Nearly everyone has experienced a bout with the flu. The best way to ward off the flu is to protect yourself from becoming infected in the first place. Taking the right precautions can spare you from having to spend time in bed feeling terrible. The good news in all this is that it’s not hard to avoid this virus.

Of course, frequent hand washing is a must. Make sure your hands are clean before you eat. Keep your fingers out of your mouth, eyes, and nose, especially if you have touched railings, elevator buttons, public computers, or any other objects that others touch. Keep your distance from infected people.

Drink plenty of fluids and maintain a healthy diet. This will help keep your immune system functioning at its best. Take vitamin supplements daily. This will also help your body ward off infections. Zinc and vitamin C are especially effective in boosting the immune system. They will give your body the necessary boost to prevent viral infections.

Research suggests that elderberry extract can also help with prevention efforts. This herb has a history that goes back hundreds of years as a natural medicine. It was first used for making wine, syrups, marmalades, and other desserts. It is also a popular treatment for vision and respiratory ailments.

Scientists attending the 15th Annual Conference on Antiviral Research analyzed the ability of elderberry extract in the prevention of influenza. The results were published in The Journal of Alternative Complimentary Medicine. According to the results, this herb prevents influenza infections by preventing the virus from connecting to host cells.

Eat fresh fruits and vegetables but first thoroughly wash them. However, avoid eating fruits and vegetables at restaurants during flu season.

You can also take steps to physically protect yourself from infection. You can protect your body from exposure by wearing goggles, disposable gloves, or surgical masks. These items were previously used to prevent in schools and other places where there are large numbers of people, to prevent outbreaks of the H1N1 virus.

The flu is spread through contact with an infected person through air particles and contaminated surfaces. If you are going to be in a place where there are a lot of people such as at work, you can avoid getting infected by disinfecting your work area regularly. This can be done through the use of disinfectants and detergents.

When viruses from common ailments such as the cold or the flu start causing asthma symptoms that is then called viral induced asthma. According to research there are two ways that viruses can set up the whole stage for triggering asthma attacks. There are actually two categories which can be considered when looking at viral induced asthma.

The first type affects people who literally have had no experience or history of asthma but begins to develop symptoms such as coughing and wheezing which begins after a viral illness like a cold or flu for example. The second type or viral-induced asthma has been known to affect children and adults who already have persistent asthma thereby worsening the already present symptoms associated with the condition. Survey shows that about 40% of asthma attacks in adults are caused by viral illness.

Several viruses can be blamed for triggering viral induced asthma but the two most common causes would be the Rhinovirus which causes colds and Influenza A which causes the flu. Respiratory Syncytial Virus or RSV is a virus that causes respiratory has also been found to cause respiratory infections in adults as well as children and infants. While RSV can pose great risks to adults it has been found to have a more significant impact on infants as getting this type of respiratory infection at a younger age would be likely to cause asthma and the symptoms associated with it until the age of 6.

There also seems to be a correlation between the severity of the respiratory infections, allergies in the child or parent, and the chance of having airway sensitivity that is very similar to asthma. The main reason as to why viruses cause asthma it seems lie within our own body’s defence mechanism. Under normal circumstances, when faced with a viral infection, our body triggers and inflammatory response to attack the virus and defend our body. During this phase, our body has increased sensitivity or airway cells, excessive mucus production and can cause swelling.

The problem starts when the virus starts to progress to the lower airway directly because our body start defending it from there causing asthma symptoms to occur or worsen in return. Inflammation can make it difficult for air to pass in and out freely, mucus can also add to the problem by blocking the already inflamed passages.

As of the moment there is no effective means being offered which can directly deal with the condition. The best advice that can be given would be prevention by getting flu shots yearly. Along with practice of proper hygiene and limited contact with those who have flu or colds can help.