Healthy Leaders
Happy Breathing!
From Dr. Vinay Goyal who is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist
and Thyroid specialist) with over 20 years of clinical experience.
Presently, he is heading Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid
clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre. The following
message given by him sure makes a lot of sense and seems like it
could be important for all of us to know, particularly if you have
young ones under your care.
The only portals of entry into the body are the
nostrils and mouth/throat. The H1N1 virus which has now spread world
wide is reaching global epidemic proportions. It is almost
impossible to not come into contact with H1N1 in spite of all your
precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not as much of a problem as
proliferation. In order to prevent proliferation while you are still
healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection (namely,
aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections)
there are some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most
official communications, that are quite effective and can be
practiced in a simple manner:
-
Frequent hand-washing (has been well
highlighted in all official communications).
-
Observe the "Keep your Hands off the
face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face
(unless you want to eat, bathe or slap someone).
-
Gargle twice a day with warm salt water
(use Listerine if you don't like salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days
after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to
proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling
prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has
the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an
infected one. So whip it while you are still healthy. Don't
underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative
method.
-
Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils
at least once every day with warm salt water. Not everybody may
be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to
clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and
swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt
water is very effective in bringing down viral population. The
are saline nasal washes for over the counter purchase.
-
Boost your natural immunity with foods
that are rich in Vitamin C (like citrus fruits). If you have to
supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has
Zinc to boost absorption.
-
Drink as much of warm liquids as you
can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but
in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses
from the throatinto the stomach where they cannot survive,
proliferate or do any harm.

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Daily Health Tip
Write a letter. I know, I know. With email at your fingertips and cell phones that make staying in touch so easy, who needs stamps anymore? Today, bring back the excitement you once felt over personal mail. When is the last time you received a letter that didn’t require a minimum payment in return? Send an unexpected ‘thank you’ note, a love letter, or words of reconciliation to someone in your life!
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Contact Healthy Leaders
Karen Treat, Parish Nurse
ktreat@luthersem.edu
Bockman Hall 114
651-641-3537
Wheat Ridge Foundation
Luther Seminary's Healthy Leaders Initiative is made
possible by a generous grant from the
Wheat Ridge
Foundation.

Take advantage of these Web resources
The Healthy Leaders Initiative
includes online tools and resources containing information
about healthy lifestyle choices, nutrition, and exercise
guidelines, to inspire students to make positive changes.
Take the time to explore the resources available on this Web
site, and check back frequently to find out what’s happening on
the Luther Seminary campus that might help you.
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