Tips for Healthy Living

With references to swine flu spreading into just about every other conversation about health and wellness this season, there’s no time like the present to reclaim the repartee discuss how best to fine-tune our health habits to beat flu season wherever possible and increase overall health habits, hydration and increase happiness.

So let’s go back to basics such as addressing:
When is flu season?
What are common flu symptoms?
How many people typically are affected each year?
What can you do to prevent it?
How can hydration help ward off illness?

According to experts, the peak of flu season in the United States can occur anywhere from late December through March. The flu usually comes on suddenly and may include these symptoms:
• Fever
• Headache
• Tiredness (can be extreme)
• Dry cough
• Sore throat
• Nasal congestion
• Body aches
• Loss of appetite

What is worth noting is that people over 65 years old, people of any age with chronic medical conditions and very young children are more likely to get complications from the flu, according to researchers at Brown University.
In hopes to combat the contamination, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has a three-step approach to preventing the spread of flu. They say to:
a) Vaccinate –vaccination can keep a person from becoming infected or can make flu symptoms milder
b) Take precautions – the CDC says to avoid contact with people who are sick
c) Take antiviral drugs prescribed by your doctor – antiviral drugs are not a substitute for the flu shot, according to the CDC, but they will keep flu viruses from reproducing within the body

The American Red Cross also has recommendations. They say to:
a) Avoid sharing objects such as eating utensils, bottles, cups and telephones
b) Keep living and working areas clean
c) Know how to disinfect surfaces is key to keeping living and working areas clean

The National Policy & Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging also chimed in to say that in order to beat the spread of what’s going around, hydration helps. Dehydration was cited as one of the reasons for hospital admission for more than one million seniors each year, according to the organization. The need for total body water increases with aging because the aging body tends to lose water content over time.

Good sources of fluids that the organization has sited include water, juices and milk. Foods such as ice cream, soup, and gelatin are also good sources that might not instinctively come to mind. Recent studies have indicated that adults need about six cups of liquid a day.

For more information, contact your primary healthcare provider or let us know if you have questions. We hope that this helps you to do your best to stay healthy and live life to the fullest every day with these simple tips!