I usually have a pretty healthy immune system. When colds and the flu make their rounds I am usually either untouched or suffer less for a shorter period of time. It may be partly down to my obsession with cleanliness but there is only so much you can do to prevent infection in that way without developing full blown OCD. Besides, I take the view that a little dirt is good for you. I work outside a lot and in dusty conditions when I am inside and so get a lot of exposure. I also have two dogs which in terms of hygiene are the equivalent of licking the sole of your shoe a couple of times a year. I also take zinc capsules as a supplement which has been shown to improve the strength of your immune system (a link to several studies can be found here:
Forget Echinacea, the evidence for that particular herbal remedy is ropey at best. I could go on forever about herbal remedies/supplements, but I should probably get back on topic.
Every year in Britain several strains of flu and colds make their rounds, sweeping through the population and bringing misery to thousands of people. There is no way to avoid them all and to try would do far more harm than good. As if that wasn’t enough at least one strain of the Norovirus (or ‘winter vomiting bug’ as it is poetically nicknamed) stalks the land. As I said at the start, I usually avoid the worst and even when I get ill it is usually pretty quick. Since New Year though, I haven’t been so lucky. First I had a pretty painful and aggressive cold which managed to get into my ears and give me an ear infection. My siblings all had the same but mine seemed to go much quicker. However, it must have weakened my immune system sufficiently for the Norovirus to sneak into my system when I usually avoid it.
Info from the NHS here: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/norovirus/Pages/Introduction.aspx.
I really hate being sick. Nobody likes it but I almost have a phobia of it. I couldn’t even watch someone being sick on TV until a few years ago. All of this made the fact that I have a really sensitive stomach and can (but not want to) be sick at the drop of a hat even more unpleasant. Normally when you are ill, being sick makes you feel a little better. Well, not with this strain of Norovirus; not even an empty stomach could save me. That on top of the fever and diarrhoea meant that I was pretty miserable for four days and it has taken me over a week to start felling even remotely ‘normal’. I even had to miss two days off work, which I rarely do.
I really can’t stand people who spread sickness and disease through negligence. People sneezing without covering their nose or not washing hands after going to the loo are two of my biggest pet hates (leaving dirty hankies everywhere including the kitchen table also drives me mad). All of this in turn irritates my mother and sister, both of whom are really terrible for this sort of thing. If either of them is ill you can be sure as mustard that every other member of the family will catch it. I can see why they would be mad at me for making a fuss about them infecting everyone, but to suggest that it is inconsiderate on my part is taking it a little far. Sure they are ill, but then surely they should stay in bed and not sit in the kitchen all day spreading germs. That to me is more inconsiderate. When I am ill and contagious I stay in my room and wash my hands at every opportunity so that I won’t spread it to others; I would be mortified if I was responsible for infecting another person. Is it so wrong if I expect others to treat me with the same consideration as I treat them? I am proud to say that I did not infect any other member of the family with the Norovirus despite it being highly contagious. That fact at least made me feel a bit better.
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