Winter is upon us and we in the Midwest will be spending a lot of time breathing dry air in our heated homes and apartments and traveling to and from work on crowded trains or buses and hanging out with groups of friends at bars and holiday parties. All of this adds up to what we call, Cold & Flu Season. But I have a few tried-and-true combatants to all of the above that I’d like to share with you. They have worked for me for years, and each of them was originally recommended to me by my doctor, Dr. Michael Close. (He’s the best! And his office is at 5137 N. Broadway in Uptown.)
THERABREATH ORAL RINSE
One of the worst things that we can let happen in winter is to let our throats get dry. A dry throat cannot fight off airborne germs and bacteria as well as a moist throat. One fallacy to helping a throat stay moist is to use an alcohol mouthwash or rinse laden with alcohol or drying agents. While these types of products kill germs, they may leave the throat dry and exposed to more attacks to germs, viruses, and bacteria than before use. BUT there’s Therabreath rinse. It doesn’t tingle or burn or irritate. This is a good thing. It also kills germ and allows your body to do what it does best, eliminate germs, while staying moist. I use this rinse after brushing my teeth and before bedtime—always—all year round. I endorse this product and, for those of us who still have tonsils which may be prone to strep, it is a must-have.
HUMIDIFIER
Another good thing to do is to have a humidifier if your heating system in your home does not contain one. I use the one in the picture and I got mine at Wallgreens. It’s a warm-air humidifier and I fill up the container full of tap water every night and let the warm moisture filter into my bedroom as I sleep. If I do not do this humidifier every night, I wake up with chapped lips, a dry throat and, possibly, a bloody nose. Your nose should not be dry either! If you have allergies, you might want to invest in a cool-air humidifier. They work as well as the warm-air humidifiers, but if you have allergies to mold, this is the one to use.
NETTI POT
If you do have allergies, you already know about the Netti Pot. It will rinse out the irritating molds and pollens that you’ve breathed in and it helps cleanse the nasal membranes so you can breathe again. But I use it as needed whenever I suspect I’ve been around a lot of people who’ve been exposed to colds or flues. It’s my preventative treatment, as well as my go-to system when I have congestion or cold symptoms of any kind.
jon-david is a Chicago eBook author of http://mychicagosalon.comJoseph Michael’s Salon & Spa so he’s used to telling people what to do.
