Monday, November 07, 2005
Ware the germs!
Well, at least now I know why I was having DUH-days on Thursday and Friday, where I could barely manage the simplest things. I was gearing up to get good and sick. Just a cold thing, happily, and now that I've spent most of the weekend in bed, I am perking up a little. Still, I'm not going to try to do much more than catch up on email and my blog...so not only must you beware the germs, but the multiple posts and mailings!!
One of the things I have been planning to write about is the flu epidemic people are worrying about. I think it IS something to get prepared for. If it turns out nothing much happens, oh well, no harm done, right?
1. Keep your health level high. Do all that stuff people have been telling you about since health class in grade school. Get a flu shot--it won't stop the Bird flu, but it lowers the chance you will catch it while your body is still exhausted from fighting off the regular flu. Wash your hands, try to avoid sick people, wear a mask...in general, start with the good common sense stuff.
2. Supplements can be your friend. You probably already have favorite ones, but one to for sure get and double up on (don't worry, you can't overdose) if you think you've been exposed to a virus is L-Lysine. It is an amino acid, found naturally in normal human food, and it interferes with the reproductive process of many common viruses. I personally take it to keep from having herpes-type cold sore outbreaks.
What you DON'T want to eat when you are trying to get rid of a virus is nuts or chocolate, which are rich in Arginine, which HELPS the virus reproduce. Yeah, I know that sucks. Sorry.
3. Stock up. What with one thing and another (gas prices, crazy weather, possible killer flu pandemic causing random towns to panic and set up quarantines and road blocks), normal supply patterns could get disrupted. This is a particular concern for me, since we live a LONG way from the bigger cities which are key distribution points for consumer goods.
So what I have started doing is grabbing some extra stuff on every trip to the store. Canned chicken broth will be coming on sale soon--I plan to get a LOT of that. I just bought a 20 bag of rice and will probably snag a big one of flour one of these times. And hey, if we don't end up using them? The homeless shelter will get a nice gift in the spring!
A friend of mine, Kip W, gave out a link to a big overview site which has all the data you can use and then some, if you want to check it out:
Flu Wiki
One of the things I have been planning to write about is the flu epidemic people are worrying about. I think it IS something to get prepared for. If it turns out nothing much happens, oh well, no harm done, right?
1. Keep your health level high. Do all that stuff people have been telling you about since health class in grade school. Get a flu shot--it won't stop the Bird flu, but it lowers the chance you will catch it while your body is still exhausted from fighting off the regular flu. Wash your hands, try to avoid sick people, wear a mask...in general, start with the good common sense stuff.
2. Supplements can be your friend. You probably already have favorite ones, but one to for sure get and double up on (don't worry, you can't overdose) if you think you've been exposed to a virus is L-Lysine. It is an amino acid, found naturally in normal human food, and it interferes with the reproductive process of many common viruses. I personally take it to keep from having herpes-type cold sore outbreaks.
What you DON'T want to eat when you are trying to get rid of a virus is nuts or chocolate, which are rich in Arginine, which HELPS the virus reproduce. Yeah, I know that sucks. Sorry.
3. Stock up. What with one thing and another (gas prices, crazy weather, possible killer flu pandemic causing random towns to panic and set up quarantines and road blocks), normal supply patterns could get disrupted. This is a particular concern for me, since we live a LONG way from the bigger cities which are key distribution points for consumer goods.
So what I have started doing is grabbing some extra stuff on every trip to the store. Canned chicken broth will be coming on sale soon--I plan to get a LOT of that. I just bought a 20 bag of rice and will probably snag a big one of flour one of these times. And hey, if we don't end up using them? The homeless shelter will get a nice gift in the spring!
A friend of mine, Kip W, gave out a link to a big overview site which has all the data you can use and then some, if you want to check it out:
Flu Wiki
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