So, besides "hand washing" how do we avoid swine flu?

[Alicia64]

My boys love to play in play spaces that McDonalds or our health club has for kids.

 

We usually wash hands as we leave etc. But I've decided to stop taking them to these places completely to avoid swine flu -- since it's so easy to pick up germs in these spots.

 

Any other ideas for avoiding the flu? I'm asking dh to wash his hands regularly at work (he's on computers at a hospital) and of course we're washing hands regularly.

 

Any other ideas for avoiding this all together? Or is someone going to say that getting the germ is the best plan.

 

I hope Perry weighs in!!!

 

Alley

[Alicia64]

No, I'm wondering if people are going to greater lengths because this flu is playing out differently than regular flus.

 

Example: I normally don't avoid play spaces, but I plan to this fall and winter.

 

Is anyone doing anything different to avoid this flu?

 

Alley

[Rainbows]

we may up our vitamin D intake this flu season since Ive read a few articles about it helping

[Tony'sMom]

The goal is to be prepared, not scared. There are pandemics and then there are pandemics. Do you realize that anyone 52 years old has already lived through the last two pandemics—in 1957 and 1968. Odds are you'll almost certainly live through this one. Nearly everything you need to know to survive a pandemic you likely learned in kindergarten, such as wash your hands and cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. :001_smile:

[LaxMom]

The only "special" thing I did this spring, and will continue, is carrying some cloth wipes with a solution that has tea tree and oregano essential oils in it for wiping hands, surfaces, etc.

 

Generally, I don't bring my children to play in petri dishes (we don't McDonalds for other reasons) where parents are bringing their kids to blow off steam when they're home from school due to some communicable disease. :ack2: What is wrong with people?

 

During cold & flu season, I give them a spoonful of elderberry syrup before bed, and we have a healthy, well-rounded diet. They rarely get whatever is going around and, if they do, it doesn't linger.

[Christine]

Any other ideas for avoiding the flu? I'm asking dh to wash his hands regularly at work (he's on computers at a hospital) and of course we're washing hands regularly.

 

It's a flu. You avoid it just like any other flu. Keep clean and stay away from germmy people.

 

I was just reading an article (I wish I could remember where), that was talking about the "threat" of swine flu.

 

According to the article, just the "regular ole flu" is more contagious and more lethal. (Like over twice as likely. It gave numbers, but I don't recall them either.)

[Ottakee]

My girls both have immune deficiencies. We need to be careful as things that are mild to others can be much more serious to others.

 

That said, we are NOT in a panic.

 

My girls have been the healthiest ever since we got our horses. That means they are OUTSIDE playing and doing chores 2-3 hours a day and at least 1 hour a day even in the coldest of winter. I think the fresh air really helps. They also take Supremadophillus (a probiotic) daily and Omega 3s.

 

With this we have gone from very frequent infections to not even a cold in the past few years. No flu, no strep, etc. either.

 

I would say wash hands, cover mouths when coughing/sneezing (inside of elbow is better), plenty of outside time, and avoid sick people.

 

My boys love to play in play spaces that McDonalds or our health club has for kids.

 

We usually wash hands as we leave etc. But I've decided to stop taking them to these places completely to avoid swine flu -- since it's so easy to pick up germs in these spots.

 

Any other ideas for avoiding the flu? I'm asking dh to wash his hands regularly at work (he's on computers at a hospital) and of course we're washing hands regularly.

 

Any other ideas for avoiding this all together? Or is someone going to say that getting the germ is the best plan.

 

I hope Perry weighs in!!!

 

Alley

[abbeyej]

I do think avoiding enclosed play-places like that where kids congregate and the surfaces are not washed frequently is a good idea. Indoor ball pits, enclosed kiddie habitrails... They're good places to breed germs, and tough places to get really clean.

 

Otherwise, I'll pretty much stick to standard ways of avoiding illness: lots and lots of fresh produce, consistent hand-washing, regular exercise and sunshine...

 

I do think I'll supplement the kids with vitamin D this year, in addition to a simple kids' multi. There's evidence that low vitamin D levels are connected to respiratory illnesses, and I already know that *I*'m severely deficient.

