When winter arrives, you know it’s the flu season. In this season, be sure to brace yourself to avoid the disease. While some people will still go for their regular workouts in the gym, it is not recommended. However, you must maintain your health not only during the flu season by all year round. You do this by not only regular and consistent fitness regime, but also a healthy diet that keeps you strong and healthy as well as helps you in fighting the disease. You may have probably wondered how can keep yourself healthy during this season. It is possible to take steps to prevent illness and also to avoid the spread to others.

Wash your hands

Foremost before thinking of anything else, you must wash your hands with clean water and ensure they are clean. Regular hand washing is one of the surest methods of avoiding the spread of germs to others. During the winter months, it is cold, and that means flu is all over and can easily be contracted. The following are some of the important tips to note

• Ensure you are well versed with hand washing techniques. Rub your hands together while running warm water on them for about twenty seconds. Use a mild hand soap to do this.
• Whenever you touch your mouth or nose, make sure you wash your hands thoroughly. As well, ensure you wash your hands before taking any meal.

Eat healthy

The various kinds of foods you take into your body have a significant impact on your overall health. Eating a well-balanced diet is vital as it can help in support of your immune system. Ensure you eat right to assist in the staving off of flu and other winter diseases.

• Aim at getting multiple servings of vegetables daily. Carrots, parsnips, and turnips are good vegetable servings for winter. You can take them in various forms including roasting them or just mixing them into warnings of soups.
• Increase your dairy intake. Milk and dairy products contain lots of vitamins including A and B12 which are vital in keeping you healthy during the cold winter.
• Try to find low-fat milk as well as reduced fat cheese. Greek yogurt and light cottage cheese is another meal you can try as well.

Limit sugar intake

Limiting sugar intake can significantly strengthen your immunity system. If you have a diet which is low in refined sugar can be of great assistance in getting rid of the influenza virus and colds. These are some of the steps you can take to ensure you limit your sugar intake

• Watch what you are drinking. Drinks such as sodas and fruits drinks do contain large amounts of sugar.
• Switched to iced tea or water. These beverages will quench your thirst minus adding sugar to your diet.
• Whenever you feel that you have a craving for anything sweet, try a piece of fruit. It contains natural sugar that is better for your body than the refined sugars.

Try home remedies

Zinc can be of great help in speeding your recovery. Another important thing you can try is essential oils. They have a myriad of healing properties. Just ensure they are properly mixed. Make a mixture of rosemary, peppermint lemon, eucalyptus and lemon oils. You will need water to mix a few drops of each.

Flu can be very discomforting. Use the information above to help you with quick healing.

An adenovirus belongs to an entire family of viruses that are collectively known as “adenoviruses.” This family of viruses can infect both humans and animals, most commonly resulting in illnesses affecting the respiratory tract. Here’s what you need to know about this family of viruses, and how to protect yourself against infection.

Adenovirus Symptoms

Adenoviruses cause infections by entering your body through your airways or your intestinal tract. In either case, the virus multiplies rapidly and begins to cause symptoms in as little as two days, or as long as two weeks, following exposure. Symptoms typically include:

• Headache
• Cough
• Fever
• Sore throat
• Itchy or watery eyes
• Runny nose

Young children are most at risk, along with the elderly. Compromised immunity, such as occurs with the AIDS virus or during chemotherapy treatments, can increase the likelihood of infection, as well as the severity of the infection and symptoms. Anyone can be affected by adenovirus, but the infection is usually most severe in those with compromised immune systems. However, even healthy people can find themselves infected with adenovirus. Your relative health and personal habits will generally dictate how long the virus sticks around; for healthy people, the illness runs its course fairly quickly, possibly in as little as 48 to 72 hours.

Duration of Illness

Adenovirus is a fairly short-lived virus, with most minor infections resolving around three to five days after symptoms become evident. However, some infections may last as long as a week, and the effects of a serious adenovirus infection may linger for ten days to two weeks, or longer. Adenoviruses flourish in close-quarter communities like prison, school buildings, and communal-living situations like hostels.

Adenovirus Complications and Subsequent Illnesses

Some people who become infected by adenovirus may come down with associated illnesses, like bronchitis and croup. Other manifestations of adenovirus may include skin rashes, bladder infections, diarrhea, and pink eye (conjunctivitis). In addition, adenovirus infections may be complicated by serious problems like pneumonia or infections in the lungs. Other associated illnesses may include ear or brain infections, and even meningitis.

Avoiding Infection by Adenoviruses

Adenoviruses spread in a couple of very effective ways. The first is that the virus can hang around for a long time on inanimate objects. Door knobs, counters, and other commonly-touched surfaces can harbor adenovirus much longer than you might think. If you touch these surfaces and then eat, touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, or handle other objects, you can easily spread the virus and become infected.

Another avenue of infection is common to many types of virus: airborne droplets that are expelled in every cough and sneeze of an infected person. These droplets can land on surfaces, including dishes and utensils, countertops, computer screens and keyboards, and even your own skin. By touching these surfaces or your face, you can pick up the virus and become infected quite easily. You can even become infected just by breathing in just after someone has coughed or sneezed, or by those droplets coming into contact with any of your mucous membranes, or eating food prepared by someone who’s infected.

Staying Healthy

Avoiding people who are obviously ill and washing your hands regularly (and properly) can help you avoid becoming infected. Keeping the area around you clean and using disinfecting wipes on surfaces can also help you stay clear of adenovirus infection. Be aware of touching your face and try to reduce that behavior as much as possible. The symptoms of adenoviruses can be somewhat mitigated by medication, but there’s no treatment. Like most viruses, it must simply run its course.