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Your Family Shouldn’t Share Everything |
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Tuesday, 14 November 2006 |
It’s hard enough taking care of your children when they’re sick—it becomes grueling once you catch their cold or flu. It’s difficult NOT to share cold germs, since the viruses that cause colds are spread through the air and picked up from infected surfaces.
Even so, here are some suggestions to help you stay healthy when you’re surrounded by cold germs.
Wash your hands often—and encourage your children to wash theirs. It’s
especially important to wash hands before preparing and eating food,
after using the toilet or changing a diaper and after sneezing or
coughing into your hands.
Don’t share cups, utensils or water bottles. Your dishwasher is
especially helpful during cold season; the water gets intensely hot and
helps to disinfect dishes and utensils.
Pick up some antibiotic wipes at the store and use them to wipe down
surfaces that your children commonly touch. Disinfectant sprays can
also be used to reduce the germs on surfaces.
Vitamin C (500-1,000 mg), Echinacea and zinc are believed to shorten
the duration and severity of cold symptoms. Check with your pharmacist
for his/her recommendations.
Sip some tea. Green tea has been shown to boost the immune system and
attack flu viruses in the early stage of growth. Other ways to keep
your system strong include eating healthy, drinking lots of fluids and
getting plenty of rest.
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Family Health