My Wellness Journey

Nazanin Behdad
Missy Donegan
ENGL 106
25 April 2014

My Wellness Journey

            My name is Nazanin and I am originally from Iran. I am currently working towards an undergraduate degree but my passion has always been health and wellness for as long as I can remember. I created this blog to help guide people to better health, fitness and improved quality of life. I believe that all of these factors contribute to happiness for the individual and that sometimes all that one need is a little help, support or guidance. I believe that I have some constructive input and insight into how to live a healthier lifestyle, and my desire is to truly help others achieve this as well. This blog focuses on issues that are important for all of us in living a better lifestyle and to be able to live free from illness without taking pharmaceuticals. Remember that health, fitness and a positive mental attitude are all related. The sole purpose of this blog is to promote the positive outcome of living a healthy lifestyle in order to promote the overall wellbeing of the individual.

AVOID THE FLU

            Hey, we all want to keep from getting sick. Let’s face it, getting sick sucks! Well, there is help and it’s not from a pill bottle or from getting an annual shot that may or may not be effective. In terms of the flu, most people either just deals with it when they get sick from the flu or they go and get the flu shot every year in the hopes that this will prevent them from contracting it. Well, as most physicians will tell you there are many strains of flu, and getting a flu shot that essentially only targets a single strain or, at best, a couple of them hardly seems rational. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the CDC says quite explicitly that the flu vaccine is primarily designed to develop resistance to three primary flus which are the H1N1 influenza a virus, the H3N2 influenza a virus, and the influenza B virus ("Key Facts about Seasonal Flu Vaccine"). Of course there are other flu vaccines that target other strains but taking all of them is not advised at all.

            Furthermore, we have all heard of people getting sick from the flu shots, getting the flu anyway or, worse still, having an adverse reaction to the flu vaccine itself. Any of these outcomes is terrible and interrupts a person’s life completely until he or she recovers. Well, I’m here to tell you that there are some things that you can do and take to help prevent contracting the flu and to boost your body’s immune system naturally. Firstly, let’s begin with a few basic preventative behaviors. If you see people that are obviously sick or under the weather, try to avoid them or to avoid coming close to them.

            According to Finkelstein et al, the flu is transferred in close proximity or when one touches something that a sick person has touched. Secondly, practice good basic hygiene. Virtually all the literature and physicians’ advice says that washing your hands regularly with basic soap and water can be one of the most effective ways to not only keep from getting the flu but to maintain good health all around. Thus, simply staying away from someone that appears to be sick and regularly washing your hands can greatly reduce the likelihood that you will contract the flu. Thirdly, make it a habit to keep from rubbing your eyes and mouth even if you wash your hands and practice good hygiene. Flu viruses often enter the person’s body through the mouth, nose and even the eyes because of the mucous membranes and so forth, so by avoiding touching one’s mouth, nose and eyes the risk of contracting the flu is reduced even further. These simple, basic behavioral practices can prevent you from getting the flu, and they do not cost a thing.

            However, in addition to these simple practices, you can improve your general health and immune system by improving your diet and taking a few natural supplements. Null and Null noted that perhaps the most important thing that you can do that not only boosts your immune system but that improves your overall health and fitness in general is to eat more fruits and vegetables, and by fruits and vegetables I mean FRESH fruits and vegetables which contain antioxidants, vitamins and minerals and no or little saturated fats (Null & Null). All of these elements combine to strengthen a person’s immune system naturally from the inside out so to speak. Also, an added benefit is that you will probably lose weight or be able to maintain your weight much more effectively by doing this.

Yet, sometimes your body can use a little help as well and there are some natural supplements available that can boost your immune system and help protect against the flu virus. Chief among these supplements is taking extra vitamin C during the cold and flu season as a mild preventative or to ease the severity of the illness if contracted. Another important supplement that you can take is one that is growing in popularity because it is so effective and that is Echinacea, which is a type of flower referred to as a cone flower of which the common daisy is an example. Kumar and Sadhu stated in their research that Echinacea is an herb, it was actually popular throughout the US prior to the invention of antibiotics, it is still commonly used in Europe, and its active ingredients effective against viruses are polysaccharides, glycoproteins, volatile oils and alkamides among others (Kumar & Sadhu, 304-314). In this regard, these two supplements can really help you avoid getting sick and certainly help prevent you from contracting the flu.

Observing more hygienic practices like avoiding people who appear sick, washing your hands routinely and avoid touching your mouth and eyes helps to keep from getting sick. Improving your diet by eating FRESH fruits and vegetables daily not only strengthens your immune system but contributes to overall health and fitness. Taking some commonly available supplements such as season doses of vitamin C and periodic supplementation with Echinacea rounds off what is sure to be a much stronger resistance to flues, colds and even general malaise.

 

Works Cited

Finkelstein , Stan, Shiva Prakash, Karima Nigmatulina, James  McDevitt , and Richard Larson. "A Home Toolkit for Primary Prevention of Influenza by Individuals and Families." Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness  5.4 (2011):  pp 266-271. Cambridge Journals. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.

Kumar, K.M, and Ramaiah Sudha. "Pharmacological importance Of Echinacea Purpurea." nternational Journal of Pharma & Bio Sciences 2.4 (2011): p304-314. 11p. Print.

"Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. <http:// www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm>.

Null, Gary, and Shelly Null. The joy of juicing: 150 imaginative, healthful juicing recipes for drinks, soups, salads, sauces, entrées, and desserts. New York: Avery Group Inc, 2012. Print.