Dan’s Surfing Snippets

I used to get colds all the time, especially during the cold wintry months. However, I have noticed that I haven’t had a cold or flu in the past few years! There must be a reason (I never had a flu shot in my life).

Yes, I understand that you can build up a resistance to certain strains but I also know that what we call the common cold (acute viral nasopharyngitis) mutates readily. So each cold virus we are exposed to is relatively new to our immune defense system. I have known people of all ages throughout my life who were always sick with a cold.

So I decided to reflect as to what I have been doing or not doing that has had an impact. I feel that sharing this information as to what has helped me might also help others.

I know that the common cold virus gets transmitted by contact, one person to another. An obvious example is if a person with a cold coughs or sneezes right into another person’s face. However, there are many not-so-obvious means of transmission.

If I have and cold and cough into my hand, then touch a door knob to open a door; then 48 hours later someone touches that same door knob and then touches their face, especially rubs their eye… boom, they catch a cold.

I don’t want to sound like Monk (the character on TV) but, if we really think about it, there are germs all around us. So what I have been doing is washing my hands often and using sani-wipes and liquid hand sanitizer whenever I am at meetings and especially after shaking hands.

I make sure that I do not touch my face while in public.

If I did have a cold I would not shake hands and state that I have a cold and do not want to spread it to others. If I cough, even to clear my throat I do not cough into my hand as that would only spread germs. I would cough into the inside of my suit jacket. I feel that it’s just common sense not to infect others.

No, I don’t run around and whip out a box of sani-wipes after shaking each person’s hand at a meeting. I am just conscious that when this happens my hands are possibly contaminated and I should keep them away from my face until later when I am able to wash my hands. When able I also wash my face and blow my nose. I believe this helps to get rid of the unwanted germs that might have been trapped in my nasal passages.

Another thing I do is take about 500 mgs of Vitamin C every day and whenever I think that I might be exposed to some sick people around me, as soon as I am able, I take EmergenC (powder in a packet, available at most health food stores) in water or juice (1000 mgs Vitamin C per packet) and I feel that my immune system gets that extra boost to ward off and prevent the impending infection. Whatever…mind or matter… it works for me!

There are other things that I do to stay healthy that I will be exploring at another time but staying cold-free is important enough to share now.