No cold or flu after the holidays
You may have noticed that many people end up with colds or flu after the holidays. For most adults, it’s a nuisance they almost expect, and they expect to commiserate with their coworkers when they return to work after the holidays.
But for kids, it sets them back. It can ruin their winter vacation and hold them back when they return to school. And for old people, it can put them at risk for escalating problems, like dehydration, lung infections, and hospitalization.
No one has found a cure for the common cold. Rest and lots of fluids, especially water, a good air purifier, and a positive attitude, lots of vitamin C (not based on corn), and not too much food, will all help to shorten its duration.
Same for flu. Vaccinations are admittedly limited in their application to more than a few of the many strains out there, and many people seem to get the flu as a direct result of the vaccination.
So the best approach is preventing the cold or flu from ever catching up with you. And I say that deliberately. We don’t catch the cold. It catches us! It catches up with us when we are not prepared with preventive strategies.
I want to give you the best strategies to prevent winter colds and flu. And don’t be surprised if they sound a lot like the strategies which help shorten their duration.
But first I want to outline the causes, because then it will all make better sense.
Let’s look at why we get most of our colds and flu in December, January and February. I used to get a persistent cold every winter around February until I figured out that I either had to get away to a tropical place for a week or two, or take some deliberate steps to avoid getting a cold or flu.
Here are the main factors which make us less resistant to colds and flu after the holidays.
1. In the dead of winter, we spend more time indoors with closed windows and doors and artificial heating drying the air and causing chemicals to leach from household furnishings. And then when we do go out, we have a sudden change of temperature to which our body must adjust.
2. We get less sleep. We are taking time to prepare for and enjoy the holidays while continuing our regular work schedule. And we are going to parties and family gatherings with odd hours that can shorten our sleep time at both ends.
3. We depart from our normal eating habits, eating at unusual times, often whether or not we are hungry, to keep our hosts happy or to meet our crazy schedule. We try unusual foods in unusual combinations. We are surrounded by tempting sweets at all times, and sometimes we try to minimize uncomfortable effects by adding to the body’s burden by drinking soda or alcohol more than usual. And of course we consume more overall.
4. Then there is the stress of change. Most people feel stress dealing with high expectations with relatives and friends, some of whom you may not have seen since last year. Even good stress is still stress. It takes adjustments in your body to maintain equilibrium.
Every one of these factors we know from science as well as common sense can diminish our resistance to colds and flu. Whether it’s enclosed indoor air, temperature changes, chemical exposure, less sleep and irregular sleep patterns, irregular meals, too much food, too many different foods at once, too much sugar, substitution of sodas and alcohol for quality drinking water, or simple chronic emotional stress, they all add up to a welcoming environment for bacteria, yeasts, and flu viruses.
So how can we prevent the cold and flu?
Take steps to minimize all these factors. Of course we can’t eliminate them all and we wouldn’t want to. It wouldn’t be the holidays without may of them. But we can do our best to avoid the ones we don’t care about and then put some thought and action into exercising choice and moderation about for those we know we will experience.
1. So, first of all, don’t overheat your house, and get a good air purifier for your bedroom. The one I use and recommend is the Nikken KenkoAir Purifier. It not only has the finest filter available, but it uses very little energy, is very quiet, and produces the beneficial negative ions which help protect the lungs from air pollution by helping to neutralize contaminants.
And bundle up when you go outside. Keep hands and feet warm, as well as head and neck. Breathe deep when outside, to get good fresh air.
2. Treasure your sleep. Plan your schedule so that if you know you will have a short night, you can get a good rest the next night. One night’s sleep has been proven to reduce your immune system response by 30 to 60%.
3. Watch your food intake. It’s better to go light than heavy. Practice your excuses! “I had a big breakfast.” Or, “I can only have a taste because I’ve been eating so much lately!” “Yum, that’s delicious but I can’t fit anymore in!”
If you did overdo it, now is the time to get back on track quickly. Minimize sweets, sugars and carbohydrates, and plan easy to digest meals, like soups, salads, and seasonal veggies and fruits, at regular meal times, and eat only when hungry. Be sure to have a healthy breakfast, with good quality protein, so that you don’t crave sweets and too many comfort foods later in the day.
Replace odd beverages with high quality water. What we drink and recommend is the Nikken Waterfall Water Purifier. It has a very fine multistage filter and in addition alkalizes the water naturally with alkalizing minerals. It also actually micro-structures the water for easy assimilation by passing it through a magnetic field, as if it just came out of the earth from a mountain spring.
4. Finally, give yourself the time to let go of accumulated stress. Forgive yourself quickly for example, for anything you said or did over the holidays which is sticking with you as a regret. If there are any amends to be made, make a friendly call or write a note. Even a thoughtful text can ease your mind and help you let go of lingering stress. People are more forgiving than we tend to think. Often we are worse on ourselves than anyone else is. They are busy focusing on their own stresses after the holidays!
And if someone has offended or worried you, do your best to let it go. It is a new year, and holding on to offenses doesn’t leave room for growth. Most issues resolve with time and if not, knowing what you can control and what you can’t is the key to getting back your equanimity.
Meanwhile, on the practical level, take your time cleaning up after the holidays, and give yourself time to readjust to your normal routines. And also take the time to make some mental or even written notes for next time about how to make holidays and vacations easier on your body and mind!
Do just a few of these things and your immune system will stay a lot stronger. When folks say that they got their usual winter cold, or that they got the “flu that going around,” you can just say, “Oh, what flu? Oh, that’s too bad. I’m glad I have avoided it so far.” And smile to yourself.
