Coffee, Sex, and Other Weird Ways to Stay Healthy

Date Posted : 31 08 2011 | Posted by : webadmin

Coffee and Kissing are amongst Megan’s potpourri of preventions and cures.

So you know all about your daily dose of Vitamin C and your five parts veggie and two parts fruit. You also know all about antioxidants, but what else can you do to keep that tickle from creeping up the back of your throat or waking up with a chill shivering along your spine? Here are some of the weirder, but still efficient ways to keep those bugs at bay:

1. Kiss (and while you’re at it, do more)!
Yes, kissing can help you fight off colds and flu! It helps stimulate saliva which washes down whatever virus and bacteria might be lingering in the mouth. The acids in the stomach makes sure that these nasties don’t survive. By exchanging bacteria back and forth, you are actually enhancing your body’s natural defenses and boosting your immune system. But that’s not to say you should go out and give a big smooch to any sicky around you…

Up the ante and have sex! Performed once a week, sex has been shown to increase immunoglobulin A (IgA) production, an immune-boosting protein that helps keep pathogens at bay.

2. Listen to Music.
Research has shown that those same sex-boosted IgA proteins also increase when listening to soft music like jazz, bluegrass or soft rock for 30 minutes. It works particularly well in times of stress. Even after the beat is turned off, the IgA production goes on for another 30 minutes. That’s why most beauty salons and day spas have relaxation music. It adds to the overall well-being.

3. Walk Really Fast, But Don’t Run!
A brisk 45 minute walk at least four times a week can improve your immune system and minimise sick days. But don’t run! Overexerting yourself can do you in and send you straight to bed. And don’t do the week’s quota all in one day either. Pace it out.

4. Don’t Blow Your Nose.
When you’re sick your nose tends to get stuffed up. Instead of giving in to temptation to give a hearty blow, take a decongestant or gently blow each nostril individually. Why? Blowing hard can actually push the mucus up into your sinuses, increasing the risk of getting even more sick.

5. Get Hot!
Studies show that, similar to drinking lots of water when you’re sick, sitting in a hot sauna can detox a cold right out of your system.

6. Avoid the Desert (or any hot and dry climate).
Dry desert air is the breeding ground for colds and flu. The same actually goes for air conditioning as well. The reason? Viruses tend to survive longer in moisture-sapped air, increasing the chances of catching airborne illnesses such as colds and cough. Have someone sick in your house? Get a humidifier.

7. Drink Coffee! Or Tea!
Viruses, in particular that gross Swine that’s going around, take about three days to incubate before there are any signs that you’ve come down with the dreaded flu. Drinking hot liquids, including coffee can help wash the virus out of your mouth and down into your stomach where it can’t grow. Not a coffee drinker? Any other hot liquid will do. Try chicken soup, tea, or just hot water. Gargling with very salty warm water can stop a virus in its tracks. And just in case the flu virus is hiding in your nose, doing a nasal flush or even just swabbing your nostrils with rubbing alcohol can kill the virus before it takes you down.

8. The Yin and Yang of Food.
According to holistic healing practices, one of the best ways to stay healthy is to eat foods according to season. Think about balance! If the season is hot, eat cool foods like fruits and leafy vegetables. If the weather is cold, eat warm foods like roots, meats, late fall fruits, nuts and soups. Believe it or not, this simple change in your diet can make you healthier.