 

If things become worse (more cases, cases getting more severe, death rates increasing), we may restrict activities in crowded areas as possible or begin using hand sanitizer (which I generally avoid) and things like that. But for now, I'm simply going to stick with the basics of maintaining health...

[BalanceSeeker]

How is everyone going to supplement with vitamin D? Can you recommend a specific type of D and/or brand name, and are they only in pill form?

[Dirtroad]

I was just reading an article (I wish I could remember where), that was talking about the "threat" of swine flu.

 

According to the article, just the "regular ole flu" is more contagious and more lethal. (Like over twice as likely. It gave numbers, but I don't recall them either.)

 

The media is putting SO much focus on this swine flu that it seems like we are all doomed. I posted this same thing on a thread a few days ago. The "regular, yearly flu" is far more dangerous. Yet, you would think a new plaque was going to get all of us. It is really wicked of CDC & WHO & health cabinet leaders to whip up such frenzies.

 

To be careful....

 

• wash hands,

• take some GermX everywhere,

• take a small can of Lysol everywhere,

• avoid large groups if an outbreak is reported

• avoid play indoor playgrounds (they dont' get cleaned well & don't have sunshine & fresh air helping to naturally clean them)

• eat well and don't let your body be too stressed (opens door for many sicknesses)

 

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

I take Vitamin D3 2,000 to 10,000 units daily, but check with your doctor. Sam's club has a good deal. I do give my ds 500 to 1000 units of Spring Valley Gummie Bears Vitamin D3 from walmart, but he is 80 pounds.

 

I did some research on WebMD, medscape.com, MayoClinic, and drweil.com in regards to doses and asked my doctor. However, my ds pediatrician said she did not know the dose of vitamin d3 so I had to go on my research. I do not give it every day to my ds. I plan on asking some of my pharmacist friends since they are often more knowledgeable about drugs nad stuff.

 

I also have us take Lifeway Kefir or Stonyfield Farm yogurt daily to help boost immune system.

 

I carry germinex wipes with us or alcohol gel.

 

I am not too worried. I will take a wait and see approach though since I have been hit hard with bronchitis and pneumonia 3 times in past 1 1/2 years and ds gets the croup still.

 

Oh and by the way, I am one of those who lived through the pandemic of 1968 and I do recall having it;)

[Perry]

Vigilant handwashing. It's probably the most important thing you can do. Keep some hand sanitizer in your purse and car for times you can't get to soap and water.

 

Social distancing. The degree to which we'll isolate ourselves will depend on how bad the flu is. If it's routine, we'll avoid germ factories when there is a lot of it around, as we do every year. If it's severe, we'll avoid all non-essential gatherings for the several weeks that it sweeps through the community. If it's really bad, I would expect some school closings and recommendations to avoid crowds. We'll just see how it plays out.

 

Gloves and masks. I have a couple boxes of gloves and N-95 masks, although I have no plans to use them. I always have a good supply of ibuprofen on hand. We don't do any other OTC meds. Vitamin D is probably helpful and we'll be taking that throughout the winter.

 

We will get the vaccine.

 

Good nutrition.

 

Obesity seems to be a risk factor for complications from the novel H1N1, unlike seasonal flu. Obese people may want to consider themselves higher risk.

 

If you are high risk (pregnant, immunocompromised, obese) and develop flu-like symptoms, I would seek treatment with Tamiflu ASAP. It only works if you take it in the first few days.

[Perry]

The media is putting SO much focus on this swine flu that it seems like we are all doomed. I posted this same thing on a thread a few days ago. The "regular, yearly flu" is far more dangerous. Yet, you would think a new plaque was going to get all of us. It is really wicked of CDC & WHO & health cabinet leaders to whip up such frenzies.

 

 

 

I don't think CDC or WHO is whipping up a frenzy. They are conveying the information they have. If they weren't doing this people would be screaming about a cover-up and a conspiracy. The media might be overdoing it, but people want to know what's going on so naturally they are reporting it.

 

So far, this flu appears mild for most people. In the past, the second and third wave of a pandemic have been more severe, so it's important for people to recognize this *could* be much worse this winter. OTOH, it might remain mild. No one knows.