No cold or flu after the holidays
You may have noticed that many people end up with colds or flu after the holidays. For most adults, it’s a nuisance they almost expect, and they expect to commiserate with their coworkers when they return to work after the holidays.
But for kids, it sets them back. It can ruin their winter vacation and hold them back when they return to school. And for old people, it can put them at risk for escalating problems, like dehydration, lung infections, and hospitalization.
No one has found a cure for the common cold. Rest and lots of fluids, especially water, a good air purifier, and a positive attitude, lots of vitamin C (not based on corn), and not too much food, will all help to shorten its duration.
Same for flu. Vaccinations are admittedly limited in their application to more than a few of the many strains out there, and many people seem to get the flu as a direct result of the vaccination.
So the best approach is preventing the cold or flu from ever catching up with you. And I say that deliberately. We don’t catch the cold. It catches us! It catches up with us when we are not prepared with preventive strategies.
I want to give you the best strategies to prevent winter colds and flu. And don’t be surprised if they sound a lot like the strategies which help shorten their duration.
But first I want to outline the causes, because then it will all make better sense.
Let’s look at why we get most of our colds and flu in December, January and February. I used to get a persistent cold every winter around February until I figured out that I either had to get away to a tropical place for a week or two, or take some deliberate steps to avoid getting a cold or flu.
Here are the main factors which make us less resistant to colds and flu after the holidays.
1. In the dead of winter, we spend more time indoors with closed windows and doors and artificial heating drying the air and causing chemicals to leach from household furnishings. And then when we do go out, we have a sudden change of temperature to which our body must adjust.
2. We get less sleep. We are taking time to prepare for and enjoy the holidays while continuing our regular work schedule. And we are going to parties and family gatherings with odd hours that can shorten our sleep time at both ends.
3. We depart from our normal eating habits, eating at unusual times, often whether or not we are hungry, to keep our hosts happy or to meet our crazy schedule. We try unusual foods in unusual combinations. We are surrounded by tempting sweets at all times, and sometimes we try to minimize uncomfortable effects by adding to the body’s burden by drinking soda or alcohol more than usual. And of course we consume more overall.
4. Then there is the stress of change. Most people feel stress dealing with high expectations with relatives and friends, some of whom you may not have seen since last year. Even good stress is still stress. It takes adjustments in your body to maintain equilibrium.
Every one of these factors we know from science as well as common sense can diminish our resistance to colds and flu. Whether it’s enclosed indoor air, temperature changes, chemical exposure, less sleep and irregular sleep patterns, irregular meals, too much food, too many different foods at once, too much sugar, substitution of sodas and alcohol for quality drinking water, or simple chronic emotional stress, they all add up to a welcoming environment for bacteria, yeasts, and flu viruses.
So how can we prevent the cold and flu?
Take steps to minimize all these factors. Of course we can’t eliminate them all and we wouldn’t want to. It wouldn’t be the holidays without may of them. But we can do our best to avoid the ones we don’t care about and then put some thought and action into exercising choice and moderation about for those we know we will experience.
1. So, first of all, don’t overheat your house, and get a good air purifier for your bedroom. The one I use and recommend is the Nikken KenkoAir Purifier. It not only has the finest filter available, but it uses very little energy, is very quiet, and produces the beneficial negative ions which help protect the lungs from air pollution by helping to neutralize contaminants.
And bundle up when you go outside. Keep hands and feet warm, as well as head and neck. Breathe deep when outside, to get good fresh air.
2. Treasure your sleep. Plan your schedule so that if you know you will have a short night, you can get a good rest the next night. One night’s sleep has been proven to reduce your immune system response by 30 to 60%.
3. Watch your food intake. It’s better to go light than heavy. Practice your excuses! “I had a big breakfast.” Or, “I can only have a taste because I’ve been eating so much lately!” “Yum, that’s delicious but I can’t fit anymore in!”
If you did overdo it, now is the time to get back on track quickly. Minimize sweets, sugars and carbohydrates, and plan easy to digest meals, like soups, salads, and seasonal veggies and fruits, at regular meal times, and eat only when hungry. Be sure to have a healthy breakfast, with good quality protein, so that you don’t crave sweets and too many comfort foods later in the day.
Replace odd beverages with high quality water. What we drink and recommend is the Nikken Waterfall Water Purifier. It has a very fine multistage filter and in addition alkalizes the water naturally with alkalizing minerals. It also actually micro-structures the water for easy assimilation by passing it through a magnetic field, as if it just came out of the earth from a mountain spring.
4. Finally, give yourself the time to let go of accumulated stress. Forgive yourself quickly for example, for anything you said or did over the holidays which is sticking with you as a regret. If there are any amends to be made, make a friendly call or write a note. Even a thoughtful text can ease your mind and help you let go of lingering stress. People are more forgiving than we tend to think. Often we are worse on ourselves than anyone else is. They are busy focusing on their own stresses after the holidays!
And if someone has offended or worried you, do your best to let it go. It is a new year, and holding on to offenses doesn’t leave room for growth. Most issues resolve with time and if not, knowing what you can control and what you can’t is the key to getting back your equanimity.
Meanwhile, on the practical level, take your time cleaning up after the holidays, and give yourself time to readjust to your normal routines. And also take the time to make some mental or even written notes for next time about how to make holidays and vacations easier on your body and mind!
Do just a few of these things and your immune system will stay a lot stronger. When folks say that they got their usual winter cold, or that they got the “flu that going around,” you can just say, “Oh, what flu? Oh, that’s too bad. I’m glad I have avoided it so far.” And smile to yourself.
