The cold and flu season is upon us – how prepared are you?
There probably was a time in your life when you didn’t mind getting sick. It was a day off school to sleep in, play video games, and suck down all the tomato soup and orange juice you could handle. It was almost always disappointing when your nose finally ran out and your temperature dropped back down to a comfortable 37 degrees Centigrade.
As you grow older, it’s not nearly as much fun. It means taking time off work, which nobody can afford to do these days, and the symptoms seem to hit you about 10 times harder. There’s nobody around to feed you soup, and you’re too aware of the price of orange juice to just guzzle it down like water.
Prevention, as always, is the best medicine when you’re heading into cold and flu season.
When people talk about flu season, they generally mean late fall, winter and early spring, which in Whistler is a time frame about ninth months long. You can still get the flu during the summer, but it’s a lot easier in the winter when you’re out of shape and weakened after a day in the cold, when you keep the windows closed and stay within the confines of your house or office in the company of your germ-ridden family, friends and co-workers. Other stresses on your immune system may include alcohol, refined sugars, and stress itself.
There are hundreds of different strains of flu viruses out there, with symptoms that can include fever, headache, muscle pain, runny nose, sore throat, and cough. Children can have nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
The flu is typically not dangerous to the average person in itself, but because it can weaken your immune system it can leave you open to other more serious illnesses, such as pneumonia. True influenza is particularly dangerous in this respect, packing a far bigger wallop than most other strains of flu, sometimes leading to bacterial pneumonia, viral pneumonia, and other diseases.
It affects one in six Canadians every year, or approximately five million people, and costs businesses about $1 billion in lost productivity – that’s why so many businesses offer free vaccinations to their employees. And you can be down for the count anywhere from one to six weeks.
About 1,400 people die each year in B.C. from the flu and pneumonia, which is often flu-related. In Canada, about 6,000 people will die this year, and a further 70,000 will require some form of hospitalization.
That’s why it’s so vital for children and adults with health problems to protect themselves.
There are numerous ways to accomplish this, and you can’t go wrong by using more than one kind of preventative medicine.
A good place to start, according to Coast Garibaldi Health nurse Marilyn McIvor, is with a vaccination. "Flu vaccine is proven to be safe and effective over years of use and millions of doses," she says.
Coast Garibaldi Health, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health Services (MHS), is offering free flu vaccines to seniors over 65, "or children and adults who are high risk, which means they have a chronic illness," McIvor says. The free vaccinations will be available for all qualified people starting in mid-October, or they can usually be purchased for between $12 and $15.
Seniors are vulnerable because their immune systems are generally weaker and they have a slower recovery rate – of the 1,400 flu deaths recorded in B.C. each year, approximately 90 per cent are over the age of 65.
The children and adults at risk have chronic heart or lung diseases, asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, anemia and immune system disorders. Children and adolescents who are taking acetylsalicylic acid (ASA or aspirin) are also considered to be at risk.
There is an understandable concern with injecting yourself with multiple strains of flu virus, with names like the Moscow flu, the New Caledonia flu, and Sichuan flu – just three new strains that were thrown into the cocktail last year. The flu viruses you are injected with are dead, however. Any side effects are likely to occur as a reaction to the injection.
Of the tens of thousands of B.C. residents who were vaccinated last year, only 48 suffered the side effects of sore eyes, sore throat and wheezing, and that only lasted for a maximum of two days.
The benefits far outweigh the risks, according to the MHS. Vaccinations are effective in preventing illness in 70 per cent of people, and reduce the risk of seniors dying from flu-related illnesses by 85 per cent.
The only conceivable reason for avoiding a flu shot is an allergy to eggs – it’s still grown in an egg base.
The MHS outlines several other ways to avoid catching the flu this winter. The first is obvious, and that’s to avoid sick people. You can’t always do that though, especially when it’s a family member. And besides about one in five people could be carrying the flu and show no symptoms whatsoever.
As a precaution, wash your hands often. Studies show that the flu is more likely to be transmitted from person to person through hand contact than kissing or breathing the same air as an infected person.
Exercise regularly, sleep lots and eat a healthy diet. Stay away from smoke where possible, and if you smoke, then stop.
If you do get sick, bed rest and lots of liquids are still the best treatments. Fever and pain can be alleviated with acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin, although adolescents should stay away from aspirin.
There are a few other effective drugs out there, two of which are licensed in Canada. One is Relenza, and the other is Tamiflu. The only drawback is that they have to be taken in the first day or two the flu hits to have a chance at working, and many people don’t have any idea they’re sick with the flu until they’re already a few days in.
Apart from the mainstream health approach, there are numerous alternative medicines recommended for the prevention and treatment of colds and flu.
The current issue of Reader’s Digest Canada contains a lot of old school, down home advice to beat the bugs.
Carolyn Dean, an MD and ND (Naturopathic Doctor) and the author of Dr. Carolyn Dean’s Complementary Natural Remedies for Common Ailments, combines conventional science with traditional medicine to offer the following advice:
• Drink chicken broth – Soup clears nasal congestion and prevents dehydration, and studies show that chicken broth shortens the length of colds. I think it’s okay to add noodles, but I’ll have to get back to you on that.
• Take a bath with Epson salts – Magnesium sulfate promotes sweating, which helps to rid your body of toxins. Chances are your grandmother has a box you can borrow.
• Avoid dairy and breads – Both encourage mucus production and make your congestion worse.
If you’re looking for herbal remedies – not cures exactly, but natural ways to alleviate the symptoms of a cold and flu, Dean recommends the following:
• For coughs, steep sage in freshly boiled water at least 20 minutes and drink hot or cold.
• For head congestion, steep fenugreek – a Greek medicinal herb that has probably been in use for the last four millennia – in boiled water for five minutes and drink warm.
• For chest congestion, steep mullein or lobelia in boiled water, wet a handtowel with it, and place the towel on your chest.
• For nausea, steep two tablespoons of fresh grated ginger in three cups of boiled water. Gargle the water, or hold a wet towel to your head.
To boost your immune system, especially when those around you are falling ill, a daily dose of echinacea is recommended. Do not use this herb if you have a severe illness or autoimmune disorder such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
Bradley Bongiovanni, another ND, recommends a potent cocktail of vitamins with anti-oxidant properties, including vitamins A, E, and selenium. He also recommends between 1,000 and 3,000 milligrams of vitamin C a day, plus flaxseeds or flaxseed oil – a substance that is packed with essential fatty acids, and works as a natural anti-inflammatory on irritated membranes.
If you qualify for free flu vaccine, contact Coast Garibaldi Health office at the Whistler Health Care Centre at 604-932-3202,
If not, the travel medicine and vaccination centre will be offering shots at public events throughout the fall. Your first opportunity is the Whistler Mountain Ski Club Ski Swap on Thanksgiving weekend, which is taking place alongside the annual Turkey Sale.
