January 26th, 2009 | by Riki Quinn
‘Tis the season to be jolly…And wow, are those viruses merrymaking! Here is the perfect environment for the common cold: It’s cold outside so we leave our windows closed. We are too lazy to exercise. We tend to attend more parties, what with Christmas, New Years, Hanukkah, etc. so we are in contact with more people in enclosed areas. Now the virus can spread, like wild-fire. And so, half the staff is home sick with a cold or the flu, we all have some extra tissues in our bags. It’s winter, and it’s sniffles paradise.
So, what should we do to prevent the sniffles?
6 Tips to Preventing a Cold:
- Try to spend less time in crowded, unventilated areas.
- Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water as often as possible, and especially after being in public areas.
- Consume plenty of fruit and veggies. These contain the vitamins C, A, and E, which are essential for a healthy immune system.
- Also protein from lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs and tofu contain the building blocks for the immune system.
- Get your beauty sleep: if possible, 6-8 hours. If you don’t get enough sleep, your immune system gets weak and is unable to ward off diseases.
- Exercise is also a good way to prevent disease since it keeps you healthier in general.
What Can I Do If I Already Am Sick?
Okay, let’s say that you took all these precautions but you still got sick. What do you do? Well, reflexology can help. Especially if you catch the cold right when you catch the cold and before it develops into the aching-all-over-can’t move-can’t-breathe-can’t-smell kind of flu that we all have had the privilege to experience from time to time:
Take your gloves off your hands and call your friend, spouse, mother, sibling (or any other being with opposable thumbs), over to you. Give them your hands and, preferably, avert your face, so that you don’t make them sick too. Have them massage your fingers, squeezing and pulling from the base of the finger to the tip. The fingers represent the head and face according the reflexology. Have them press on the tips of your fingers as well. These represent the sinuses. Also, massage in between the fingers. Have them do this for about 5 to 10 minutes on each hand and you may feel some improvement. Your cold might even disappear completely.
If your friends feel particularly adventurous, they can do the same thing on your toes. This will increase the overall effect. Make sure they wash their hands thoroughly after the reflexogy treatment, or you will have to return the favor when they get sick a few days later. If you are feeling anti-social, and I don’t blame you, it is possible to do this treatment yourself, though it is less effective.
If you don’t do anything, make sure you drink plenty of fluids. Your body is working hard to heal itself and losing a lot of fluid through your nose and mouth. You don’t want to get dehydrated!
Have a healthy, sniffles-free winter.
Image Credit: foshydog
“Six Tips Cold Prevention” Source: “Reduce Your Risk of Cold and Flu”
Leave a Reply
