30
December

Have a Healthy Winter! Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold (Part 4)

Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold

How to avoid the flu

By the time you read this post, you will already have a number of good Christmas meals behind you and made up plans for which New Year parties you will be attending. We here at MedHelp Clinic hope you had a really good Christmas and, most importantly, stayed happy and healthy throughout the holidays. To make sure you enter the New Year flu-free as well, our last post of the year will impart some more super effective tips on protecting yourself from common illnesses.
(You can read tips 1 – 9 in our last three posts).

10. DISPOSE YOUR SNEEZE PROPERLY

This heading may sound strange but what it basically means is that you should not sneeze or cough directly into your hands (as we all tend to do). The reason is the same one as we have discussed before: because we use our hands to touch our faces ever so often, any germs on the former get easy access to the latter. A good alternative to using your hands? The crook of your elbow or a tissue you dispose off soon after.

11. QUIT SMOKING

Can any ‘health’ list ever be complete without telling readers to quit smoking? Well now you can add one more reason to getting rid of your smoking habit: Because smoking adversely affects the respiratory tract and weakens the immune system, it can leave you more susceptible to flu and cold viruses. More particularly, research has shown that smoking can destroy the cilia (the tiny fibers inside the nose) which can increase your risk for contracting infections.

12. BE HAPPY!

Feeling positive, having a good time and being happy have more great effects than just the obvious: they can help increase your immune system! Pleasurable events- smiling, playing with a pet and, yes, sex- can all give a boost to your immunity and help you fend off infections better.
At any rate, you should absolutely begin the New Year on a happy note! Go out with friends, have fun at parties and be sure to make positive resolutions for the year to come.

You will now hear from us next week. Happy New Year!

P.S. If you have been a bit too careless in the Holidays and now feel a chill coming, get yourself checked at the MedHelp clinic in time. Our trained medical staff will have you treated and ready to enjoy the beginning of the New Year in no time.

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21
December

Have a Healthy Winter! Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold (Part 3)

Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold

Exercising helps avoid illnesses

Sleep well, stop touching your face and get your shots. These were just some of the tips we covered in our last two posts dedicated to listing the ‘best ways to avoid the flu and common cold’. This week we have rounded up some more really easy and effective precautions that will help you enjoy a safe and healthy winter. With Christmas just around the corner, you don’t want to be stuck inside with a runny nose, do you! So take good care of yourself and have the happiest of holidays. Here are this week’s top tips:
(You can read tips 1 – 6 here and here).

07. WORK OUT

Yes we know ‘exercise’ seems to pop up on every ‘you should’ list. But there are plenty of good reasons for that. ‘Work out’ makes our list because exercise, as doctors and medical experts will tell you, helps build the immune system. And with a stronger immune system, you are more capable of fighting off any infections that try to get a hold of you. So put on those gym clothes and get ready to do some sweating. You will feel better, look better and fight viruses better!

08. GET RID OF AN OLD HABIT

Remember how your mother used to tell you to stop biting your nails? Well, from now on you really should listen to her. In the previous posts, we discussed how touching your face basically provides transportation for the germs on your hands to get to your nose and eyes. But when you nibble on your nails- whether it’s a long standing nervous habit or just something you feel like doing every now and then- you are actually INGESTING the germs beneath the nails. Clearly, you are doing half the germs’ work yourself. So from now on, make a conscious effort to avoid biting your nails.

09. KNOW YOUR SYMPTOMS

A sneeze here and there is usually no cause to worry. But if you find yourself coughing and sneezing all too much, it’s time to deal with it seriously. Even ‘just a slight cold’ can easily escalate to a raging case of influenza, so contact your doctor as soon as you feel your symptoms becoming significant. Our team at MedHelp is trained to provide you with the best medical care. Just walk in to your local MedHelp and a doctor will have you diagnosed and treated in no time.

Join us next week as we continue to list more great tips!

