It’s Flu Season. Learn How You Can Be Proactive

1. It’s Flu Season. Learn How You Can Be Proactive What is Flu? The flu is a contagious illness caused by influenza viruses. These viruses can infect the nose, throat and sometimes the lungs - the organs responsible for providing us with oxygen and removing waste gases, like carbon dioxide. It is important to understand that respiratory illnesses, like the flu, affect our ability to get oxygen into our bodies.

2. How Flu Spreads Most healthcare professionals believe that flu viruses spread mainly by tiny droplets when people with the flu cough, sneeze, or talk. You can catch the flu by touching a surface or object, like a countertop or doorknob, that has a flu virus on it and then touching your nose or mouth. Adults are contagious 1-2 days before symptoms appear and up to 5-7 days after becoming sick. Symptoms of the flu include: • Muscle or body aches • Headaches • Fatigue • Vomiting and diarrhea • Fever • Cough • Sore throat • Runny or stuffy nose

3. So what do you do if you think you have the flu? Don't use antibiotics because it is a viral infection. It is recommended to stay at home and avoid contact with other people so that you do not spread the virus. But if you feel extremely ill and have a high temperature, seek immediate medical attention. There are certain groups of people that fall into the high-risk group of possibly having serious flu-related complications. These people include: • Young children • Adults 65 and older • Pregnant women • People with medical conditions, including asthma, lung disease, kidney and liver disorders, blood disorders, HIV/AIDS and heart disease. • Smokers • Obese People Some flu-related complications include: • Sinus and ear and infections • Pneumonia • Inflammation of the heart (myocarditis) • Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) • Inflammation of muscle tissues (myositis, rhabdomyolysis) • Multi-organ failure (like respiratory and kidney failure) • An extreme inflammatory response in the body that can lead to sepsis.

4. How can you be proactive about preventing the flu? An immunity-boosting diet, rich in water and other essential nutrients, like vitamins and minerals, is a very effective way to avoid the flu. Some immune-boosting nutrients include: Vitamin C Vitamin B6 • Vitamin C. • Vitamin B6. Dietary sources of vitamin B6 include chickpeas, chicken breast, squash, spinach and beef liver and other organ meats. • Zinc. Oysters are the highest source of zinc. You can also get zinc from red meat, poultry, crabs, shrimp, lobster, oatmeal, whole grains, cheeses, yogurt, beans, and nuts. • Copper. Organ meats, shellfish, nuts, seeds, wheat-bran cereals and whole grain products are good sources of copper. • And of course, make sure you have a balanced gut by ensuring you have an optimal amount of probiotics. Zinc Copper

5. Proactive Health Labs is a national public non-profit organization focused on raising awareness of the critical role nutrition plays in keeping us both physically and mentally healthy. We accomplish this in two ways. We provide credible and easy to understand health information online, so you can become an empowered consumer of healthcare. We promote the importance of nutrient screening in the fight against diseases. For example, we strive to make nutrition screening more routine and affordable. And for those who just cannot afford these tests, we aim to provide free nutrition tests annually. 1-855-745-2271 www.phlabs.com