exercise totally, but I wouldn’t be training for a marathon right now either.
Great tips!! I love my Neti pot!! As someone with chronic seasonal allergies, it changed my life!!
I just got the e-mail today from my aunt. Lots of these sound great to me, although we don’t have a neti pot yet. I work at Starbucks and am consitantly exposed to everything. Seriously blows my mind how many really sick people think they should come in to get a drink. STAY HOME AND REST PEOPLE! I always make sure to wash my hands before I leave and then when I get home before i pick up our son. I really do not want my 14 month old to get it.
As an aside, I asked an MD/PHD who comes to our store about the vaccine. Basically whether or not my little one should have it because of my risk. He doesn’t go to daycare and her opinion was to not give the vaccine. She has two elementary age boys and they are not getting it either. Considering her knowledge base and exposure in the hospital and lab I was interested in her opinion and thought I’d pass it on.
@Heather, Very interesting to hear that from an MD! We have decided to not do the vaccine, but when it “hits home” and people in our area are suffering… it’s a tough call.
I think this is great information, especially about using the neti pot. And the hand-washing and not touching the face are consistent with CDC guidelines: http://diseases-viruses.suite101.com/article.cfm/preventing_h1n1_swine_flu_infection
What great tips! I hadn’t heard a few of them. My daughter had Swine Flu last week and for us, it wasn’t nearly as bad as we are hearing. And no one else got it.
but my oldest said the middle school is 2 kids away from closing school they have so many absent. By the time the vaccine comes around everyone will have already had it.
@Jennifer, Our vaccines are coming to school November 23. So, yes… that seems too late to me. So glad your daughter didn’t have a horrible time with it!
Is it safe to presume the cup of hot cocoa I’m about to drink falls under #6? I think so! :>)
I got this email from my husband last week when they were working on some things to do at work to help prevent spreading, and was happy to see the Neti Pot on there. We love the Neti Pot — it’s amazing what a difference it can make.
There is some interesting data suggesting that keeping your vitamin D level optimal will prevent colds, flu and in particular H1N1 (swine Flu). The Canadians are taking the data very seriously and starting studies to see if Vitamin D can prevent Flu
Here are links to two interesting articles:
August 2009-Vitamin D3 deficiency and its role in influenza
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs026/1102452079631/archive/1102685428884.html
Sept 2009-More on Vitamin D3 and influenza
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs026/1102452079631/archive/1102728693089.html
If these links don’t work you can go to http://www.vitaminD3world.com and click on ‘In the news” to find the articles.
Thanks for sharing the origin of this info, Amy; I really do want to give credit where credit is due when I can!
And…I’m so glad I had reason to visit you; I love the simple, classic layout of your site and how you’ve expressed yourself
.