Prevent the Flu: Boost Your Immune System

What is Flu?

Flu is a communicable respiratory illness caused by the virus. It affects the nose, throat, and lungs. For most people, it resolves on its own but sometimes it can lead to death.

Symptoms of Flu

Flu is different from cold as it usually comes on suddenly.

Common symptoms of flu are:

·         Fever over 100.4 F

·         Headache

·         Cough

·         Sore Throat

·         Muscles and body ache

·         Vomiting

·         Running Nose

Causes of Flu

Flu virus travels through the air in the droplets when someone with the infection coughs, sneezes, or talks. It can be inhaled directly or germs can be picked up from any objects like telephone, keyboard etc.

Risk factors

Following are the factors which may increase the risk of influenza or its complications:

·         Age. Children below the age of 12 months and adults above 65 years are more prone to infections.

• Living or working conditions. People who live or work in crowded areas are more likely to develop influenza.
• Weakened immune system. If you have a weakened immune system then you are at the risk of flu complications as your immune system cannot fight against infections such as pneumonia.
• Chronic illnesses. If you are suffering from any chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, neurological or neurodevelopmental disease, an airway abnormality, and kidney, liver or blood disease, then you are at the risk of flu complications.

         How the immune system fights Flu?

      When the flu virus enters the body the immune system starts to fight. The Immune system is of two types: the innate system and the adaptive system.

As soon as body sense infections, the innate system produces proteins called cytokines and chemokines. Cytokines works immediately and starts attacking virus and chemokines works with the adaptive system to produce T cells. These are special types of WBC that works in a specific way. They find the flu virus and create unique molecules on their surface that find and destroy similar viruses.

What is the treatment of Flu?

Treatment of Flu includes home remedies like taking rest, avoiding physical exertion. Medical treatment for the flu can be antiviral drugs.

How flu can be prevented?

By maintaining personal hygiene you can avoid flu to some extent but the best means to prevent the flu is to boost your immunity, so , to increase the immunity studies have shown that the Cow colostrum is an effective and practical solution to it.