The Flu and You - Sydney Naturopath's Expert Advice

Reduce your risk now - don't wait!

As we all know prevention is better than cure. So what can you do to minimise your own risk of getting flu and as a community to prevent it from spreading?

How can you support your immune system, so if you do get the flu, your body is able to recover more quickly and experience milder symptoms?

The Top 10 smart flu prevention techniques we can all do now. Some of them may sound obvious, but are you doing them?

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1. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol based hand sanitiser if soap and water is not available. Alcohol hand santisers can be purchased in small convenient easy to carry bottles.

2. Be mindful of what public surfaces you touch, shaking hands, or for example using pens others have recently used. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, until you have washed your hands.

3. Use a tissue and cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

4. Get enough sleep - this means different things to different people, but try to get 8 hours of good rest a night to keep your immune system in good flu fighting shape

5. Keep hydrated - drink 8 - 10 glasses of water each day to flush toxins from your system and maintain good moisture and mucous production in your sinuses.

6. Eat immune boosting foods - keep your body strong, nourished and ready to fight infection is important in flu prevention. Fatty foods, sugar and overly processed foods, can slow your metabolism, make you feel sluggish and are useless in providing nutrition and so compromise your immune system. The key is to eat whole grains, lots of brightly coloured vegetables, and vitamin rich fruits.

7. Avoid Alcohol - besides being a mood suppressant, alcohol is also an immune suppressant that can actually decrease your resistance to viral infections like swine flu. Avoid alcoholic beverages to keep your immune system strong.

8. Keep physically active - mild to moderate exercise - for example brisk walking 30-40 minutes, 3-4 times a week - supports your immune system by increasing circulation, oxygenating the body, purging toxins through sweat, and releasing stress and tension. GET MOVING! Here on the northern beaches we are lucky to live in the most beautiful part of Sydney, with lots of great places to walk – what’s your excuse?

9. Avoid contact with sick people. The flu virus is spread when small particles dispersed into the air through sneezing and coughing come into contact with our nose. So, if you are coughing or sneezing use a tissue and wash your hands. If you are around someone who is sick, try to stay a few feet away and avoid physical contact. And the Big one - STAY HOME - if you are feeling unwell and have flu symptoms, be responsible and stay home, for the benefit of your self and those around you.

10. Know when to get help - Swine flu can look like regular flu, so you don't know if your infected. Flu like symptoms include fever plus at least a cough or sore throat and possibly other symptoms like runny nose, body aches, headaches, chills, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhoea. If you are experiencing these symptoms and if you live in an area with documented cases or your symptoms become severe, please see your Doctor.

11. I had to add in other good tip. Laughing, have a good belly laugh. Research has shown that laughing boosts our immune systems. So rent a funny movie, read a funny book, watch some Seinfeld re-runs, what ever tickles your fancy and have a good old laugh.

Towards the end of winter we can often get a bit run down and tired, and so our immunity can be more compromised anyway. Your diet and or lifestyle maybe hasn't been too healthy lately. Your not sleeping well. You've already had several colds and can't seem to shake them properly. Stress can also be a big factor, particularly if it is chronic and this year with the global economic crises, there has been an added layer of stress for many.

If you can relate to any of these then you need to book your appointment now at Sydney Wholistic. Review your health, have your zinc levels tested (zinc is essential for good immune health) and pick up an individualised prescription to boost your immune system. You will also receive more information on specific infection fighting foods plus our tried and trusted 'Flu Brew' and Immune Juice recipes.

Herbal Medicine offers us a treasure chest of ways to support your immune system, which then allows us to target and support a person’s specific weakness, whether it be sinus problems, lower respiratory issues, chronic sore throats or re-occurring colds.

We also use a large range of high quality practitioner only nutritionals and homeopathics which enable us to give you the best individualised prescription for your needs.

We all have the choice to step up and take more responsibility for our own health, and this year more than ever we can make a difference in our community by taking some simple steps to help reduce the spread of influenza.

Further Articles by Deborah Draffin
Sydney Women's Naturopathy Expert

Naturopath, Herbalist and Nutritionist at Sydney Wholistic

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Deborah Draffin, Naturopath, Herbalist and Nutritionist. Trained at Nature Care College in Sydney, and a member of the Australian Traditional Medicine Society. Deborah has a passion for women’s wellbeing, and specialises in hormone health and weight loss.

Deborah uses the time honoured knowledge of herbal medicine combined with the latest scientific research, evidence based products and testing methods to provide a common sense and supportive approach to healing. Deborah is the owner of Northern Beaches based Naturopathic Clinic, Sydney Wholistic and is also contracted to consult for the staff of a large city based multi-national company.

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