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Four Things You Can Do to Avoid The Flu

By Randi Morse 

While the colder weather brings relief from the heat, it also brings with it nasty word that no one likes to talk about: flu. The flu is extremely prevalent during the cold months, and it's never an enjoyable thing to have to deal with. Achy bones, coughing, pounding headaches, all these symptoms can leave you bed-bound for days. The good news is that there are ways to avoid getting the flu. Here are four things that you can do this flu season to keep yourself healthy. 

Avoid Your Face 

Do you know how many times a day you touch your face? How many times you scratch your nose or rub your eyes? The flu virus can't go directly through the skin unless there is some sort of an open wound. What it can do is enter your body through the mucosal membrane. This membrane is in your mouth and your nose and is a prime way for a virus to infect your body. Want to stay healthier? Stop touching your face. 

Surgical Gloves 

When you live with other people, it's often difficult to avoid getting a virus that they have already caught. One trick is to use disposable surgical gloves and masks. If you are taking care of someone who is sick, always put on a mask and wear surgical gloves whenever you get within five feet of the patient. If you're the one who is sick, and you need to prepare food for your family -- as many sick parents do -- wear gloves and a mask during food preparation. This greatly reduces the spread of the flu virus. 

Watch the Kissing 

It's never a good idea to kiss a sick person, but what you might not realize is that the flu virus is actually in a carrier's system for up to a week after their last symptom has ended. So if you've been sick for five days and have only felt good for two, any kissing may transmit the virus to your partner. 

Stop Sharing the Bed 

Another tip for infected people and their partners is to avoid sharing a bed. If you are coughing or sneezing, you can help stop the spread of the infection by having your own pillow, your own blanket, and your own sleeping space. If this is not possible, make sure that you change your bed sheets as soon as the infected person starts feeling better. 

No matter whether you believe in the effectiveness of the flu shot or not, it's important to know that there are still several things that you can do to prevent yourself, and others, from getting sick this cold season. 

To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in National City, Calif.

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