Flu Season Sickness And Prevention

Top Preventive Tips to Protect Your Family During Flu Season

A healthy immune system is the key to preventing sickness. No matter how hard you work to keep little germs out of little bodies, some bacteria and viruses find their way in. So, your next line of defense is to build your child’s immune-fighting army to better fight these germs and prevent sickness, especially during flu season. Here’s how:

Keep the Nose and Sinuses Clear

Germs settle first in the nose and sinuses, so it’s important to keep these passages flushed out. Here’s Dr. Bill’s dynamic duo: a “nose hose” and a “steam clean” – both of which he uses and recommends to his patients to prevent sickness throughout the year.

Start with a “nose hose”

Make your own saltwater nose drops (¼ teaspoon of salt to 8-ounces of warm water). Spritz a few drops of the solution into your child’s nose and gently suction out the loosened secretions using a nasal aspirator, which the veteran nose-cleaners in my medical practice dub a “snot-snatcher.” Use a xylitol nasal spray such as Xlear. Science shows that xylitol helps keep bacteria from sticking to the lining of the nose and sinuses, thus lowering the risk of sinus infections.

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Enjoy a “steam clean”

Make a home steam bath by turning on a hot shower in the bathroom and closing the door. Fifteen minutes of concentrated steam while holding and reading to your child will help keep her nose clear. For adults and children over eight, use a facial steamer. Let your children see you use a facial steamer while reading a book or watching TV and market it as “Oh, it makes my face feel so soft!” Inhale the steam and notice how less congested your breathing passages feel.

Eat Immune-Boosting Foods

In our medical practice, especially during flu season, I encourage families to eat immune-boosting foods, such as: wild salmon, blueberries, and vitamin-C-rich fruits (strawberries, papaya, cantaloupe, kiwi) and veggies (broccoli, and spinach). I also prescribe lots of “fruit and yogurt smoothies.” Yogurt is a yummy immune-booster by supplying the intestines with probiotics – those friendly bacteria that inhabit the gut and, in return for a warm place to live, crowd out the harmful bacteria that get in. I have noticed that families who feed their children these top immune-boosting foods are sick less often. Also, be sure to minimize sugar and junk food, which weaken the immune system.

Wash Hands Often and Properly

According to the CDC, hand washing is the most effective way to stay healthy. Teach your children to wash their hands frequently to help kill the viruses and bacteria they may have collected. Have them use regular soap and warm water to scrub their hands including the back of their hands, in between fingers and under nails for 20 seconds. Use antibacterial gel or wipes if soap and water are not available.

Disinfect to Protect

Kids can touch and retouch more than 300 surfaces in just 30 minutes, which is not beneficial when you want to reduce the spread of germs to prevent sickness. You can help protect family members from picking up and spreading germs with their hands by spraying commonly touched surfaces and objects with a disinfectant spray. Regular disinfection will help kill cold- and flu-causing viruses and bacteria before anyone in your family gets sick.

Go Outside and Play!

Mom’s timeless advice, again. Weather permitting, enjoy lots of winter exercise. Movement, especially while enjoying nature, mobilizes the immune system, increasing your protection against germs.

These are all a few ideas and tips to help you and your family to prevent sickness, whether it is flu season or anytime throughout the year.

Common Cold In Children

What causes common cold? Many believe that hundreds of cold viruses cause infection in the upper respiratory system which in turn brings about common cold. Likely casualties of the infection are noses, throats and ears. Although the most common of these viruses has been identified and known as rhinovirus, the sheer number of cold viruses has made it difficult to find the one dose or vaccination that can effectively prevent or arrest cold. The natural immune
system of the human body, harnessing the full force of its white cells, is still the best anti-dote for common cold.


Persons infected by cold viruses scatter the disease when they cough or sneeze. Coughing or sneezing causes the infected person to splutter saliva and sticky liquid called mucus. This liquid contains the virus. When microscopic amounts of the liquid contaminate the surroundings, such as the air or personal items like towels or handkerchiefs, people who come into contact with them become vulnerable to the infection. The virus gets transmitted through the air we breath or through our unclean hands when we touch our noses.

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While the act of coughing and sneezing gives rise to the viral contagion, it is also the same process by which persons afflicted with cold prevent the virus from infecting the other parts of the body. The concentration of the cold virus inside the nose and the hostile reaction of the white cells create irritating sensations that prompt the nerves to summon a sudden blast of air from the lungs, sweeping the virus out of the way.


