Sniff.
Cough.
Achooo!
Ah, yes! The unmistakable sounds of my least favourite time of the year: cold and flu season. As a teacher of over two hundred students between the ages of five and ten, it is almost a given that I will catch a bug of some sort and end up in the doctor's office or at home nursing a fever. I also have two young school-aged children of my own and they rarely escape the viruses themselves. Over the holidays, while home with the kids for two weeks, each of us showed cold or flu-like symptoms which meant it was time to pull out our arsenal of tips and tricks for keeping sickness at bay. Here is what we do to feel better:
- For congestion, we add drops of eucalyptus when taking a shower which will combine with the positive effects of the steam. We also set up a humidifier at night.
- To alleviate coughs due to colds, we always have honey on hand or a natural cough syrup.
- When it comes to vitamins, I am getting better at including them in our daily routine, especially vitamin D. We will also make more of an effort to eat meats that are high in vitamin D or stock up on vitamin D enriched beverages such as 100% orange juice and milk.
- This is also the perfect time to remind the kids to wash their hands for 15-20 seconds, especially after blowing their nose, using the washroom or before eating.
- Homemade chicken soup, like the one my mom makes, is always comforting whenever I have a cold. Drinking plenty of hot liquids such as tea also helps me feel better.
- Lately, our family has been using an air purifier and we have installed a germ fighting filter. I leave it on quite often now.
- Friday, January 11, 2013
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