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Reviewed By: Andrew Seibert,
SOURCES: 2007 Medical Reference from Medstar Television. William Martz, M.D., Family Practice Physician, Clinical Associate Professor, U. of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ.
© 1999-2011 Medstar Television
Coughing, blowing nose
Seeing sick people is part of the job for Doctor William Martz.
If you get a cold you're gonna have the same symptoms as the flu, just to a lesser degree.
He says just because everyone around you is sick, you don't have to be.
I think the most important thing is, is having our immune system in balance all the time.
One way to do that is with diet.
My recommendations to my patients are to stay well hydrated, drink lots of fluids, to eat a very balanced diet, particularly focusing on fruits and vegetables that have natural immune boosters called antioxidants in them.
To keep the sniffles away, the doctor also suggests: -using antiseptic wipes on door knobs; -wearing a mask when you're on an airplane; -don't exercise if you have fever or muscle aches; -use a hand sanitizer; -and wash your hands often.
I would say a minimum of 30 seconds up to a minute and most of us really don't do that very well, but that would be the most effective way to wash your hands.
If you use a hand sanitizer, Doctor Martz says you shouldn't touch food right away. It takes a couple minutes to kill the flu bug on your hands, and even longer elsewhere.
The flu virus has been shown to live up to 48 hours on hard surfaces.
Here we go, 1,2,3.
Your best shot for avoiding the flu… is exactly that.
If I had to choose one thing, I would tell people to get the flu vaccination.
Good advice to stay healthy all season long. For WebMD, I'm Sandee Lamotte.
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