Did You Get Your Flu Shot Yet?

With the winter season creeping upon us and bacteria spreading like butter, it is that much more important to take care of your body by taking preventative measures. Your health should have top priority in your life; whether or not you are proactive in keeping it that way is up for debate.

Just the other day I sat in on an in-service about the importance of washing your hands. It is hard to believe that something so simple as running your hands under room temperature water while scrubbing them with some sort of anti-bacterial soap that smells of lavender and fresh laundry could be the biggest barrier between you and the flu. It is definitely flu season again, and researchers have finally found a connection between the incidence of the flu and cold climate. It is not that immune function isn’t as active during the winter, but in reality the flu virus is more stable in climates of low relative humidity and cold temperatures. And although the flu travels primarily through the air, it can survive on doorknobs, handrails, and other surfaces. Frequent hand-washing is key in this instance.

And if you are not one who watches the news, let me take it upon myself to inform you of the latest culprit making us sick given the nickname, the ‘superbug.’ If the nickname alone doesn’t give you a clue, I will. This ‘superbug’ or MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a strain of Staph bacteria that does not respond to penicillin and related antibiotics but can be treated with other drugs (if caught early enough). It is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact making the gym, locker rooms, and schools ideal breeding grounds for Staph infections.

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that lives on every body, especially under your fingernails and in your nostrils. It is not harmful to you until it is ingested, and once ingested your body’s defense mechanisms kick in and fights off infection. When your immune system is compromised for any given reason (vitamin/mineral deficiency, fatigue, medications, those suffering from an immune-compromising disease, etc) you are more likely to get sick, i.e. get the flu or a cold. What would be worse would be to ingest/inhale the MRSA strain. How do you avoid catching MRSA you ask? Simple, follow these simple guidelines:

1. Supplement with Vitamins and Minerals to Maximize Your Immune System Response.
Your immune system is your body’s First Line of Defense against bacteria and other pathogens. Supplementing with an adequate Mineral product such as CMZ™ is key when keeping your immune system up to par. Not to mention, they will help you sleep, and sleeping reduces fatigue which also benefits your immune system.

2. Wash Your Hands withSoap
Skin-to-skin contact is the easiest way to transmit MRSA, but what about doorknobs, handrails, tables, telephones, and any other surfaces that others are touching. If you cannot always get to a sink, it may be a good idea to buy a small travel size bottle of Anti-bacterial gel that contains at least 60% ethyl alcohol. You can easily rub some of that stuff on your hands at any given time throughout the day. Be sure you wash your hands before and after using the restroom, eating, working out, and any other time you may be out in public.

3. Always bring your own CleanTowel to the gym.
Bacteria thrive on dirty benches and handrails at the gym and wiping them up with your own towel is not always the smartest idea. I applaud you for having your own towel in the gym, but you may want to use a paper towel to wipe up sweat before placing your towel on the equipment. Think about it, you wipe the bench with the same towel that you clean your sweaty face with? Ew. You have probably just transported millions of colonies of bacteria from the bench to your face, and vice versa.

Take Home Message: Take your vitamins and Minerals (CMZ™), wash your hands, and do your laundry and your chances of catching MRSA will decrease. Good luck!