Did you know that last year U.S. adults missed about 200 million work days, while children lost more than 90 million school days due to flu-related symptoms? According to the CDC, there can be anywhere from 3,000 to 49,000 flu-associated deaths per year. As many of us are preparing for one of the biggest holidays of the year, it’s important to recognize that the first way to stop the flu, is to prevent it from happening!
Flu related symptoms are the cause of many work and school days lost, and a loss of energy and motivation. NYC based Physician and immunologist, Dr. Jennifer Collins, MD has provided five simple tips on how to avoid the flu this holiday season:
- Wash your hands. Teach your kids to always use soap, warm water and, to make it more fun, have them sing the “Happy Birthday” song as they wash to make sure they scrub for the recommended 20 seconds!
- Sleep. Those who don’t get the recommended of seven or eight hours of a sleep a night are at a higher risk of obtaining flu symptoms.
- Keep germs to yourself. If you sneeze or cough, cover your mouth with your arm to avoid spreading germs to those around you. Regardless of where you sneezed or cough, Anti up with some Anti-Bacterial or a quick visit to the sink.
- Take preventative medicine. Natural, over-the-counter medicine can help build immune system health to keep the flu from arriving. Products like Cold-EEZE Cold Remedy Plus Natural Immune Support + Natural Energy helps build your immune system and provides extra energy to get you through the day and those treacherous holiday shopping excursions.
- Exercise. Doing some sort of exercise on a regular basis can help build your immune system and increase virus-killing cells. Go to the gym, enjoy a fitness class or take advantage of the winter weather and hit the slopes.
Dr. Jennifer Collins, MD is physician specializing in Allergy, Asthma and Immunology with a private practice in New York City.
Dr. Collins is a diplomate of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology and Internal Medicine. She completed her fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at the Department of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center in June 2009. Dr. Collins studied internal medicine at the Department of Medicine Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City in 2007. She received a Doctor of Medicine from Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University and completed the graduate program in Premedical Sciences at Virginia Common Wealth University. Dr. Collins graduated Cum Laude from James Madison University with a degree in biology in 1997.
