| Keeping Swine Flu at Bay 1. Get plenty of vitamin D. This vitamin is intimately connected with your immune system, and the RDA of 400 IU per day is far too low to keep you healthy. I recommend 2,000 to 5,000 IU of vitamin D daily.
If you live in a sunny state, you might be able to make this much daily in your skin by getting outside for 20 minutes or so. For most of us, though, you need to supplement your diet with vitamin D3, the form your body uses.
2. Green tea primes your immune system’s T-cells, making them more efficient at recognizing and fighting off all manner of pathogens. Just a couple of cups a day provides a benefit. If you prefer, you can drink it cold, but please don’t go for the pre-sweetened iced tea “drinks” that are so popular nowadays—they’re loaded with sweeteners.
3. Lay off the sugar. It’s true, excessive intake of sugar in any form suppresses your immune system. A flu epidemic is a good excuse for you to get rid of that sweet tooth.
4. Listen to music. It hardly matters what kind; any music that you find enjoyable will help reduce your levels of immune-damaging adrenal hormones. If you’re using some type of personal music player, be careful of the volume, of course, but those are a good way to extend your music-listening time.
5. And, while it may sound extreme, sometime the best way to keep yourself safe is to stay away from other people. If there’s a severe outbreak in your area, avoid crowded places such as shopping malls and public transportation.
One final word about prevention: I do not recommend that you get the vaccine for swine flu, just as I don’t recommend the regular flu vaccine. Reports that the vaccine is “96% effective” have measured only the immune response in subjects. Obviously, there hasn’t been time to see how many of these people actually catch the flu.
In addition to these tips for supporting your immune health, in the Alternatives newsletter over the years I’ve provided numerous suggestions for dealing with a flu that’s already present. Click here to begin receiving Alternatives right away.
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