Photo By Laurie Pearson | Eat health, be healthy and get your flu shot. The best advice to recover more quickly...... read more read more
If you listen closely you can hear the sure signs that cold and flu season has hit Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif.
“The dates may vary each year, but typically cold and flu season starts around October and lasts until March, with the season typically reaching its peak in February,” said Valentin Murillo, Navy Corpsman on base.
The sniffling, sneezing, and coughing, which can be heard in the various offices around both sides of the base are just the beginning.
“Cold and flu bacteria and viruses appear to have an easier time getting around during the colder months of the year,” Murillo said. “Cold, dry air helps these germs and viruses survive for longer periods of time, making it easier for them to spread from person to person after someone has coughed or sneezed.”
So what’s the difference between a cold and the flu?
“Severity and onset of symptoms are major factors,” Murillo said. “A cold tends to come on more gradually and is more commonly associated symptoms that include a cough, stuffy nose, sneezing, and a sore throat with mild to moderate chest discomfort. The flu has a more rapid onset and those who contract the virus more commonly experience fevers, aches, chills, headaches, fatigue and weakness.”
There are several things that each of us can do to limit our exposure to bacteria and viruses, in an effort to maintain health throughout the year. Vaccines are available, but it’s also important to practice good hygiene and use other interventions which may lessen your chances of contracting an illness.
“Get your Flu shot,” said Murillo. “This is your best bet in preventing the flu, as it will expose your body's immune system to a version of the virus, allowing it to develop crucial antibodies to better maintain health.”
Murillo outlines a few other things you can do to stay healthy:
• Wash your hands. This is the best method to stop the spread of bacteria and viruses from person to person. Soap and water are preferable, but hand sanitizer may be just as effective and is certainly better than nothing.
• Cover your cough and sneeze. This can help prevent airborne transmission.
• Keep your work, home, hangout area clean.
• Stay home! If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms give yourself some time to get better by staying home. You’re also doing your coworkers a favor by preventing yourself from spreading any illnesses to them.
• If possible, kindly avoid contact with those who are sick.
• The best way to treat any illness or injury is to prevent it all together.
“In general, you need a well-nourished immune system to fight any disease,” Murillo said. “A clean diet that includes fruits and vegetables will certainly benefit the immune system, not only during flu season, but year round. Specific foods to target would be those high in vitamin C as it helps boost your immune system. Mainly citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, pineapples and even kiwis and strawberries are good sources of vitamin C.”
He also suggests consuming yogurt which contains live cultures which can also prove beneficial in boosting the immune system, and gut health.
“Chicken or beef broth soups will also prove beneficial,” he said. “The broth will help you stay hydrated and the contents of the soup may contain protein and iron as well as other essential minerals, to include electrolytes, which help support a healthy immune system.”
Along with the soups, any warm liquid may help with congestion.
“My personal drink of choice would have to be apple cinnamon tea with honey and lemon,” he said. “Also remember it is important to stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water, and for every third water, add in an electrolyte sports drink to help your body heal.”
Although light stretching or very light activities might benefit blood-flow, he doesn’t recommend heavy exercise while ill. Heavy exercise may tax your body which is already struggling in terms of recovery.
“The first thing I recommend when someone is feeling ill, is immediately clean up their diet,” he said. “Get rid of any junk food and change eating habits to include nutrition your body needs in order to heal. Whether you are just having symptoms, or are full on sick, change your mentality. Everything you are eating should essentially have some benefit to help you recover, Leafy greens and fruits are providing you with vitamins. Soups are helping you stay hydrated and providing you with protein and minerals. Warm beverages are helping with congestion. Basically, if you’re putting something in your body, it should have a benefit. Eat to get better.”
For those who prefer homeopathic remedies versus a traditional medicinal route there are several choices available.
“Gelsenium will help with the general fatigue and chills associated with a cold,” said Greg Kunkel, Emergency Medical Services Chief with Fire and Emergency Services. “Euphrasia will help with the watery nasal discharge that is so common with a cold. Kali bichromicum will thin the thick mucus that comes with the sinus headache. Phosphorus will alleviate the laryngitis and hoarseness. Ginger helps with your gut health. Always remember to ask your physician to ensure that homeopathic remedies are right for you. For further reading on homeopathic remedies a great source is the National Center for Homeopathy at www.homeopathycenter.org.”
In addition to the cold and flu season concerns, pneumonia is another growing concern. Pneumonia is a respiratory illness or infection wherein small sacs in the lungs called alveoli become inflamed and fill with fluid.
“Viruses, bacteria and fungi are responsible for causing pneumonia though it may result as a complication of the Flu,” Murillo said. “Some symptoms include rapid onset high fever 103 or higher, severe chills and sweats, chest pain made worse by coughing or breathing, productive cough (green, yellow or even bloody mucus), dehydration, and muscle aches.”
If someone experiences any of these symptoms they should seek immediate medical assistance as these can escalate quickly:
“If in doubt, remember you are never wrong for seeking care,” Murillo explained. “Pneumonia and other illnesses may require antibiotics for treatment, which take time to take full effect. The sooner pneumonia is caught the sooner it can be treated.”
Those whom are at the greatest risk are individuals with a weakened immune system, adults 65 and older, and children. They are all at higher risk of contracting the cold or flu, and pneumonia.
So, what about those vaccines? Can you get the virus from the vaccine itself?
“You may experience some side effects from the Flu shot such as soreness, redness, and swelling at the site,” he explained. “People may also experience headaches, fevers, and muscle aches leading people to believe the Flu shot can cause the Flu. It's important to note that this is likely due to your immune system, or maybe prior exposure. It can take up to 10-14 days for the virus to germinate. In responses to vaccines, symptoms typically last 2-3 days which is comparatively preferable to the typical 1-2 weeks that it may take to get over the actual flu. On a similar note, it also takes two weeks for your body to develop antibodies after receiving the flu.”
The Center for Disease Control indicates that the Flu viruses consistently change. Each year the manufacturing of vaccines is reviewed and tailored to fight the top strands of the virus research indicates are more likely to spread.
Murillo points out that Flu vaccines can contain four to five ingredients, such as:
1. The virus itself. This sounds scary, but it is a very small amount, and is either an inactive or weakened state, depending on the vaccine type. It’s essentially dead, but your body will recognize it and develop antibodies.
2. A small amount of formaldehyde to inactivate toxins and bacteria in the vaccine as well as the virus itself.
3. Aluminum salts not always present in the vaccines. Aluminum salts help boost the body's immune response to the virus.
4. Thimerosal as a preservative that prevents the growth of fungi and bacteria in the vaccine.
5. Chicken egg protein. The viruses used for the vaccine are usually grown inside fertilized chicken eggs.
“One of the most important things to do for your body as it recovers from exposure to bacteria or a virus, is to rest,” said Murillo. “Give your body a chance to heal. Your body heals itself best during sleep when it’s not being taxed by other activities.”
| Date Taken: | 11.20.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 11.20.2018 12:56 |
| Story ID: | 300695 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 231 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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