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American Morning
House Call: Tips for Flu Season
Aired November 04, 2002 - 08:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We all know it's coming, well on its way, as the temperatures start to drop, the chance of catching the cold or flu rises. Is it inevitable, or can we protect ourselves? That's the focus of an article in this week's "Time" magazine by our own medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. It says you have to do more than just wash your hands.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Can I tell you something, I washed my hands, I've been popping vitamin C for two months. I've been drinking a lot of water. I took my flu shot.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You guys get no break. You're getting up at what hour? 2:00 in the morning, you're going to bed late, living like rock stars, and you're surprised that you get sick?
HEMMER: How many rock stars do you know that get up at 4:00 in the morning?
GUPTA: They never go to bed.
HEMMER: That's true.
GUPTA: But the truth is I get sick. I do all the, I think the right things. I get my flu shot. I take my Tamiflu, if necessary, all that sort of stuff, but I still get sick, at least one nasty illness every year. So I decided to try and make it a no-hitter this year with some tips, and This is what I came up with.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): The average adult gets one to three respiratory illnesses, flus, colds and the like, each year. And children, even more.
While nothing beats getting your annual flu shot, what are some other ways to stay healthy this winter? We asked Dr. Paul Lyons, father and a family physician, for some tips.
DR. PAUL LYONS, TEMPLE UNIV. SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Probably the single most important thing you can do in the wintertime and all year long is hand washing that is one of the most common ways of spreading germs from one individual to another, skin-to-skin contact.
GUPTA: Good holiday eating around the corner. But as for good nutrition.
LYONS: Citrus fruits are high in vitamin C, which is probably of some significance in the wintertime.
GUPTA: While there are mixed studies on the effectiveness of ecenezia (ph) and zinc lozenges, Dr. Lyons say they do work for some people.
As for breathing easy? Winter indoor heating can dry out your sinuses, making you susceptible to viruses.
LYONS: You can buy commercial humidifiers, which can be helpful, as I long as you're careful about changing the water regularly, or as a low-tech alternative to humidifiers, it's possible to place open bowls of water over radiators.
GUPTA: Uncooperative weather is no excuse for staying indoors. And exercise has proven to help more than just your immune system.
LYONS: I think with the holidays coming up, it's easy for people to potentially eat more than they would during other times of the year. And exercise is an excellent way to help burn off some of the extra calories you may have taken in with Thanksgiving dinner.
GUPTA: And if you're feeling under the weather, you should skip the gym if you have a fever or chest cold. Otherwise, keep it up.
And don't forget to dress your kids appropriately in the winter. While being cold won't cause them to get sick, it can cause frostbite and other skin discomfort.
LYONS: Babies in particular are not capable of regulating their own body temperature as effectively as older children.
GUPTA: Wintertime work may call for a little extra work, but that effort may leave you smiling instead of sniffling.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 4, 2002 - 08:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We all know it's coming, well on its way, as the temperatures start to drop, the chance of catching the cold or flu rises. Is it inevitable, or can we protect ourselves? That's the focus of an article in this week's "Time" magazine by our own medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. It says you have to do more than just wash your hands.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Can I tell you something, I washed my hands, I've been popping vitamin C for two months. I've been drinking a lot of water. I took my flu shot.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You guys get no break. You're getting up at what hour? 2:00 in the morning, you're going to bed late, living like rock stars, and you're surprised that you get sick?
HEMMER: How many rock stars do you know that get up at 4:00 in the morning?
GUPTA: They never go to bed.
HEMMER: That's true.
GUPTA: But the truth is I get sick. I do all the, I think the right things. I get my flu shot. I take my Tamiflu, if necessary, all that sort of stuff, but I still get sick, at least one nasty illness every year. So I decided to try and make it a no-hitter this year with some tips, and This is what I came up with.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): The average adult gets one to three respiratory illnesses, flus, colds and the like, each year. And children, even more.
While nothing beats getting your annual flu shot, what are some other ways to stay healthy this winter? We asked Dr. Paul Lyons, father and a family physician, for some tips.
DR. PAUL LYONS, TEMPLE UNIV. SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Probably the single most important thing you can do in the wintertime and all year long is hand washing that is one of the most common ways of spreading germs from one individual to another, skin-to-skin contact.
GUPTA: Good holiday eating around the corner. But as for good nutrition.
LYONS: Citrus fruits are high in vitamin C, which is probably of some significance in the wintertime.
GUPTA: While there are mixed studies on the effectiveness of ecenezia (ph) and zinc lozenges, Dr. Lyons say they do work for some people.
As for breathing easy? Winter indoor heating can dry out your sinuses, making you susceptible to viruses.
LYONS: You can buy commercial humidifiers, which can be helpful, as I long as you're careful about changing the water regularly, or as a low-tech alternative to humidifiers, it's possible to place open bowls of water over radiators.
GUPTA: Uncooperative weather is no excuse for staying indoors. And exercise has proven to help more than just your immune system.
LYONS: I think with the holidays coming up, it's easy for people to potentially eat more than they would during other times of the year. And exercise is an excellent way to help burn off some of the extra calories you may have taken in with Thanksgiving dinner.
GUPTA: And if you're feeling under the weather, you should skip the gym if you have a fever or chest cold. Otherwise, keep it up.
And don't forget to dress your kids appropriately in the winter. While being cold won't cause them to get sick, it can cause frostbite and other skin discomfort.
LYONS: Babies in particular are not capable of regulating their own body temperature as effectively as older children.
GUPTA: Wintertime work may call for a little extra work, but that effort may leave you smiling instead of sniffling.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
