4 Surprising Things That Help Ward Off Cold and Flu Bugs (Bet You've Never Tried These!)
You all know the usual advice to prevent cold and flu bugs--you smarties, you. So I won't tell you about washing your hands or getting plenty of rest (duh!). But, I bet you didn't know that these four little things could literally zap bugs that want to infect you--H1N1 included. They're so easy, you can try these right now...
Debbie over at WiseBread had some great tips this week about some unusual and natural ways to not only strengthen your immune system but also fight back against cold and flu viruses that are trying their hardest to infect you. Here are my favorite tips:
1. Go blow your nose! Weird, right? You wouldn't think to blow your nose when you don't have a cold, but you should. "Blowing your nose hard at least once per day will help clear germs from your nasal cavities," the bloggers note. "Follow up the nose blowing with a swabbing of both nostrils using a cotton bud dipped in warm salt water."
2. Gargle. "The only portals of entry for the flu into the body are the mouth, throat and nostrils," they say. "By gargling twice each day with warm salt water or Listerine, the proliferation of H1N1 may be prevented. It is believed that gargling with warm salt water as a healthy person is similar to the effect that an infected person receives from taking Tamiflu."
3. Drink some warm tea. "To help wash viruses from your throat and prevent proliferation, drinking warm liquids works in a similar manner as gargling with warm salt water--except it moves the viruses in the other direction," they say. "Once the germs are in your stomach, they can't survive or proliferate."
4. Cut back on sugar. Here's why it's a good idea to reduce sugar during cold and flu season: "Sugar is absorbed fast by the body but if it is not burned off quickly, it remains in the bloodstream ... the problem with excess sugar is that it prevents the ability of white blood cells to do their job and fight foreign organisms."
Do you do any of these on a regular basis?
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