But cold viruses are tenacious. Although of infinitesimal sizes and invisible to the naked eye, they are equipped with mooring contraptions which aid them to fasten themselves onto the interior parts of the nose. They then begin to overpower the cells along the lining of the nose, making it possible for them to multiply even more. The viral assault prompts our white cells to react and fight, often emerging victorious in a week of deadly scuffle.


This explains why after several days we feel relieved from common cold even without medication. Our anti-bodies are hard at work in our defense. Common cold is rather of greater concern to children, whose immune systems are less developed than those of adults. Cold sends children to the doctor more than any other illness does. Research data reveal that a child contracts the cold virus more or less eight times per year, with each infection lasting up to an
average of seven days.


It takes three or two days for the symptoms of the disease to emerge when the cold virus infects children. The afflicted child becomes bad-tempered; he or she complains of various discomforts and pain such as sore throat, headache, muscle pain, among many others. He or she feels weak and physically drained. The child often coughs and sneezes, develops runny nose or gets the nasal cavities congested. In some cases cold in children can cause fever and body chills. As cold viruses have definite life cycles, drugs are hardly effective in speeding up the process of a child's recovery from cold virus infection. But medicines can help arrest further spread of the virus and make the child feel more comfortable.


Although cold is common, children would do well not to take medicine without proper advice. Parents need to be guided by what the doctor prescribes and to oversee the dosage and drugs to be taken by their children. Decongestants ease the irritation and swelling of the nose lining,making it easier for children to breathe. Antihistamines slows down mucus and helps to control sneezing and runny nose. Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen can be taken when the child feels severe headache and muscle pain.


Aside from medication, food and other forms of treatment can help the child recover quickly from cold. Hot food and drinks help ease throat irritation and coughs. Chicken soup in particular has been known for generations to be effective in providing relief from common cold. Hot showers can freshen stuffy nose. Heat from whatever source induces nasal mucus to dry up.
Humidifiers work to loosen the mucus too and ease the irritation brought about by itchy eyes, scratchy and stuffy throats.


Children also need to blow air from the nose frequently to get the mucus out of their body. Using disposable tissues rather than handkerchiefs is better for nose blowing. Above all, total bed rest for one or two days is recommended for children hit by the cold virus. It takes proper nutrition, physical fitness through exercise, adequate sleep and other practices of healthy living to hasten the full development of the immune system. It still is the child's best defense against common cold.

How to Deal With a Newborn Baby's Cold

While it is always hoped that the the newborn baby will not ever get sick, this is rarely reality. Newborn babies are susceptible to colds and other illnesses because their immune system is not yet fully developed.  They often rely upon their mother’s milk for the immune support, and some mothers simply do not have it or choose to bottle feed.  Unfortunately, even the healthiest mother who breast feeds may not be able to prevent the newborn baby from catching a cold.

A newborn baby’s cold can be a stressful and upsetting time for both the parents and the baby.  No one ever likes to have a sick child, and a sick newborn is often even worse.  The parents are still new and excited over having the newborn baby and therefore are often prone to over-reacting to the baby’s condition.  The newborn is also new and he or she knows that they cannot breathe as well as before and are more upset than normal.  All of this stress can cause one to lose control of the situation, making no one feel better and possibility getting the parents sick as well which can cause a loop of illness.

The most important thing to do if a newborn gets sick is to see a doctor.  Even if you are certain that the baby has a cold, it is important to have it checked out by the doctor as it could, although is unlikely to be, something worse.  The doctor can also prescribe medication  to deal with the congestion that the baby feels and help with any fever that the baby may be displaying.  Any suggestions given by the doctor should be followed and a follow up visit should be conducted to ensure that the baby is indeed getting over the cold.

Once the doctor visit is complete, any medication that the doctor suggested should be picked up.  Realization that it is just a cold, and not a life threatening condition can often calm most parents down to keep their immune systems functional.  Treatment should begin as soon as possible and anymedications given should have their directions followed exactly.  Not following the directions and giving too low of a dose can cause the medication not to work.  Not following the directions and giving too large of a dose can make the baby sicker and could kill the baby. 

Just as it is important to provide plenty of food and water to an adult who is suffering from a cold, it is equally important for a newborn suffering from a cold.  In addition to food and water, warm clothing and a warm blanket can help to prevent the baby from getting sicker.  Keeping the baby’s nose clear of mucus can be a never ending task and the nose should be wiped frequently.  By wiping the nose, you can prevent mucus from getting onto the lips and mouth of the baby, re-infecting him or her and can also limit the irritation of the tender facial skin from excessive moister.