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Health and Wellness -
Immune System
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Written by bculpus
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Monday, 02 November 2009 12:08 |
You’re at the gym. You’re in the zone – iron is flying, dumbbells are swinging, you are unstoppable.
But then…You sneeze. You think nothing of it at the time, but when you arrive home, you notice that you’re a little more sore than you usually are. You write it off to a particularly good workout session, and hit the sack early. The next morning comes, and you feel as if you’ve been hit by a train. You can barely move, your throat feels like sandpaper, and your forehead could fry an egg. You’ve got the flu.
This nasty scene is a terrible possibility every flu season, but this year raises significantly more concerns because of the emergence of the H1N1 virus. The World Health Organization predicts that as many as 2 million people will have been infected by the virus by the end of the pandemic (1). It is more imperative than ever that people take steps towards good health and hygiene – to prevent their own incapacitation as well as that of others’. Here are some general guidelines that I will be implementing in order to stave off viruses and infections this flu season:
Washing My Hands!: You know you should do it. Teachers drill it into young childrens' minds. The rules are posted in nearly every public restroom in the United States. And yet you still don’t wash your hands every time after you blow your nose, shake hands, use the restroom, touch your face, handle money, touch a doorknob, and etc. Maybe it seems like overkill…But it works! It has been demonstrated in clinical trials that hand-washing reduces the risk of spreading respiratory illness (2) (3). Hand-washing kills harmful and potentially virulent bacteria, stopping the flu before it can infect an innocent individual. If you can’t wash your hands as often as you should, then carry a portable bottle of hand sanitizer in your pocket at all times – several companies make trial sizes that are very convenient.
Bottom line: I’ll be washing my hands after I participate in any activity that might contaminate them.
Bathing or Showering twice daily: This guideline is very similar to the above one, and so I don’t think it needs to be explained too much. Keeping your whole body germ-free is just as essential to your continued good health as keeping your hands sterile. I’ll be washing once in the morning and once in the evening, a frequency which will do nicely to stave off infection. An added bonus: I’ll smell oh-so-nice !
Getting a flu shot: This guideline should seem obvious. I’ll be getting a flu shot for both the “normal” influenza virus and the H1N1 virus. There have been some rumors as to “secret,” nasty side effects of the vaccine, but those rumors hold no ground. The H1N1 vaccine is no more dangerous than the normal flu vaccine (4).
Covering my coughs and sneezes: Nobody wants to feel the sudden, sharp exhalation of air that is the sneeze or cough of someone next to them. In that outrush of breath is a myriad of bacteria – not all of which is necessarily harmful. However, if the producer of the sneeze or cough had any trace of an infection or virus, then they just released bacteria that could potentially infect other people…Namely, the person on whom they just sneezed. Even if someone wasn’t sitting directly in the line of fire, the range of the bacteria isn’t limited to a few feet. Once it’s airborne, it has the potential to infect anyone who inhales the infected air. So please – cover your sneezes and coughs (preferably with the crook of your elbow or a tissue). I’ll be returning the favor in kind.
Avoiding crowded places: Not everyone is courteous and hygienic. Crowded places are breeding points for viruses, especially of the respiratory kind. I’m going to avoid throngs of people during this flu season, and particularly so if I’ve been feeling at all sick myself. Naturally, I won’t be living in a bubble and isolating myself from the outside world, but I may pass up those football tickets this season…
Getting enough sleep: The effects of sleep on immune system function are well-documented (5) (6) (7). Getting less than the optimal amount of sleep (anywhere from 7-11 hours depending on the person) drastically compromises the function of one’s immune system. I’ll definitely be hitting the hay earlier than I usually would this winter.
Exercising regularly: Exercise is another natural defense-booster (8) (9). You’re doubtlessly already exercising frequently (since you’re on this forum), but now you’ve got another reason to hit the gym! I will certainly keep up my exercise habits, but I’ll be careful not to push myself too hard – overtraining has a negative effect on immune system function (10).
Keeping my hands away from my face: Your eyes, mouth, and nose are all entrances into your body. Bacteria carriers of upper respiratory infections can take the fast track from those openings into your system, and so keeping those areas clean is an important step in keeping yourself healthy. I’ll be keeping my hands (one of the biggest germ-carriers of the body) away from my face to avoid infection.
Taking the right supplements: Vitamin C does nothing to prevent illness – although it may shorten the duration of the illness when you do get sick (11). Vitamin D3, on the other hand, is very beneficial in keeping the immune system healthy. It’s even being touted as a natural vaccine for H1N1 (12). I’m taking 4000 IU a day, and I’m as healthy as a horse! Other than Vitamin D3, I’m planning on continuing my intake of fish oil supplements and my multivitamin, both of which are general health-bolstering supplements and which should be a part of every person’s regimen.
I’ve outlined what I will be doing this winter to keep myself happy and healthy. I hope that you stay flu-free this season with the help of some of these guidelines. Good luck and happy training!
References
(1) nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_87742.html
(2) sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VHT-43G2X4K-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_doc anchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1062453904&_rerunOrigi n=scholar.google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlV ersion=0&_userid=10&md5=881cfb92b60d871b44791c89d1 878098
(3) ehs.sph.berkeley.edu/krsmith/CRA/wash/Rabie_Curtis_hw_ari.pdf
(4) webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/is-the-h1n1-swine-flu-vaccine-safe
(5) 3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120779330/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
(6) sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T7P-3Y6HJ7N-1J&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_do canchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1063268703&_rerunOrig in=scholar.google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_url Version=0&_userid=10&md5=ff3fd018628aee43da63e46a9 60c681b
(7) sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WH4-4H6PKF3-3&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_doc anchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1063268808&_rerunOrigi n=scholar.google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlV ersion=0&_userid=10&md5=d7af1d28dad1d476e5fae19b2e 060c7b
(8) cell.com/trends/immunology/abstract/1471-4906(94)90008-6
(9) journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/1994/02000/Exercise,_upper_respiratory_tract_infection,_and.2 .aspx
(10) thieme-connect.com/ejournals/abstract/sportsmed/doi/10.1055/s-2007-102474
(11) ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/pmc/articles/PMC1947567
(12) vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/h1n1-flu-and-vitamin-d.shtml
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 11 November 2009 12:17 |
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