Staying Healthy This Fall & Winter

Staying Healthy This Fall & Winter

by Dr. Jamie McManus, MD

Back to school shopping, anxiety over who your child’s teacher will be this year, sending your oldest (or youngest) child off to college—all very exciting activities, but not without a bit of stress for all involved. And to add to all of these very typical types of activities and concerns, we have some new and additional threats to staying healthy. So it has never been more important to focus on doing all you can to protect your family’s health—beginning with arming yourself with the latest information.

Your ability to stay well and not fall prey to circulating pathogens rests upon the vibrant functioning of your immune system, and an optimally healthy immune system occurs when you are doing a few simple things:

• Eat a healthy diet, full of antioxidants and immune supporting nutrients. This means avoiding the fast food restaurants (generally empty calories) and committing to eating at least FIVE servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day—salads, stir-fry vegetables with chicken breast or salmon or hearty stews or soups made with plenty of colorful vegetables!

• Be sure you are taking supplementation to support immune health. Your favorite version of Vitalizer along with Nutriferon® provides a solid nutritional foundation for immune function. Sustained Release Vita C® (or Chewable Vita C®), Optiflora® Probiotic, and Defend and Resist Complex can be added for additional support on an as needed basis. For children ages 12 and younger, choose Incredivites™ with immune supporting lactoferrin and more vitamin D, and for infants and toddlers age six months to four years, our terrific ShakleeBaby™ Multivitamin & Multimineral Powder with clinically tested prebiotics and more Vitamin D to help support immune function.*

• Get plenty of rest. Your immune system can be very negatively impacted by inadequate sleep. Your school age children require at least nine hours of sleep each night so be sure that becomes a routine as the school year gets started. And Moms and Dads, you need seven and a half to eight hours yourself!

• Talk to your doctor about immunization. We encourage everyone to speak with your doctor to determine if vaccination is right for you, especially if any member of your family falls into one of these target groups at higher risk identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than six months of age, health care and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient contact, children six months through four years of age, and children five through 18 years of age who have chronic medical conditions. Check this link to learn more http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/public/vaccination_qa_pub.htm.

• Wash your hands frequently. You don’t need antibacterial soaps; in fact, many experts are concerned that the widespread use of antibacterial products may contribute to the increasing prevalence of resistant bacteria that antibiotics do not work against! So, use plain ordinary soap, warm water, and wash your arms and wrists and lather up for 30 to 60 seconds before rinsing off. When hand washing is not possible, hand sanitizers are sometimes recommended.

• Wash down your countertops, bathroom wash areas, and other hard, non-porous surfaces that your hands contact with an effective germicidal product such as Shaklee Basic-G®. Basic-G has been tested and shown to be effective in neutralizing influenza type A viruses as well as a host of other microorganisms and the EPA has issued a statement that it believes, based on available scientific information, that the currently registered influenza A virus products will be effective against the 2009 - H1N1 flu strain and other influenza A virus strains on hard, non-porous surfaces.

About the Author:

Dr. Jamie McManus M.D.
Chairman, Medical Affairs and Health Sciences 
Shaklee Corporation

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