Achoo!

It’s winter 2015 and we have been hit by cold and flu season in full force. Everyone I know is either sick, getting over being sick, or feels like they are getting sick. I caught a nasty bug in early January which morphed from a severe head cold with lots of congestion, to a sore throat, to an intermittent stomach bug, which has only recently resolved. I was voted “least popular” among my co-workers, who requested that I work from home until I was able to breathe through my nose again. 

My husband valiantly nursed me and even made me home-made chicken soup with matzo balls, the Jewish equivalent of penicillin. I drank gallons and gallons of ginger-ale and should have bought stock in Nabisco saltine crackers. I became adept at opening the child-proof packages of Mucinex, Sudafed, and Nyquil. Romeo, Elvis and LarryPug kept me company even as I sniffled the day away.

Now that I’m on the road to recovery and regaining the ability to breathe through my nose, I’m reluctant to take my good health for granted. I’m eager to get back to the gym and I had a salad for lunch today. I’m considering getting a flu shot, even though I keep hearing that they’re not very effective this year.

My friend Wendy, who is a nurse, says that a simple key to prevent illness is to wash your hands frequently. My husband Mike swears by anti-bacterial wipes and has recently started taking Airborne every day. My coworker Lauren liked Emergen-C, a dietary supplement with 7 B vitamins as well as antioxidants and electrolytes.

How do you stay healthy? Have you had a winter cold yet? Did you get a flu shot?