An Ounce of Prevention

Colds and flus not only make you feel miserable, they can cost you money too. You lose money to doctor visits, medicine, and time off work. A little prevention now can save you the hassle, and dollars, of being sick in the upcoming months.

The best thing to do, of course, is to live a healthy lifestyle. Eat right. Get plenty of rest, and exercise. Wash your hands frequently, don't share cups with your kids or others, and get some fresh air everyday.

Beyond eating a well balanced diet there are foods that have been shown to help fight off colds and flus. Give yourself an extra boost by adding extra garlic, yogurt, and even mushrooms to your meals. Mushrooms? Yes it was a new one to me too. I saw it at Newstarget. Shiitake and maitake have been found the most effective. You can take supplements, but eating a well rounded diet with lots of dark green, yellow and red veggies will ensure you get plenty of vitamins and minerals.

Keeping well hydrated during the dry winter months helps you to fight off those nasty germs. Drinking lots of water flushes out the germs before they can do any damage. Black tea has also been shown to help boost your immune system.

A couple of other things that can help that might surprise you; saunas and a colon cleanse. Research has shown those who take a sauna regularly, get sick less often. I was surprised to see this on the list at WebMD, but the theory makes sense to me. In the sauna you breath in hot air in which the germs can't live, or maybe you just sweat all the germs out. I'm not sure, but it sure sounds like a good way to fight germs to me.

Colon cleansing, on the other hand, does not sound that enjoyable. I have never done this myself, but have been reading off and on about the health benefits of these for the last year or so. There are lots of reasons that doing this is supposed to be good for you, but one is that it boosts your immunity system. Cleaning out the toxins lets your body fight off the germs more effectively.

Nobody wants to be sick. It is annoying and costly. Taking a few simple steps now can help prevent illness in the upcoming winter months; saving you time, hassle and money.

Frugal Fridays