Alternative Perspective

The Flu and Prevention

by Tammera J. Karr, PhD

This year, that flu “vaccine will only reduce your risk of ending up in the doctor’s office with the flu by about 23 percent. The vaccine was developed nearly a year ago in February, 2014, and it’s not an ideal match for H3N2, the strain of the virus prevalent this season. That mismatch — along with H3N2’s reputation for causing higher hospitalization and mortality rates — led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to predict a severe flu season this year.

That prediction has been borne out, with more flu-related doctors’ office visits this year than last year. In Virginia, flu activity remains high after peaking in late December, according to the state health department. As the air gets drier, it sucks the moisture out of those mucus droplets. As the droplets shrivel and crystallize, the reduction in water increases the concentration of salts and proteins and changes the acidity.” (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150202105403.htm_br)

Linsey Marr, a professor in the Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech, is obsessed with flu transmission. “Marr found that between 50 percent and 98 percent humidity, the virus doesn’t survive well — the droplets dry out just enough to be inhospitable. But at very low humidity — like you’d find indoors in the winter — droplets can dry out completely, preserving the virus-like microscopic beef jerky.”

“As recovering flu victims struggle back to work and school, and new cases keep cropping up, the question on everyone’s mind is: What can people do about it?”

1. Washing your hands, is a start, and then there is the tried and true home remedies of garlic, onions, bone broths and a diet rich in real foods versus processed foods.
2. Optimal vitamin D3 levels (optimal levels fall between 65ng/ml & 85ng/ml), vitamin C rich foods and naturally fermented healthy bacterium rich foods, also improve your ability to ward off viruses. If you can’t handle fermented foods increase your probiotic supplement use.
3. Getting out from under florescent lights also improves your body’s ability to fight viruses, along with the use of cheap air filters to reduce airborne molds and dander that weaken your immune response.
4. Use a humidifier on your wood stove to improve the humidity during flu season in your home.
5. Change out air filters in your heating system even if you think they don’t need it to improve air quality in your work and home.
6. And lastly, a good night’s sleep makes a world of difference. You should wake feeling rested, not run over by a truck. If you don’t feel rested consider your bed may be the problem before you run off to the doctor for a sleeping pill.

To Your Good Health and Information –

Sources

http://www.newswise.com/articles/reasons-why-winter-gives-flu-a-leg-up-could-be-key-to-prevention_truncated
Reasons Why Winter Gives Flu a Leg Up Could Be Key to Prevention. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.newswise.com/articles/reasons-why-winter-gives-flu-a-leg-up-could-be-key-to-prevention_br
Reasons why winter gives flu a leg up could be key to … (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150202105403.htm_br