I’ve just got over a bad case of the flu which left me bed ridden and unable to work for four days. This has made me consider my health record while living in Taiwan. It’s appaling!
I regularly get a cold every two months, which often takes a week or more to get rid of. Usually, the sore throat that comes with it lasts a lot longer. In England, I only ever got sick twice a year, the usual summer and winter colds. Is there anything I can do to prevent me getting sick?
I am a keen swimmer, my girlfriend suspects that I catch colds from the pool or from school. Living here, we all have a lot more contact with people than abroad. The use of air conditioners doesn’t help either, If someone is sick, the A/C sucks their germs up and just throws them staight back at you!
I eat well and get plenty of rest. One of the reasons could be that I drink a couple of cups of strong (real) coffee everyday. I know this kills vitamin C and other trace elements, but I think I eat enough fruit to combat this. I am very pedantic about washing my hands after class and before food! Other than drinking coffee, I can’t think of anything that I do which degrades my health.
So, do you have any tips or advice to help me combat the frequent colds? Apart from being uncomfortable, I hate the inconnvenience of taking (unpaid) time of work and taking prescription drugs. The doctor always prescribes anti-biotics. I believe they don’t work on common colds?
My girlfriend has suggested stopping swimming and riding my motorbike to school, in an atempt to limit contact with other people. However, these seem a little drastic.
Hi, I hope you are feeling better! I used to have the same problem at university. I get sick then I get better for a few days and get sick again (and continue this for another 3 times). It was a private joke among my friends that if they ever needed drugs (cold medicine to be precise) I was the person to go to. I had a whole drawer of them. It wasn’t until I was in Taiwan for the summer and my parents took me to an accupuncturist and she used those suction cups, which hurt like hell but it seemed to help. I didn’t have any problems with colds afterward. If this is not your cup of tea, then here are some other techniques that I found on the Internet.
How to avoid getting the flu: 7 things that really work
Get enough sleep. Your immune system functions much better when you get enough sleep. Most people really need about 8 hours per night for optimal health. If you’re body is fatigued, it simply won’t be able to fight off the flu virus (or any other infection) very well.
Exercise regularly. Exercise helps keep your immune system strong. In fact, a recent study showed that mice who performed mild exercise as soon as they were exposed to the flu virus had much lower death rates. Read about the study here.
Avoid sugar. Even small amounts of sugar can significantly impair your immune function, making you more susceptible to a flu infection. A large amount of sugar, such as the amount found in a normal can of soda, hurts your immune function for hours.
Drink lots of pure water. Keeping your mucous membranes well-hydrated is a key to helping them fight off viruses. Shoot for about eight 8-ounce glasses per day.
Reduce stress. Too much stress has a highly negative impact on your overall health and, over time, it will make you much more susceptible to a flu infection. Studies show that prolonged stress is at least partially responsible for 90% of all illness and disease. Regular exercise and sufficient sleep both help reduce stress levels. Also, meditation is a proven stress-buster that is easy, enjoyable and can be used on a daily basis.
Wash your hands often. Also, carry a bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer with you and use it frequently, especially after you touch anything that others have touched recently (like doorknobs).
Eat immune-boosting foods on a daily basis. A healthy diet, including a few proven immune-boosting foods, is one of the best ways to avoid catching the flu. The best flu-fighting foods are:
Fresh, organically grown fruits and vegetables - Brightly colored fruits and vegetables are packed with healthy phytonutrients that can strengthen your immune system, lowering your susceptibility to the flu virus.
Fresh raw or lightly-cooked garlic - Garlic has strong natural antiviral properties that can help to fight off a flu virus. Also, garlic provides a strong boost to your immune system, especially when eaten on a regular basis.
Green Tea - Like garlic, green tea has shown the ability to both kill viruses and to stimulate the immune system to fight off flu infections, especially when used daily. Try to drink 3-6 cups of strong green tea per day during the flu season.
Cayenne Pepper - Cayenne has a long list of health benefits and is believed to be a mild immune-booster. Also, cayenne contains large amounts of natural vitamin A, considered to be an important “anti-infection” nutrient.
