The Flu Hysteria and Your Family

(originally in Nov. 2004 ZoneNet Newsletter)

In this flu season, America is faced with a dilemma: we are some fifty million flu shots short. Public health officials say that the vaccine should be reserved specifically for babies six months to two years old as well as adults over 65. They should also be reserved for women who are pregnant in their second or third trimester, health care workers who care for high-risk groups, patients afflicted with debilitating health issues such as heart and lung disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and asthma.

It is the time to sit down with our families and face some hard facts. I live in a house with my wife who is in her 3rd trimester of pregnancy, my 8 year-old son and my 68 year old father who we have been taking care of for nearly two years. Unfortunately, my Dad has been suffering from lung cancer. When we heard about the potential shortage a number of months ago, my wife and I had a conversation about it and we decided that she and my father needed the vaccine the most. My son and I visited our family physician and she suggested some things we can do to prepare our bodies against the flu season.

In lieu of her advice, our whole family has become even more stringent about cleanliness and discouraging the spread of germs. We wash our hands often and keep hand sanitizers on around with the understanding that it is not a substitute for the real thing. Think of all the things we touch in the course of a day that we do not realize, everything from touching strange door knobs to using public computers. Instead of sneezing into our hands, we sneeze into a tissue or into the crooks of our arms.

We have all improved our diets by incorporating more fruits and vegetables and taking antioxidant supplements.

We have also added healthier foods to our usual diets like wheat germ and yogurt to support our immune systems'. We eat better balanced meals, which supply us with healthy amounts of protein and larger helpings of vegetables and fruits or whole grains. We have also cut down on sugar both in our drinks and our food. These types of foods help deliver some of those components essential for the body to build a strong immune system, hopefully improving our ability to fight the flu. We exercise more, try to keep the stress level in our house lower and are sure to get enough sleep. I feel quite confident about our ability to ward off the flu this season and if one of us happens to catch it, then hopefully it will not hang around for too long.

We again visited our doctor so as to be sure we were in good shape. My blood pressure has gone down and our overall family health is great. Our doctor thanked our family for making a decision for the good of society by choosing to take better care of ourselves, especially since my son and I are part of the high risk group for living with a pregnant woman and an elderly man.

Ryan Joseph is a writer/researcher. For more info. visit http://www.sportsnutritions.com/

---

Sports Massage

What is Sports Massage? Rapidly gaining in popularity, Sports Massage... Read More

Benefits of Human Growth Hormone ? HGH Enhancing Products

Human Growth Hormone has often been referred to as the... Read More

MSM: Enhance Your Overall Beauty, Your Hair, Nails, And Skin While Reducing Allergic Reactions

Welcome to another exciting issue of "The Home Made Medicine... Read More

If Youre Unhappy with Your Pain Relief Meds, Heres a Whole New Class You Havent Tried

The 8 That Are Produced in Your BrainWhen you're in... Read More

Reiki

REIKI is a form of natural healing through direct application... Read More

Liver Spring Cleansing

The liver is the second largest organ in the body... Read More

The Making of Essential Oils ? Steam Distillation, Absolutes, and CO2s Explained

Aromatherapy Goes 'High Tech'New methods of essential oil extraction are... Read More

Spring Cleaning with Nontoxic Cleaners

Spring cleaning goes beyond normal everyday cleaning. It's a major... Read More

Alcohol : How Badly Can It Affect Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Sufferers?

The wonders of alcohol. The achilles heel for many people.... Read More

Natural Pain Management!

Life in today's hectic society is going more and more... Read More

Hypnosis Way of General Indications of Deceit

When the subject is changed, he's in a better, more... Read More

5 Simple Steps For Ridding Yourself Of Back Pain

Millions of people suffer from back pain unnecessarily when there... Read More

Dopamine Relieves Pain ? Try Encouraging Your Subconscious To Supply It

Dopamine has long been known to be linked to positive... Read More

Far Infrared Sauna Technology Comes of Age

What exactly is infrared, or radiant heat? No need to... Read More

3 Natural Cures For A Migraine Headache

Only a migraine sufferer understands the pain. Regardless of how... Read More

Constipation Remedy Using Apples and Other Juices

Here are two constipation remedies that you can use for... Read More

Fraicheur DAgrume (Citrus Fruits): Freshness in a Bottle

Citrus oils are perhaps one of the more popular essential... Read More

What Is A Holistic Practitioner?

Holistic Practitioners are holistic healing professionals with a gift in... Read More

Serotonin Kills Pain ? And May Be Available From Your Subconscious

Serotonin is not just for depression--it's potent for pain relief... Read More

An ADD Case Study: What Does it Mean to Fail?

Josh is a client of mine who is a junior... Read More

Do-Sa-Do For Mindfulness

When I was 12, one of my best friends was... Read More

Digestive Distress

Step 1: Collect InformationAs the mix of hormones in your... Read More

Arthritis Relief and Your Diet

Arthritis affects more than 40 million Americans and is referred... Read More

Acupressure

Developed in Asia over 5,000 years ago, acupressure is an... Read More

Watch Out for Alternative Medicine Charlatans!

Forget those CrystalsAs an integrative medical practitioner, I keep an... Read More

Green Drink For Constipation

A green drink is a powerful drink that can help... Read More

Endorphins ? Strong Painkillers Your Subconscious May Be Able to Provide

The sources of the original "natural high," endorphins and ekephalins... Read More

Gratitude

Here's a quick question: You've got a bad cold. Do... Read More

Super Bee Nutrition

Bee's and Bee NutritionWhat is the buzz about bee Nutrition?... Read More

Ginseng: Root of Immortality

Translated to mean man root in Chinese, the name ginseng... Read More

Natural Remedies for Eliminating Warts Quickly & Safely!

Warts are a type of infection caused by virus called... Read More

Anxiety

Anxiety is a pernicious little devil; it can hold us... Read More

Toxins Make You Fat and Shorten Your Life

When your body is toxic, toxins hide and embed themselves... Read More