Save your sick days and avoid the COMMON COLD

WASHING HANDS is a simple and effective way to prevent the spread of germs. Staying healthy with daily physical activity and eating right is a great start to keeping healthy during these peak times of 'germ warfare.' But what do you do when you are already infected? Here are some common remedies that help ease the symptoms of the common cold.

There is no 'cure' for the common cold. Every September, December-January and April clinics see a spike in visits. Many patients come in seeking Antibiotics because that is what they took as children and they remember it working. With the increase in workloads and a decrease in PTO sick days and holidays the general population 'CAN"T AFFORD TO GET SICK.'

As fragile humans we can't afford to keep taking antibiotics that have no effect on viruses. The common cold is a virus, the FLU is a virus. Taking antibiotics helps to kill bacterial infections but it weakens the body by killing the good bacteria that commonly live in the intestines and helps to digest food. Taking a half dose of antibiotics is worse since it makes the bacteria stronger as they build up a resistance and immunity to the limited antibiotics we have at our disposal.

Let's not make bacteria any stronger than they already are.

The reason we see a build up of patients in clinics during those particular months is twofold. Firstly, because that time is when seasons change, the weather shifts and we don't pay close enough attention to the change because we are concerned with work and not using sick days when we are actually sick because we want them for vacation time. The second reason is simple numbers. September kids go back to school sharing germs and not WASHING HANDS. Dec-Jan vacation and flying to see family sharing all of the germs we spent the last two months building up immunity to so that we can share them with a new population. And April when the flowers come out along with outdoor activities and again opportunity to share.