13 Easy Ways to Improve Your Immune System Naturally in 2013
By LaKenya McClough, MPH
Photo courtesy FM Blog
Happy New Year family! Given the recent spike in flu incidences in California and across the country, I thought it might be helpful to highlight a few more options on how to stay healthy this season. In this article, I’m sharing with you 13 different and simple ways you can naturally boost your immune system. These are not new ideas. In fact, they are easy everyday practices that when adopted on a regular basis can make a world of difference for your health and may even help prevent you from getting the flu!
Over the next 13 days I’ll be posting a tip per day on simple, easy, and natural ways to protect and boost your immune system!
Here’s Tip #1 of 13, Hand washing
This common sense practice is one of the best ways and probably the most common way to avoid passing germs and protecting your immune system is consistent and responsible hand-washing. “As many as 80 percent of infections are transmitted via contact like sneezing, coughing or touching surfaces that have been sneezed or coughed on, and then touching “your mouth, eyes or nose, which are the conduits of viruses into the body.” (Huffington Post)
Using regular soap and hot or warm water is best. While hand sanitizers are also a good “go-to,” Health experts recommend “washing with soap and water as a first choice, especially if you have visible dirt on your hands. Sanitizer can’t cut through that grime.” (ABC News) Hand washing cuts the grease and dirt and removes the germs from your hands. “Vigorous hand rubbing with regular soap under warm water for 20 seconds will do the trick.” (FM Blog) Take it a step further and disinfect shared areas and hard surfaces in the home (like the bathroom) and the office, like phones, computers and fridge door handles.
For more information, please visit www.Cdph.ca.gov.
