26 Jan Fight back this Flu Season
JANUARY 21, 2019 10:15 PM
I got called in the office two weeks back and as I sat down, I noticed that at least three people around me were sneezing and coughing. Only one of them had the courtesy to wear a N95 mask. Immediately, I tell my manager that I have to cut our meeting short. “Why?” She asked, surprised, “You just got here.”
I don’t wan’t to catch the bug,” I tell her. My face soft but firm. She knows better than to argue with me about health matters, the company is paying me for nutrition advisement after all.
I came straight to my home-office that day. Since then I’ve been double-dosing on none-acidic vitamin C, chugging Ginger tea nonstop, and making sure I don’t miss out on enough sleep while keeping my contact with crowds to a bare minimum.
Well, that’s really just another day in my life actually, but hey, I haven’t caught the Flu that’s been putting my peers down for at least two weeks, and that is on the average for the healthier lot. Apparently, this new strain of Influenza has been sending people to hospitals. Because it is a virus, there’s no other way but to naturally wean it out by strengthening the immune system for a quicker push.
Maybe you think Im being a drama queen with my hyper-vigilance, but see I live alone, with no family nearby so getting sick is extra difficult for me. Ain’t no one gonna nurse me if I succumb to disease, and this one lasts weeks. So ill take diva over runny nose any day!
So if like me, you don’t want to be bed-ridden, running through toilet paper and chugging Calamansi juice with cold medicine feeling worse than three days worth of hangover then take note of the following tips because with the Flu, prevention is the only real deal.
1. Keep away from the infected.
The flu virus is a parasite that lingers in our respiratory secretions which travels through air in small droplets released through coughing and sneezing. It can fly about three feet before landing on its next host. It hardly takes a minute of contact for the Influenza virus which can put you down for weeks to get transmitted, so just keep away.
2. Go Korean!
Wear an N95 Mask. Notice how our Korean friends never forget theirs? I even went through four different Korean convenience stores to score cute designs for mine, (Mercury Drug makes it look boring to be flu-safe). Try Shopee or Lazada! I realized too late that they have the best ones in-stock. Keep a mask handy in your bag all the time, this protects you when you have to take public transport, work with a group, or just walk through our city of smog.
3. Be a junkie.
Increase your Vitamin C dose this Flu season. The great thing about it is that any excess just gets flushed out through our urine and our sweat. I personally take 1000mg on days that I feel a dip. This is the quickest and simplest way to activate your immune system, making you less susceptible to catching a Flu.
4. Cool down
Remember what I said about chugging down ginger tea all day? Your other options include turmeric, calamansi, lemon, lemongrass, oregano and basil. These are natural anti-inflammatories that will make you more resistant to viruses, (to any disease even). Key word: Ph balance. Disease cant thrive in an alkaline environment and taking a lot of anti-inflammatories will help you achieve just that.
5. Chill on Netflix
Staying up all night just isn’t a good idea. Our cells regenerate between the crucial 11pm to 3 am window—where our body repairs and renews on a rested state. This is why a good night’s sleep makes you feel more energised the next day. Start going offline by 8pm to help your brain shut-down. Stimulation from smart-phones and yes even passively watching your favourite series can cause sleeplessness.
6. Hands off!
We’re always getting our hands dirty. Whether were scrolling through our smart devices, counting change in our wallet, opening doors—you get the drift. These seemingly harmless motions are just that, innocent, until we accidentally rub into contaminated space. Now the flu doesn’t get passed on this way but the moment you touch your nose, mouth, eyes after contact with anything that has been compromised—you pretty much infect yourself. So keep your hands away from your face and make sure to wash them regularly and throughly (sing a song while at it).
Tricks I learned to wean the flu
Okay, for some reason you got it, game over for prevention; but you can still avoid a trip to the hospital by doing the following:
1. Take a high-dose (500-1000mg) none-acidic Vitamin C every hour.
2. Drink 3-4 liters of inflammation fighting liquid: Calamansi, Ginger, Turmeric, Lemongrass
3. Have a flu shot: Juice raw organic garlic, ginger and turmeric and add cinnamon (I prefer to grind it as a stick). If you don’t have a juicer blend, if you don’t have that then mash it with a mortar and pestle. Take it as is or with warm water.
4. Sleep the day away.
5. Sweat it out in a sauna.
6. Use a Neti pot.
All of these are meant to raise your immunity so it can push the virus out of your system! Have a flu-free season!
Written for Metro.Style
Full link: https://metro.style/beauty-health-wellness/body/5030/how-to-fight-the-flu
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