News & Features
February 2006

Tips for keeping healthy naturally
By Sarah Heller

With Avian Flu in the news these days, people this winter seem to be more concerned than ever with how to avoid getting sick. One piece of advice that everyone seems to recommend is to wash your hands well and often. We’re not talking about a two-second dash under the faucet. To really wash your hands well, you need to soap up and scrub! One suggestion that works for me is to sing the “Happy Birthday” song to myself while I wash. Sing one verse all the way through and you’ve stayed at it long enough to do the job. Another measure that goes along with washing hands is to wash and disinfect any surface that may come in contact with food, as well as toys or other objects that children may put in their mouths. Since antibacterial soaps and chlorine bleach carry risks of their own, you may not want to use them as disinfectants.

Fortunately, there are a number of commercial brands, such as Simple Green, Ecover, Bio Kleen and Seventh Generation that use only safe, natural ingredients. An all-purpose cleaner can be made with 1 quart hot water, 1 tablespoon liquid soap, and 1/2 cup of vinegar. And a disinfectant can be made using 1/2 cup of borax to 3 quarts boiling water. Borax is also known as boric acid and is a naturally occurring mineral. Nevertheless, it should be used with caution as it is an eye irritant and is harmful if swallowed, so use gloves and handle with care. Also, it is recommended that pregnant women and children not be exposed to borax.

Some people spray or diffuse lavender and/or tea tree essential oils, both of which have disinfecting qualities, to help ward off viruses and bacteria. Tea tree oil, which comes from Australia, has only recently gained popularity in the U.S., while lavender, nicknamed “first aid in a bottle,” has been used for centuries as a disinfectant and antiseptic.

Many people follow the practice of increasing Vitamin C intake to boost their immune system. A more recent preventive measure that is gaining increasing acceptance is to take probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria found in the healthy human digestive tract. One common source is lactobacillus found in yogurt. Probiotic supplements of acidophilus and other healthy microflora are also available in pill form.

Interestingly, research suggests that you can also increase your immune system by getting regular exercise. And research also suggests that the classic advice of “drink plenty of water” when you have a cold also may help prevent sickness. In addition to drinking water, many herbs and natural foods have been used traditionally to help prevent colds and infections, including hyssop, echinacea, goldenseal, garlic, astragalus and reishi mushrooms.

If despite all your good efforts, you do come down with a cold or flu, herbs and natural remedies offer relief of symptoms and stimulate the immune system to help speed recovery. These are available in a wide variety of forms, including powders, pills, tinctures, teas and syrups, as well as inhalations. Here are some of the more common ones:

A final piece of advice: Stay positive! Recent studies indicate that people who have a positive attitude are less likely to catch colds than individuals with a negative outlook!

Note: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease. Sources: Prescription for Nutritional Healing 3rd ed, by Phyllis and James Balch; http://www.internethealthlibrary.com; http://vitanetonline.com;http://www.holistic-online.com

Sarah Heller owns TipTop Country Store in Brookfield.