More Tips for Avoiding the Flu
The following techniques have been shown to help minimize your exposure to the flu virus and reduce your odds of getting sick.
Keep your hands away from your face and head. The flu virus enters your body through the eyes, nose, mouth, and possibly even the ears.
Get fresh air every day. During the winter the dry heat from indoor heating systems dries out your mucous membranes and makes you more susceptible to viruses. If you can, during the day, crack open a window or two to give your body some relief.
Drink little or no alcohol during flu season. Too much alcohol impairs liver and immune function, which leaves you open to all kinds of infections. Heavy drinkers are especially susceptible to flu infections. Also, alcohol dehydrates your body which is always bad during flu season.
Don’t smoke… and avoid smoke-filled places. First and second-hand smoke significantly impairs your immune system. It also dries out your nasal passages and paralyzes cilia, the small hairs in your nose and lungs that help keep out viruses.
Take regular saunas. Many experts believe that taking a sauna several times a week can help to keep you from getting the flu. Many people, especially in Europe, takes saunas just for this reason. The air you breath in a sauna is too hot for cold and flu viruses to survive.
The last flu virus was very strong and knocked me out for days and left me with a hacking cough for 2 weeks. And I am very healthy these days having just returned from living in Canada for the past 9 months and exercising religiosly.
Anti-biotics do not work on the common cold nor the flu and should never be taken. They are very hard on your system. I almost always get a cold after taking anti-biotics.
If you are teaching kids you may have to accept the fact that you will get colds more often than back home. I knew a teacher in canada who had to quit being a kindergarten teacher as she came down with a cold almost every month.
Like you I was sick a lot the first few years in Taiwan. Now, about as often as back home. I don’t teach any more which helps but even my last few years of teaching were healthy ones. You may eventually stop getting sick so often.
By the way, a cold lasts a week so it shouldn’t surprise you that this is how long they are lasting.
What is your school like? I quit my first school because the building I worked in twice a week was toxic. I mean that literally. The air circulated from room to room so if you were caught in one room (as I was) the smell from all the magic markers built up during the day and reach extremely unhealthy levels during later classes.
It doesn’t sound to me like you have any real health problems. People with weak immune systems get nasty diseases and infections. If you told me you were having night sweats for months and constant throat or ear infections (as I did for 3 years after being severely run down by a bout of hep A) then I would worry.
I know whenever i work with the rugrats, I get more colds. Make sure you become vigilant when being around them. The gf maybe right about the swimming pool thing, remember that TW isn’t that stringent about health codes…Best of luck in staying healthy
We’ve recently moved to a new building. The colds haven’t increased or decreased with the move. Each room has it’s own, I must say inadequate, A/C supply and is aired when there are no kids around early afternoon.
ever since moving to asia I’ve been getting what I call “semi colds”. I get the sore throat, achy joints and sinus hassles, but after a day or two they don’t develop into anything and then go. :s
I’m sure I feel a slight sore throat all the time here.
[quote=“truant”]ever since moving to Asia I’ve been getting what I call “semi colds”. I get the sore throat, achy joints and sinus hassles, but after a day or two they don’t develop into anything and then go. :s
I’m sure I feel a slight sore throat all the time here.[/quote]
The first time when I went back to Taiwan I had sinus problems, itchy eyes and sore throat. You know, it sounds like you might be having allegies since it doesn’t develop into a full cold/flu! Sometimes the air quality isn’t that great. But I’m not sure about the achy joints though…
[quote=“Yui”][quote=“truant”]ever since moving to Asia I’ve been getting what I call “semi colds”. I get the sore throat, achy joints and sinus hassles, but after a day or two they don’t develop into anything and then go. :s
I’m sure I feel a slight sore throat all the time here.[/quote]
The first time when I went back to Taiwan I had sinus problems, itchy eyes and sore throat. You know, it sounds like you might be having allegies since it doesn’t develop into a full cold/flu! Sometimes the air quality isn’t that great. But I’m not sure about the achy joints though…[/quote]
I was thinking it might be allergies too as I sometimes get those mysterious systems that do not develop into anything around allergy season.
