Avoiding and Fighting Cold and Flu

The winter months are notoriously known as cold and flu season. The holidays often add to your susceptibility of catching a cold or flu. As you run around the malls and crowded stores shopping, you are being exposed to hundreds of viruses. One thing about cold and flu bugs, they love to be shared. Add to that the typical holiday stress and you have a recipe for an infection that could land you in bed for days. While colds and flu are quite difficult to prevent, there are steps you can take to protect yourself.

1. Wash your hands often.
You have probably heard this since you were a child, but there is actually a proper way to wash your hands that boost your chances of dodging cold and flu.

a. Wet your hands under water that is as hot as you can stand.

b. Lather up with soap. Antibacterial soap is OK, but not really necessary if you are washing your hands correctly.

c. Wash your palms, backs of your hands and between each finger. It should take at the very least 15 to 30 seconds to completely scrub your hands.

d. Rinse your hands thoroughly under water that is as hot as you can stand.

e. Dry your hands thoroughly with paper towels or a hot air hand dryer.

f. Use a paper towel to turn off the faucet, open the bathroom door, turn off the light, etc. The less contact you have with objects that others have touched, the better protected you are.

2.Use hand sanitizer religiously.


It is a good idea to carry hand sanitizer with you, especially if you are shopping or going in to areas where there is high traffic of people. You don't often think of all the things that people touch and all the germs that are on things such as clothes racks, door handles, elevator buttons and bathroom faucets. Keep the hand sanitizer with you and use it often at work, at home and when you are out shopping. Many people who work with the public, such as cashiers and bank tellers, keep sanitizer with them and use it periodically during and after transactions.