Avoiding Influenza

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is still showing influenza as "widespread" in most of the US. (Go here to see their current map.) This has had me feeling a little concerned, because by all accounts, this year’s influenza is a nasty one. They say it's especially bad for the old. My newspaper announced recently that we’ve had 20 flu deaths in our little state, all but two over 65 and all over 50 and with “underlying conditions.” Well, said "underlying conditions" are the stuff many of us retirees have.

So, I did NOT get a flu shot this year, as usual. But even if I had, as we have been endlessly advised to do, well... too bad. This year’s flu shot didn’t provide any immunity whatsoever to this particular flu.

Instead, I've been trying to follow some of the good old-fashioned common sense stuff that we've all known about forever. So far they've been working and I haven't had the flu in years now.

• I keep track of the risk in my area. The sickweather.com website (there are also phone apps), is shown above in local and national screenshots. It tells me what’s going around in my vicinity as well as elsewhere. I checked this morning and found that the three biggies in my area are “common cold, cough, and flu.” I also checked the national Sickweather.com and CDC maps (see above) for more widespresd information. When influenza is widespread, especially in my local area, I make it a habit to avoid unnecessary exposure: large gatherings, public transport, trips to the mall, groups of children. This doesn’t mean I’m going to isolate myself at home, but I may walk rather than take the bus when feasible, make sure the grandkids are healthy before I agree to babysit, and order online rather than make a trip out to the big shopping center. When I have to ride the bus, I try to make my trips at times when I know there will be fewer riders.
• I avoid getting chilled. This is hard to do here, in the winter when it's so cold. But I've read that getting chilled really can lower your immunity, temporarily anyway. I guess there is some fact behind the old expressions about "catching a cold" or "catching a chill." I have to take my dog out early and late, when it's coldest, and I also walk to do many errands. I can't avoid the cold, but I can avoid getting chilled. I wear long underwear when it's extra-cold, wear a warm jacket with a super-warm hood, and use a thick wooly scarf and warm gloves. I make sure to pull the scarf up over my nose and lower face if they starts feeling icy. I also have ear warmers, but haven't had to use them yet this year.  
• I don't overheat my home. Cold air doesn't hold as much moisture as warm. But if you take cold, dry air and heat it, the relative humidity gets even lower. The more you heat it, the lower the relative humidity, and the more the linings of your nasal passages dry out. And dry mucus inings in your nose and throat make you more vulnerable to viruses. I have been keeping my thermostat at 60 degrees during the day. I know people who keep theirs even lower, but that is a temperature that keeps me comfortable with a sweater on. It also saves a lot of money. I am always amazed when people tell me about keeping their homes at 72 degrees. My heating bill would be sky high! 
• I eat well and take my vitamins, especially D3. I make sure I’m getting 1,000 units of D3 every day. I’ve found over the course of almost a decade that D3 really does make a difference in how well my immune system functions. When I don’t take it regularly, I tend to get sick and my allergies flare up. Also, this is not the time to start a new diet. I have found that whenever I make a big change of any kind to my diet, I am more likely to get sick. So I try to eat adequately and healthfully, and neither overindulge nor cut back. Hot soups and beverages are probably a good idea in cold weather. Staying well-hydrated is a benefit in both warding off disease and recovery, from what I’ve read. 
• I wash my hands often when I’m out and about, and keep them away from my face. Viruses can be spread through the air when people cough or sneeze. But they can be spread even further when people cough, sneeze, or touch surfaces such as doorknobs, papers, tabletops, etc. You pick up the bugs when you wipe your eyes, touch your nose, or use your fingers to put something in your mouth. So I make a conscious effort to get out of the habit of doing those things. It's hard! And I try to always wash my hands before eating. 
• I get enough rest. Flu season isn’t the time for me to be burning the candle at both ends, if I can help it. Now that I’m retired, I find myself taking short naps sometimes, usually in the afternoon, after lunch, when I lie down to read a book. I’ve noticed over the years that occasionally I’ll get extra-tired for a few days, and I’ll want to take naps or go to bed early. It usually lasts for 3-4 days. Often my sleep needs return to normal, but maybe a third of the time I’ll get sick instead. Maybe just a mild sinus infection, sometimes a cold. But I’ve concluded that, at least for me, needing a little more sleep than usual may be part of my body’s way of fighting off infection. So now that I’m retired, I just go with it. 

There's no way to reduce your chances of getting sick to zero. And the social isolation that would require would not be worth it anyway. But I know that as I get older, the chance of having a serious problem as the result of influenza does increase. So I think it makes sense to take some precautions. So for me, this winter, so far so good. (Knock, knock.)