The holidays are starting and with the food, family, and fun also come the winter chill and the winter illnesses. The winter season (however short it may be in Texas) usually sparks a bout of colds, sniffles, and the flu around schools and offices, but there are some ways you can protect your family from potentially life-threatening winter illnesses.
Though staying home from work or school may seem like a good way to protect yourself from a cold or the flu, there are less drastic and more realistic ways to keep you sniffle free.
The easiest and probably most important thing you can do every day to protect yourself from getting sick is washing your hands. Washing your hands before and after eating, after using the restroom, and periodically throughout the day, drastically reduces the number of germs shared between individuals.
Second, have a steady, readily available supply of tissues or paper towels, which should be thrown away after they are used. Cloth handkerchiefs may seem like a good alternative, but because they are handled after being used, rather than thrown away, handkerchiefs actually end up spreading more germs, increasing the risk of you and your family getting sick.
And, as always, you should try to maintain a healthy immune system that will protect you from germs and infections. You can keep your immune system at its best by eating healthy, exercising regularly, not smoking, controlling your stress levels, and getting a full 8 hours of sleep every night.
If you do find yourself or your family member with a cold or the flu, visit your local clinic which can help put you on the road to recovery.
Emergi-Care is a fully licensed, freestanding critical care clinic in Houston, Texas, providing the NASA area community with a convenient alternative to overcrowded hospitals and urgent care centers by delivering fast, friendly, high-quality medical treatment in a comfortable neighborhood setting. For more information visit Emergi-Care’s website or Facebook page.