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14
December

Have a Healthy Winter! Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold (Part 2)

Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold

Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold

It’s time for the second post in our ‘Healthy Winter’ series (which covers the best tips and advice on how you can protect yourself from the flu and cold). If you have just joined us, make sure you read our earlier posts so you don’t miss out on our previously doled advice on what to do when you’re down with common seasonal illnesses like the flu, common cold and sinusitis- and how you can protect yourself against them. Now without further ado, here are some more tips on having a healthy and happy flu-free winter! (You can find Tips 1 to 3 here)

04. SLEEP WELL

Our body’s immune system is weaker when we’re tired and overworked. That is why it’s so important that you get a good night’s sleep so that you can wake up refreshed and ready to fend against a day’s worth of new health risks! If you’re already feeling a bit under the weather, turn in early and get a good sound sleep of 8 – 10 hours (as recommended by medical experts). You’ll find yourself feeling better after you wake up.

05. EAT HEALTHY

This one sounds like a very general tip but it’s included here because it has benefits for every aspect of your health- and that includes fighting viral and bacterial infections. Having a healthy diet (that is high on fruits and vegetables) results in a stronger immune system; which in turn gives you better protection against not only the flu and common cold but all manners of illnesses.

06. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE!

If there’s one thing you really could benefit to learn from this year’s movie releases, it’s the importance of restricting physical contact with people who are sneezing or coughing (courtesy of director Steven Soderberg’s star studded pandemic drama Contagion). Even if you didn’t manage to catch the ominous flick, it’s no secret that flu and cold spread quite easily from person to person and the only way you can limit your chances of catching the infections is if you maintain a safe distance from people who are displaying flu/cold symptoms. While this is easily done with strangers, you should also make an effort to not expose yourself unnecessarily to a sick friend or family member. After all, who is going to take care of them if you fall sick too!

To find out more about how most common seasonal viruses spread, obtain more medical advice and get treatment, walk in to your nearest MedHelp clinic in Alpharetta, Atlanta. Our team of medical experts will be happy to help you. And don’t forget to join us next week as we continue our ‘Healthy Winter’ series!

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6
December

Have a Healthy Winter! Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold (Part 1)

Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold

Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold

Our previous posts covered a few common winter illnesses in basic detail. We talked about the best ways to cure the flu, beat the common cold and the necessary precautions for sinuses. When you’re already ‘under the weather’, learning about symptoms and treatment is useful. But as all healthy individuals know, you should never wait to get the flu or go down with a fever before you start taking care of yourself. That’s why we’re now going to do a series of everyday tips that will help you stay flu free and cold-less during the whole season. After all, prevention is better than cure!

01. SHAKE AND WASH!

While you wouldn’t want to offend anybody by washing your hands right in front of them after shaking hands with them, doctors and medical experts recommend that you should wash your hands as often as you can. Physical contact- even small stuff like shaking hands- with other people is a sure way of getting germs on you. But when you keep the water flowing over your hands, you’re literally sending those illness-causing germs straight down the drain!

02. JUST BECAUSE ITS YOUR OWN FACE DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD KEEP TOUCHING IT

We all touch our face A LOT and usually it’s without reason (it’s not like we have to check and see if it’s there!). Whether you do it unconsciously or because of a nervous habit, the fact is that frequently touching your face- especially the nose and eyes- increases your risk for contracting the flu and cold etc. Because germs can travel directly from your hands into your eyes or nose, you basically provide them with convenient transportation when you touch your face!

03. DON’T WAIT FOR A HIGH FEVER TO GET A SHOT

Flu shots are highly effective in protecting you from many of the associated viral infections. A lot of us don’t seem to find the time to get a shot when we’re up and about. But getting one in time is better than regretting not getting it when you have to miss out on weeks of work and stay under the covers because you’re feeling too sick. Getting a shot doesn’t even take much time: just walk into your local MedHelp clinic in Atlanta and you could get a flu shot in the same visit. Our trained and professional medical staff will make sure your winter is full of health and joy- and not runny noses and bloodshot eyes!

Check back next week for more tips on protecting yourself from the flu and cold.

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