The Common Cold at Work

HEALTH - If this is by accident my last post ever its because I have all the symptoms of swine flu (H1N1 is actually an hybrid of North American swine influenza, Asian swine influenza, avian influenza and human influenza) and might die from it. If not then its just the common cold (or it was the swine flu but I hopefully manage to survive it).

I actually think it would be kewl if it was swine flu just so I could brag about being a swine flu survivor and be one of the lucky 89% or so who only has mild symptoms (as opposed to the 11% who get seriously ill and the 0.5% who die).

So technically my chance of dying is very little. Only marginally worse than the normal flu if truth be told (yes, the normal influenza kills seniors/children and people with poor immune systems regularly).

NEVERTHELESS, I am going to explain how I combat the Common Cold:

#1. Lots of salt and acid in my diet. Germs don't like acidic things like apple juice, orange juice, any kind of citrus fruit, salty foods, salt & vinegar potato chips, fish & chips with lots of extra salt, drinks with lots of sodium in it (ie. Gatorade or Powerade). This list includes Neo-Citron.

#2. Eat a lot. Your body is a very efficient machine and if you have loss of appetite you need to combat that by eating lots. Unless you have a stomach flu and keep throwing up you need to force yourself to eat and snack often. You should definitely have a large snack about an hour or two before bed.

#3. Cleanliness. I think a lot of sick people tend to crawl into bed and just watch TV a lot. My advice is to get out of bed, take a shower, a bath, brush your teeth several times per day, wash your hair, wash your hands constantly. I find the mere act of brushing my teeth and showering makes me feel a lot better and healthier. I recommend a toothpaste with an antibacterial agent in it. The same goes for hands soaps/etc.

#4. Sleep, but don't overdo it. Only sleep if you really feel exhausted. If you're just sick and feeling lazy you don't need to turn into a big baby. I admit we men tend to do this when sick (its an excuse to be lazy and by gosh I am going to use it to full advantage!), but its not actually the best thing for you. Granted, you shouldn't be out going to the gym or mountain climbing, but you should be able to do light activity like cooking some soup and taking care of yourself.

DON'TS

#1. Don't drink alcohol. It may work a bit as a painkiller, but alcohol weakens your immune system. It does way more harm to your immune system for a 24 hour period after drinking and the painkilling effect only lasts a couple hours.

#2. Don't smoke or ingest anything toxic. This is a no brainer. If you can't follow this advice, well, you remember what Darwin said about Natural Selection?

#3. Don't go out. If you do have swine flu its recommended you isolate yourself for a period of 5 days. 2-3 days if its just the regular flu.

#4. Don't ignore your symptoms if they get worse and start have difficulty breathing. See a physician ASAP.

Swine Flu kills people due to respiratory failure or complications with other health problems. If you encounter problems breathing you should consult a doctor soon.

Feel free to check back later to see how long my cold lasted and whether I survived. Presumably I will because I am very aggressive when it comes to fighting a cold.