 

So far, this flu is different in one very important way. In a typical seasonal flu, 90%+ of people who die are over 65, and have underlying medical conditions. This flu is disproportionately killing younger people. (I had the numbers earlier but can't find them now. I'll keep looking and post them when I find them.) Even though the actual numbers are low, the profile of who is dying is disturbing. Schools are well known to be a flu accelerator. All predictions are that once school resumes this fall, and the weather gets cooler, the flu will be rampant. Many more people are likely to get sick than in a typical year, since most of us don't have any immunity. When the numbers of infected go up, the number of deaths will go up, and it will be many more younger people dying than we are used to.

 

It's true that we've had several pandemics already this century. Aside from the 1918 pandemic, the elderly and immunocompromised were much more likely to die of the disease. Young people, in general, did not die from those pandemics. People are concerned more now than in a usual pandemic because of the pattern of deaths in younger people.

I don't think we are "doomed". I don't think it's going to be a repeat of 1918. But I do think it has the potential to be ugly.

Edited August 2, 2009 by Perry

[Perry]

Found it.

CDC

How have different age groups been affected by novel H1N1 flu in terms of deaths?

 

CDC studied the hospital records of 268 patients hospitalized with novel H1N1 flu early on during the outbreak. The number of deaths was highest among people 25 to 49 years of age (39%), followed by people 50 to 64 year of age (25%) and people 5 to 24 year of age (16%) This is a very different pattern from what is seen in seasonal influenza, where an estimated 90% of influenza-related deaths occur in people 65 years of age and older.

 

 

So 80% are younger than 65, compared with 10% in a typical year.

[Georgiana Daniels]

 

Obesity seems to be a risk factor for complications from the novel H1N1, unlike seasonal flu. Obese people may want to consider themselves higher risk.

 

 

 

I also heard this from a nurse friend of mine who gets the daily CDC updates, and she also mentioned that middle-age people have shown to be more affected by the virus. This, for me, is a double whammy:001_huh:

 

And, I guess there are plans in place for widespread school shut-downs.

 

I'm still not certain that we'll get the vaccine, though. Does anyone else have qualms about it?

[DaisyMay]

We will continue our usual handwashing and healthy eating.

 

As for the vaccine, my husband expressed concern that they are using a live weakened virus rather than a dead one to make the vaccine. That's not something I'd like to mess with.

 

Gayle

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I read a great book a couple months back called Wash Your Hands by a French doctor. It reads like a series of longish articles on various topics.

 

One thing that surprised me was how dirty public areas are. Another was what is the best thing to do after washing your hands (flick off, blow dryer, towel). By far the best thing is to dry with a cloth or paper towel. He cites a study that found drying hands with a warm air dryer resulted in having a higher germ count than not washing at all. (The cause was believed to be germs sucked into the dryer and then warmed up, which made them develop faster).

 

In Japan, there are few paper towels or hand dryers. Most people have a towel or handkerchief in their purse or pocket that they pull out to dry their hands with. This is something that we will probably continue to do even when back in the US. A square cloth napkin is about the right size to tuck into your purse.

 

We also tend to wash our hands as soon as we come home from being out and about.

[Cindyg]

Last Christmas, we unknowingly spent Christmas in a house with the flu (Grandma's house). Everyone in that house was scrupulous about washing hands, sneezing into a tissue, wearing gloves, antibiotic gel, prayer, supplements, etc. Nonetheless, everyone in that house got the flu. Not the swine flu, but a miserable, scary, miserable, miserable flu.

 

It was really a helpless feeling knowing you did everything you could to avoid it (and I normally get by without catching anything!), but we all got it.

[Peela]

We are in flu season here, and swine flu is certianly around.

The only one of us who has had any cold/flu symptoms is ds13, who tends to run around in winter in a tshirt and shorts and barefeet no matter what I say.

 

Things to boost your immune system: stay warm (dont get chills), especially your feet. Don't eat much sugar. Eat healthy, lots of fruit and veg. Make sure you are not anaemic.

Herbs: as soon as anyone complains of a sore throat I give them echinacea, or a complex with echinacea in it. Andrographis is another one. High quantities of good quality herbs for a short time. So far, no one this season has had anything that lasted more than a day.

Vitamins: Vit C, Vit D. I dont take vitamins though- we take fermented Cod Liver Oil.

However, the other things I take/give everyone are : nascent iodine (it is an internal bug killer just the way it is external), colloidal silver, and MMS. You can google MMS.