As highlighted in our recent article Swine Flu and Life Insurance, the Canadian life insurance industry is continuing to monitor how the H1N1 Virus is influencing mortality risk. Most companies have added underwriting guidelines for dealing with the global epidemic and these are discussed in our previous article.
But how can you reduce your risk for catching the virus, so that Swine Flu never becomes part of your profile for the life insurance company considering your application? Dr. Oz has the answer.
The following are his tips for taking the fight to the H1N1 epidemic:
Wash your hands frequently.
Make sure you resist all temptation to touch your face, except when you’re bathing and eating.
Gargle twice a day with warm salt water. H1N1 takes 2-3 days after the initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms, basic gargling prevents proliferation.
Clean your nostrils at least once a day with warm salt water. Not everybody has a Neti Pot, but blowing your nose softly once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton balls dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down a viral population.
Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in vitamin C like citrus fruits. If you have to supplement with vitamin C tablets, make sure that they also have zinc to boost absorption.
Drink warm liquids like tea or coffee frequently. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling but in the reverse direction. The liquids wash off proliferating viruses from the throat and bring them into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate, or do any harm.
