How to reduce your risk of getting Swine Flu

In the news this morning is the first reported death from Swine Flu in the USA, a 23-month-old infant in Texas.


The worst case scenario for a Swine Flu epidemic looks grim, according to government sources. Two million dead. Hospitals overwhelmed. Schools closed.

The government estimates that a pandemic like the 1918 Spanish flu would sicken 90 million Americans, or about 30 percent of the population. Of those, nearly 10 million would have to be admitted to a hospital, and nearly 1.5 million would need intensive care. About 750,000 would need the help of mechanical ventilators to keep breathing.

One doctor believes that there are simple and easy ways we can all reduce our susceptibility to infection.

“Most flus enter our body through our noses, and the organ in our nose that is critical to fighting infection is the nasal cilia,” said sinus infection expert Dr. Murray Grossan, author of Free Yourself from Sinus and Allergy Problems – Permanently from Hydro Med, Inc. (www.drgrossan.com). “If you take care of your cilia, and take steps to enhance their ability to ward off infection, you can increase your immune response and reduce your susceptibility to Swine Flu.”

With Swine Flu overtaking foreign countries and also making its presence known in the United States, people feel helpless because there is no vaccine and limited preventative measures they can take to prevent against infection.

But Dr. Grossan, an expert in the causes and prevention of sinus infections, believes that the same methods he advises his patients to prevent sinus infection and the cold can also be useful in helping to prevent Swine Flu.

“The key to preventing sinus infections, and repeated sinus infections, is healthy nasal cilia,” Dr. Grossan said. “They are our first line of defense, and too many OTC products may be harmful. My method is to enhance cilia health so that the organ can do the job it was intended to do – keep us healthy.”

Tea is one main weapon in the arsenal to fight infection, he said.

“Tea can boost the body’s defense fivefold,” Dr. Grossan said. “Dr. Jack Bukowski of Harvard reported that five cups of tea per day increased the body’s defenses against disease. The chemical in tea, L-theanine, transforms into ethylamine in the liver. Ethylamine is a molecule that primes the response of an immune blood cell, one of the T cells. These T cells, called gamma delta T cells, prompt the secretion of interferon, a key defense against infection. Tea is also high in antioxidants and actually stimulates cilia action.”

Chicken soup is also not a cliché in this case, he said. It contains properties that are critical to cilia health, and can actually help keep them strong.

There are also a number of over the counter products that can be used to protect the cilia topically, and these remedies are usually employed by travelers on airplanes.

“These gels coat the cilia, and prevent bacteria from penetrating to the nasal tissue, thereby helping to prevent infection,” he added.

Relaxation is also important, as is a good night’s sleep, according to Dr. Grossan.

“When you’re stressed out and exhausted, your immune response is significantly hampered, and you are more susceptible to infection,” he said. “Learning to relax and relieve your stress is an important tool in the fight against disease, and a general aid to good health.”

Anyone who is looking to get a Swine Flu Vaccine should be aware that the only drugs currently available that can save your life if you should be infected by the H5N1, H1N1, H3N2, and H1N2 virus are Tamiflu and Relenza, which are sold online -- at least until the supplies run out, which they could do during a pandemic.