All the Good-Design in the world is worthless if you don’t have your health. This came across my desk earlier today from my friend Deah DeHaven who works in the health care industry. It’s worth reading and heeding:

Just Do It!

Prevent Flu: Soap Away Germs
To keep the flu virus at bay, wash your hands with soap and water several times a day.

By Jeanie Lerche Davis

WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
An icky fact: That elevator button or door knob you just touched? It likely has flugerms on it. If you’re avoiding the flu, take note. Then wash those hands. Do it the right way — and do it often, several times a day!

It’s true — germs can live on any surface for two hours or more. If someone in your office or school is infected, those germs can reside on anything they’ve touched — desks, phones, coffee pots, microwaves, cafeteria tables, toys, books.

When flu preventionexperts advise you to wash your hands, they don’t mean a light drizzle of water. As mama always said, use soap and warm water — and rub hands for 15 to 20 seconds. Sing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song twice while rubbing, to keep track of the time.

“The flu vaccineis the best way to prevent flu, but the next best thing is good hand hygiene,” says Rachel Orscheln, MD, an infectious disease specialist and pediatrician at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Then wash your hands every time you coughor sneeze to prevent spreading the virus.”

One flu prevention strategy: Keep gel sanitizers close at hand. If a sink isn’t nearby, a gel sanitizer or an alcohol-based hand wipe is easy to grab to clean dirty hands. The gel doesn’t need water to work; just rub hands until the gel is dry. Most supermarkets and drugstores carry these wipes and gels.
Making It Work at the Office: Grab a Paper Towel
At the office, the paper towel is a very good friend — a great way to avoid flu germs. “Use a paper towel to open a door, turn a faucet, use a towel dispenser,” advises James Mamary, MD, a pulmonologist with Temple Lung Center at Temple University Health System in Philadelphia. “You can even use a paper towel or cloth to touch elevator buttons.” Gloves would work.

Luckily, many workplace sinks now have automatic on and off faucets, Mamary notes.

“But I always use a paper towel in a public bathroom. You wash your hands, then you touch a doorknob where other people are not washing hands. It makes sense to use a paper towel.”
Making It Work at School: Sing in the Restroom
Has your child sung her favorite song today? Suggest singing every time the kids wash their hands. “Kids must learn that any time you use the restroom there are germs,” says Orscheln. “It’s very important to wash hands with soap and water after using the toilet. It’s important to wash real good using soap and water. Like toothbrushes that have songs in them, singing helps when washing hands.”

Are kids sneezing at school? A big dispenser of gel hand cleanser should be in clear view — on the teacher’s desk or some other place. “It’s not always easy for kids to get to the washroom during class,” Orscheln tells WebMD. “If a child coughs or sneezes, they must be sure to clean their hands right away.”

The only portals of entry for flu germs are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it’s almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap)

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don’t trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don’t underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.