The Flu and You

It's flu season and unfortunately, that nasty flu bug is stinging folks right here in North Georgia. In fact, a friend spent four days in Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville with the flu and pneumonia. What makes her story even more interesting is that she had the flu shot. (Like so many flu victims are reporting.)

What are we doing to stay flu-free? Wearing a garlic necklace was our first thought, but we weren't sure if garlic worked as well against germs as it does vampires. So in lieu of garlic, here is D&B's battle plan against the Flu of 2013:

1. Use lots of hands sanitizer. We keep sanitizer in the cars and carry a container for our out-of-car adventures.
2. Use Clorox Wipes. Yes, hand sanitizer works wonders but does it really kill the germs on the grocery cart or your cell phone or even that restaurant table? That's what Clorox Wipes are for.
3. Take Vitamin C. Lots of Vitamin C. If one Vitamin C tablet is good, why shouldn't 4 tablets at a time be even better?
4. Drink water. Lots of water. Not sure if this has any effect against the flu, but health experts are always saying Drink Water.
5. Forget about Hello Hugs. Now when we meet friends, we just say, "We think we're coming down with a cold." That deters anyone and everyone (even close family members) from hugging. Sometimes the old elbow shake works too.
6. Wear a mask. Now this might be a bit drastic for a trip to Walmart, but if we're going to visit anyone in a hospital, a mask would be a must-do. In fact, a number of hospitals are requiring masks or limiting visitors.
7. Use HALO. A pharmacist family member recommended HALO. Two squirts of spray just may keep the flu bug away.
8. And most importantly of all....Wash our hands. Wash our hands. Wash our hands with lots of soap and warm water, too.

Hopefully, with a few safeguards, D&B will stay flu free and not spend our oh-too-hard-earned dollars on bottles of Nyquil and Mucinex.