Fighting the Flu Without the Help of a Vaccine Shot

You’re between the ages of 2 and 65, and you’re not chronically ill or working in a medical field.

In other words, you’re not getting an influenza shot this year.

You could try signing up for a clinical trial: The Missouri- based GenoMed has an application at http://www.genomed.com for healthy people willing to try blood-pressure medication as a flu inhibitor.

But such experiments are few and far between, and not entirely without risk. Instead, health officials — those practicing Western and Eastern medicine alike — simply advise the public to follow their stan-

dard methods for staving off any airborne disease.

“Our recommendation at this point is just good nutrition, drinking lots of water and getting plenty of rest,” said Beverly Thames, Health Services Agency spokeswoman for San Mateo County.

“We’ve got the best defense system in our own immune system,” agreed Andreas Sijbrant, a naturopathic doctor at the Holistic Health Center in San Mateo and Menlo Park.

Of course, your immune system could always use a little extra help.

Keep it clean

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with state and local health agencies, released a laundry list of ways to avoid catching the influenza virus, which can survive for hours in respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

“If you do shake hands, wash your hands before touching your eyes, nose or mouth, or eating,” Thames said. “If you’re going someplace where there are a lot of people coughing, like waiting rooms or schools, you can get a mask at your drug store.”

Now would be an especially good time to quit smoking, nail- biting and nose-picking — anything that could make you more susceptible to infections, said Sam Stebbins, San Mateo County deputy health officer.

“If you keep your fingers away from your face, that makes a huge difference,” he said.

At work, keep an alcohol-based sanitizer and a box of tissues at your desk, and avoid sharing keyboards and even telephone receivers with co-workers.

At social gatherings, where people shake hands, share glasses and eat finger foods, the risk is especially high.

“I have small kids, and I’ve been to a number of parties where they put out a bowl of chips,” Stebbins said. “I’m kind of horrified; I can’t imagine a more effective vector for spreading disease. It’s such a bad idea.”

Pills, powders and pins

For those seeking a more active approach to boosting the immune system, alternative-medicine practitioners recommend switching to an organic diet seasoned with vitamins and herbal supplements, punctuated by acupuncture treatments.

“It’s good to lay on the table and let the needles do the work,” Sijbrant said as he slid the inch-long, hair-thin needles into a patient’s wrists and ankles.

The Holistic Health Center already has treated several patients who feared they were coming down with or had already contracted the flu, Sijbrant said. Acupuncture treatments range from $80 to $140; supplements range from $6 to $30.

Depending on their age and general health, naturopathic patients go home with a bottle of vitamin C, B vitamins, echinacea, goldenseal or Chinese herbal powders. They also are advised to consult their medical doctors, particularly if they have chronic health problems.

Basic supplements can be found at any large pharmacy, along with over-the-counter prevention medications such as Zicam, a zinc-based nasal gel.

Medical doctors say there is conflicting data on the helpfulness of alternative treatments — particularly echinacea — but they generally do more good than harm.

“People can consider them,” Stebbins said. “There’s always the placebo-effect advantage.”

Be prepared

Ultimately, there is no way to guarantee you won’t get the flu — even the vaccine isn’t 100 percent effective, after all.

You can significantly shorten the length of your infection, however, by allowing yourself to get plenty of rest if you do get the flu. This means stocking up on things like medicine, chicken soup, restaurant delivery menus and even work material now — before you show symptoms.

At that point, unless the sick person is a young child, a senior or has pre-existing medical problems, they should just stay in bed with a box of tissues and plenty of fluids. That way, they can speed up their own recovery while keeping the virus from spreading further.

“You’re contagious for up to a week after you start showing symptoms,” Stebbins said. “Stay at home. Don’t go to work and infect co-workers.”