3 Simple Ways to Prepare for Flu Season

Fall is almost here and depending where you live, the weather may be cool and pumkin spice everything is everywhere you look.  The only downside to this is that it’s also flu season and no amount of beautiful fall leaves is going to change that.  The good thing is there are ways you can prepare and they don’t take a lot of time.  That means you’ll have plenty of time to get ready for Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Flu Shot Time

Getting a flu shot is one of the smartest ways to prepare for flu season.  You can either get this vaccine as a shot or a nasal spray.  You’ll be covered for 3 to 4 flu strains and you only need to get this shot once for the whole year.  The earlier you get this shot the better, so make an appointment at your nearest walk in clinic or urgent care facility as soon as you can.  The reason you want to make an appointment is so you don’t get stuck in a long line.  After all, who wants to wait around for a flu shot all day? Just call your doctor and tell them you want to come in during the slowest part of the day.  You can also make your wait more pleasant by bringing a book or a magazine.  This will make the time go by faster and you won’t have to watch day time television which us usually whats playing at most waiting rooms across the country.

Keep Your Hands Squeaky Clean

Clean hands are a must during flu season, because you use your hands for practically everything you do.  You really don’t want to spread around germs during this time of the year, so just wash your hands as often as you can.  Hot water, soap, and 20 seconds is what it’s going to take.  Just hum a the first part of your favorite song until 20 seconds pass. By the way the alphabet song twice will take 20 seconds, so use that as a comparison when picking a song. You can also use hand sanitizer if you’re not at home. Just be smart and use it when you need it.

Be Careful About What You Touch

No matter how good you are at washing your hands, there are still going to people who never ever wash their hands.  That’s why you need to be careful about touching commonly used public items.  To safeguard yourself you can carry sanitizing wipes with you and use them on shopping carts, grocery baskets, bathroom door handles, and anything else you think could use a good wipe down.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is solely for educating the reader. It is not intended to be a substitute for the advice of a medical expert.