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Steps to stop the spread
Water, soap and friction: Handwashing can break the cycle of virus
transmission
When it comes to preventing colds and
flu, the experts say, the key weapons in your arsenal are surprisingly
low-tech: eat well, exercise regularly, get enough rest, stay hydrated,
lower your stress levels, and -- perhaps most important -- wash your hands.
Cold and flu season traditionally starts
about October and runs until March. Contrary to popular belief, cold weather
does not render us more susceptible to colds and flu. Rather, the colder
months trigger behaviours that make it easier for viruses to get past the
body's defences.
Once we are out of the summer heat, for
example, we drink less water. We also exercise less, preferring to stay
indoors and hibernate -- often eschewing fruits and vegetables for
carbohydrate-laden, sugary foods, which weaken the immune system. Stress
from the holiday season and end-of-year rush projects also take their toll
on the body's defences.
"And then we crowd into hermetically
sealed homes and shopping malls, where no fresh air circulates," says
Sue LeBeau, a nurse practitioner in North Bay, Ont. "It's a perfect
opportunity for viruses to take hold."
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STAYING WELL:
Eating well is one way people can build an immunity to cold and
flu viruses. Other measures that go a long way toward building
resistance to illness include getting regular exercise, getting
enough rest, drinking fluids, lowering stress levels and
handwashing. |
"I try to get people thinking about
prevention in August or September, before the temperature shifts and the
light changes," says Pamela Thornton, a naturopathic physician with a
practice in Guelph, Ont. She urges patients to stay well-hydrated and keep
exercising. Drinking lots of water helps the immune system function
optimally and eliminate viruses, while exercise increases circulation and
cardiovascular tone and improves sleep.
Ms. Thornton also recommends avoiding
excess carbohydrates and sugar, and eating lots fruits and vegetables, even
frozen vegetables if necessary. "They're our best natural source of
vitamins and minerals, even if winter produce isn't as appealing."
One of the best ways to avoid catching a
cold or flu bug this season is about as simple as it gets: Wash your hands.
Often.
Most cold and flu viruses are transmitted
through "fomite" contact -- touching something that has a virus on
it. Telephones and doorknobs are some of the biggest culprits, Ms. LeBeau
says. Someone sneezes on their hands, makes a phone call, and then leaves
the room, leaving a trail of germs that gets picked up by the next person to
answer the phone or walk into the room. Handwashing -- every time you blow
your nose, use the washroom, or touch public doorknobs, banisters or
escalator handrails -- can break the cycle, as can wiping down surfaces in
high-traffic areas with a disinfectant, such as a solution of 10% bleach and
90% water.
"The three really important
components to hand-washing," says Ms. Lebeau, who scrubs between two
and four times for every patient she sees, "are water, soap and
friction. Friction is the most important -- you've really got to rub and
scrub between the fingers for a while. Think of how long surgeons scrub
their hands on medical shows on TV."
Along the same lines, Ms. Thornton says,
good hygiene can go a long way to preventing the spread of cold and flu
viruses: don't share drinking glasses, turn away when sneezing, wash bedding
and clothing often, and change toothbrushes regularly.
What about those anti-bacterial
hand-cleaning products?
Unless they're being used in high-traffic
areas with lots of potential for infection (think health centre waiting
rooms or hospitals), or by immune-compromised patients, most experts don't
recommend them.
"I worry that they'll help create
resistant strains of bacteria," Ms. Lebeau says. "If you're
washing your hands often with a good soap, hot water and lots of friction,
they shouldn't be necessary."
The sprays can also wipe out the
"good" immune-supporting bacteria found in the body, says Dr.
Zoltan Rona, a medical doctor who incorporates natural therapies into his
Toronto practice. If you use them, he says, take a probiotics supplement.
Or, for those who really want to spritz, he says, tea tree oil and oil of
oregano both have natural anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal
properties; a few drops mixed with water creates a more sustainable spray
that can also be used to wipe down doorknobs, telephones, keyboards and
anything else that might transmit germs.
The kitchen and health-food store contain
loads of immune-enhancing substances. While nutrient requirements vary from
person to person, Dr. Rona says, "any formula for the immune
system" should contain vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin B6
and zinc (especially important for vegetarians and actively growing
children).
As for getting a flu shot, these health
practitioners are cautious.
"I'd prefer that people avoid the
flu by having a good immune system rather than getting a shot," says
Ms. Thornton.
Ms. LeBeau recommends the vaccine only to
those for whom getting the flu would compromise existing conditions such as
asthma or diabetes. "For others, I think it's a personal
decision."
Dr. Rona is dead-set against the vaccine,
which, he points out, comes with a range of potential side effects and
protects only against a couple of strains of the flu -- strains that may or
may not invade the country in the coming year. His major objection to the
flu shot concerns the "additives and extra ingredients," the
vaccine may contain, "particularly aluminum, mercury and formaldehyde.
Given that the flu does not kill everybody, giving the flu shot is
overkill."
When it comes to preventing colds and
flu, Ms. Thornton says, the best defence is still a good offence -- building
up a strong immune system through good diet, exercise and healthy lifestyle
behaviors is the best way to protect yourself.
"Generally, most people with a
decent immune system shouldn't get more than one cold a year. When I'm
working with a client on cold and flu, I always say, 'The problem is not
that you have it, but that you were weak enough to get it.'
" - Susan Goldberg National
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