H1N1

NO, I do not have it and neither does Mira and neither does Abe. Praise the Lord. And we're hoping Abe doesn't get it since the woman whose cubby is next to his at work has it. Nice. Anyway, my sister-in-law sent me this list of how to avoid it and any other sickness, so I thought I would post it here.

Some people think their kids might as well get H1N1 so their bodies can fight off the germs and be better off in the long run. However, after hearing the following on the news on Sunday night, I do not want Mira or anyone else I know to get it:

1. So far this year 86 children have died from H1N1.
2. In a normal flu season 65 or 66 children die of the seasonal flu. THUS, the number of deaths from H1N1 is already so much higher than for the seasonal flu, and...
3. there are still seven months of flu season to go.


I'm not posting these statistics to freak anyone out, just to make you aware. There are people who have H1N1 "parties" so their kids will actually catch it. They said that is VERY dangerous, and no one should partake in such a practice.


So, here is the list of things you can do to protect yourself and your family. Some are obviously common sense (washing your hands), but others are not as commonly talked about (gargling with warm salt water or Listerine).


1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt)... *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.* Neti pots and sinus rinse kits are available at the drug store and relatively inexpensive….under $15.

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.