cold and flu season

Flu and Cold Prevention Tips
Health and Fitness

Tips and Products to Stay Healthy During the Cold and Flu Season

With new products ready to keep pesky bacteria at bay this cold and flu season, along with tried-and-tested tips, there's still no sure way of stopping the germs — especially if you've got kids.
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With new products ready to keep pesky bacteria at bay this cold and flu season, along with tried-and-tested tips, there's still no sure way of stopping the germs — especially if you've got kids. Parents seem evenly split between opting for the vaccine and fighting the flu with their own methods. Being prepared is the first step to staying healthy this cold and flu season. Click through for simple tips and a few products, that might make your life less sniffly this Fall. What's your family's secret sick-busting weapon? Leave a comment below and share!

Source: Flickr user mikeyskatie
Wash Your Hands Load Up on Vitamin C Method Antibac Wipes On-the-Go Cleaning Pack a Reusable Water Bottle Load Up on Tissues Eat Some Yogurt
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Should My Kids Get a Flu Shot?
parenting

Tell the Truth: Does Your Kid Get a Flu Shot?

It's hard to believe, but if you look around you'll notice that in addition to falling leaves, it's also cold and flu season, and just about every pharmacy is offering a flu shot to those who want one.
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It's hard to believe, but if you look around you'll notice that in addition to falling leaves, it's also cold and flu season, and just about every pharmacy is offering a flu shot to those who want one. With kids back in school, stuffy noses are popping up all over the place — even at my home. While simmering a big pot of homemade chicken soup and offering my daughter orange-juice-filled sippy cups, calling the pediatrician to schedule a flu shot seemed like the smartest thing to do this Fall season.

But is getting a flu shot the best way to prevent getting sick this cold and flu season? With the vaccination needing two weeks to take full effect and the height of flu season due to hit mid-October, scheduling the shot sooner rather than later ensures your lil one may be protected. Even if your tot gets vaccinated, she's still at risk of getting the flu, making the shot an opportunity to expose her to various strains, which might come with side effects including rash, headache, fever, and hives. With many parents still nervous about vaccinating their kids, getting a flu shot is once again a hot-button issue.

Reducing exposure to the virus is the best way to prevent the flu. Eating healthy, spending time outdoors, enjoying regular exercise, and washing hands can also reduce the chances for catching the flu. But kids are social butterflies, making hitting the local playground, playing with friends at school, and even visiting the grocery store during the flu season big opportunities for exposing kids to thousands of germs.

Tell the truth — does your kid get a flu shot each year or do you take the risk that they might get sick?

Have You Stayed Healthy This Winter?
healthy living

Have You Stayed Healthy This Winter?

It's the time of year when our co-workers, family members, and fellow commuters are sniffling and sneezing with wintry illnesses.
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It's the time of year when our co-workers, family members, and fellow commuters are sniffling and sneezing with wintry illnesses. Our immune systems remain challenged during cold and flu season, and sometimes we just can't fend off a sickness even if we've been doing everything we can to prevent it. Have you stayed healthy this Winter?



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A Doctor Offers Tips on Exercising After Sugery
healthy living

DrSugar Answers: Sweating Out a Cold?

DrSugar is in the house and answering your questions.
by DrSugar

DrSugar is in the house and answering your questions.

Hey DrSugar,
What's the truth behind "sweating out a cold"? Sometimes when I am sick, people suggest that I go for a run or something to sweat it out, but it seems like my body is a little weak and that's the last thing I should be doing. Is this just a myth or is there any truth to "sweating out" sickness?
Thanks!
– Miss Myth

To see what DrSugar has to say on this matter, read more

Fit Tip: Clean Equipment Before You Use It
disinfect

Fit Tip: Clean Equipment Before You Use It

It is not only a common courtesy to wipe down machines and equipment after using them, it is a posted rule at many gyms.
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It is not only a common courtesy to wipe down machines and equipment after using them, it is a posted rule at many gyms. I am not sure about your gym, but I am fairly certain that most of my fellow gymmates are not pulling their weight (pun intended) and cleaning up after themselves. Have you ever thought of wiping them off before you use them? I am a germ-a-phobe and with flu season raging on, I have started to wipe off equipment, focusing on handles and buttons, before I use it. It may be a little anal, but it's better than catching a nasty bug that someone else has.

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