Check out other cold & flu options.

We wash our hands till they are raw and stock up on our vitamins. But what else can we do to stay well this winter?

The baby, his sitter and I came down with colds last week. Now that it's chilly outside (at least in Jersey!), the sick season is in full swing. I have a feeling there are more colds to come.

I found this article from Redbookmag.com, and I'm definitely trying their 5 Ways to Stay Well:

  1. Get a massage. Massage lowers your levels of cortisol, the hormone responsible for stress. Cortisol wreaks havoc on your immune system. Book a spa, or better yet, ask your SO for a free 20-minute rub down.
  2. Take Vitamins C and E. I'd heard that Vitamin C helps, of course. But I had no idea that adding Vitamin E to it makes white blood cells more efficient at fighting off infection according to a doctor at The Cough Center in California.
  3. Laugh. Laughter may lower cortisol levels and release endorphins, the feel-good chemicals that jump start immune cells. This is the perfect excuse to watch Superbad. Again.
  4. Dance. Moderate forms of exercise boost the immune system. Dancing engages your mind and your body, which is even better for raising your endorphin levels.
  5. Get busy. People who had sex once or twice a week had 30 percent higher levels of antibody immunoglobulin A (IgA) than those who had sex less often, according to one study. IgA helps destroy viruses that enter the body. Sex also releases mood-boosting chemicals called opioid peptides, which rouse the immune system. No time to get busy? Snuggles also have flu-fighting benefits.

Poor Hoosiermom1977. She wrote in her journal last week that she woke up a cold, but it turned out to be the flu. Hang in there if you have a cold. The rest of us raise our tissues to you.

What do you do to ward off winter season cold and flu?