Audra Lowe: We hear a lot about cold and flu season in November and December, but we're still in the thick of things; and today Better really wants to keep you healthy. Earlier Dr. Natalie Stern gave us some really easy tips on how to reduce our chances of getting sick.
Good to have you back Dr. Stern, a lot of people talking about cold and flu season and everyone is trying to figure out what we can do to keep ourselves from getting sick, good tips that you have right.
Dr. Natalie Stern: Well the main thing you can do really not to get sick is to wash your hands; and I think everybody heard it by now. Because those viruses are spread by droplets from infected person. So let's say you have the flu or cold and you are sneeze in your hand, which you are not doing right. Or blow your nose and then don't wash your hand, and shake my hand and I don't wash my hand and I wipe my nose I am getting sick. If you had to wash your hand if I had to wash my hand we would have avoid the contamination probably. So washing your hand is very important.
Audra Lowe: It seems so simple it is very important. Now what we eat is also very important in keeping us healthy. But what types of food should we be adding to our daily diet?
Dr. Natalie Stern: Healthy diet is good all the year around. So really you should keep your diet healthy, but during the winter season it's important to add some vitamin to your diet, because it boost your immune system. Especially some Vitamin C that you can find in citrus fruit, broccoli, or in green pepper, and some Vitamin E that's usually you can find in nuts or sunflower oil for example. It's also important to keep your diet low in sugar, because high sugar diet definitely decrease the resistance of your immune system.
Audra Lowe: Okay, now so you have the water here, so talk to us about staying hydrated why is it particularly important around this time of year especially in keeping you healthy.
Dr. Natalie Stern: Once again being hydrated is important all the year around. But hydration is good when you are sick, first of all because when you have fever you get dehydrated, so you need extra water. And when you are sick and you are well hydrated it can smoothies your throat, or it's loosen the mucus too. So it help you with comfort and it also can help you in not getting so much complication.
Audra Lowe: Okay well sleep is also an important component in all of this as well. So why is this so important though to get those eight hours in there.
Dr. Natalie Stern: Because sleep deprivation decrease the efficacy of your immune system. So get as much rest as you can.
Audra Lowe: Okay and that's we are talking about sleeping correctly, eating correctly as well, exercise is another thing that we have to focus on as well, right.
Dr. Natalie Stern: Exercising regularly is very important same thing all the year around keep you healthy, make you look good, but on top of that it's also boosting your immune system promote healthy sleep and decrease your stress and hold that boost your immune system too. So it's a win-win situation.
Audra Lowe: Dr. Stern you also say that if you feels symptoms coming along. You are feeling a little under the weather, you should nip it in the bud don't wait until you have a full blown illness, before you do something about it.
Dr. Natalie Stern: Yes I do believe it because a lot of people wait until they are really sick to take some action and I think its a mistake, I think it would be better to treat your symptoms right away. So once again immunization is the best way to prevent you from getting flu, but if you get some flu symptoms no matter what you have to take care of it right away.
So first you call your physician to make sure you are not the person that who is going to need any specific treatment; and if you'll find then you take care of yourself. And what I like to do is taking Oscillococcinum. It's a homeopathic medication, which help you with the flu symptoms and it's totally safe. It doesn't have any secondary effect. It doesn't interfere with anything and it was actually backed up for some study which showed that there is a decrease of severity and duration of the symptoms when you use it fast.
Audra Lowe: Lots of good and encouraging news thank you so much Dr. Stern good to have you back.
Dr. Natalie Stern: You are welcome.
Audra Lowe: Alright Oscillococcinum is available nationwide, and it's so easy to get and you can even save some money, if you like that, just check out Oscillo.com for coupon before you head to the store.
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