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In the News - January 2008
Take steps to prevent winter bugs - colds and flu
MARION, Ark. - Staying healthy is important for you and for your family.
Because we spend more time indoors, the winter months can present plenty of
opportunities for viruses and germs to spread thus making escaping the winter
bugs a challenge, says VeEtta Simmons, Crittenden County staff chair for the
University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
"For most people, viral respiratory illnesses are usually self-limited and
last only a few days," she says. "But along with making millions of us feel
lousy every year, colds and flu can cause serious problems and can even be
deadly."
Since there are no known cures for colds or the flu, prevention should be
your goal. A proactive approach to warding off colds and flu is apt to make your
whole life healthier.
In addition to taking the flu shot as recommended by Centers for Disease
Control, the U of A Cooperative Extension Service offers the following tips to
help prevent the "winter bugs":
- Wash your hands often. Keeping your hands clean is one of the best
defenses to keep from getting sick and spreading illnesses. Cleaning
your hands gets rid of germs you pick up from other people and the
surfaces you touch.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often
spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs
and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Cover your cough. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you
cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your
upper sleeve, not your hands because germs cling to bare hands. Put your
tissue in the waste can.
- Drink plenty of liquids. Water keeps your mucous membranes moist
and healthy and flushes germs and toxins out of your body. A typical,
healthy adult needs eight glasses of water each day.
- Eat fresh fruits and vegetables daily. The natural chemicals in
fresh fruits and vegetables provide the vitamins you need to strengthen
your immune system. So put a rainbow on your plate and eat plenty of
dark green, red, blue and yellow vegetables and fruits daily.
- Stay active. Regular exercise prompts the heart to pump larger
quantities of blood; makes you breathe faster to help transfer oxygen
from your lungs to your blood; and makes you sweat once your body heats
up. Exercise increases your body’s ability to fight off germs that can
cause the flu.
- If possible, stay in when you’re sick. Depriving yourself of the
rest you need to overcome your illness can worsen your condition.
Additionally, you can also spread your germs to others. This is also
true of children in schools and daycare.
- Don’t smoke. Smokers are more susceptible to colds than
non-smokers. Smoke dries out nasal passages and destroys the small hairs
that propel germs out of the nose and lungs.
For more information on health and nutrition, contact your county extension
agent or visit www.uaex.edu
and select Health and Nutrition. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of
the U of A Division of Agriculture.
January 25, 2008
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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