Something to consider also if you are having these problems is to move to the suburbs where the air is better. I was downtown yesterday and when I returned to Mucha around four and got off the bus it was striking how much better the air was. Not perfect but much better than downtown.
Hey, I’m interested in the air being better in Mucha than in the rest of Taipei.
My fiance and I have only been in Taipei for a month but we have both been sick with various things for a couple of weeks of that time. We’re in Jingmei, but were thinking that maybe we should move further out. Any ideas on good places to go?
In the alternative, is it better to think about moving to other cities (we were esp. thinking about Tainan, coz Chenggong University is supposed to be ok).
I’d welcome any feedback/experiences… :help:
[quote=“Yui”]
Eat immune-boosting foods on a daily basis. A healthy diet, including a few proven immune-boosting foods, is one of the best ways to avoid catching the flu. [/quote]
And one of them is echinacea, which you can get in softgel form. Just go to GNC and pick up a bottle, and take one softgel every day when the flu is going around.
[quote=“gcat”]Hey, I’m interested in the air being better in Mucha (Muzha) than in the rest of Taipei.
My fiance and I have only been in Taipei for a month but we have both been sick with various things for a couple of weeks of that time. We’re in Jingmei, but were thinking that maybe we should move further out. Any ideas on good places to go?
In the alternative, is it better to think about moving to other cities (we were esp. thinking about Tainan, coz Chenggong University is supposed to be ok).
I’d welcome any feedback/experiences… :help:[/quote]
I didn’t say Mucha alone has better air, but all the suburbs near the mountains: Neihu, Tienmu, Beitou, some say Xizhi but I don’t believe it. Also out near Guandu heading up the MRT line to Danshui. That’s a nice area and many new communities some with good facilities like pools and weight rooms.
If you really want fresh air move out to Ilan or Hualien.
[quote=“Limey”]
My girlfriend has suggested stopping swimming and riding my motorbike to school, in an atempt to limit contact with other people. However, these seem a little drastic.
[/quote]
Don’t listen to your girlfriend. I swim regularly in some of the dirtiest pools in Taiwan, and I rarely get sick. In fact, swimming is one of the things that keeps me healthy.
Furthermore, I take public transportation everywhere. Limiting contact with people out of fear of getting sick is, in itself, a sickness as far as I’m concerned.
I would shy away from ‘heated’ pools and ‘spas’ though. Yuchy.
No. I’d say that it’s a lot simpler than that. Eat a balanced diet–sometimes this takes a little effort. Exercise regularly. This takes a lot of effort.
I’ve been here for over four years and have never really been sick. I’m pretty sure that my regular exercise program has been a major contributor. Especially since I have certain habits which are a lot more harmful than drinking coffee.
Exercise and eat well–fruits and vegetables–and you’ll be okay. And don’t stop drinking coffee! It’ll kill you!
I found that echinacea (dietary supplement) works for me. “Zicam Cold Remedy” (homeopathic) works too, although I don’t know if they have this product in Taiwan.
I also take some Chinese heabal medicine (in powder form or brewed tea) that’s supposed to prevent the cold from getting worse or help relieve the cold symptoms. I’d usually get better in a couple of days after the first symptoms appear.
Working with young children tends to make you get sick more often. That will help build up your body’s immunity. Good luck!
[quote=“Yui”]
5. Take regular saunas. Many experts believe that taking a sauna several times a week can help to keep you from getting the flu. Many people, especially in Europe, takes saunas just for this reason. The air you breath in a sauna is too hot for cold and flu viruses to survive.
I hope this helps![/quote]
After the third week of a really crappy cold and out of desperation I went to our community sauna and cooked myself stupid. Got really, really hot and breathed as much hot air in through my nose as I could handle.
Then…Next day, no cold!
I don’t believe in folksy remedies but this seems to be true.
One is better off not being pregnant or suffering a heart condition of course prior to any body cooking experiment!
It seems to me that getting sick a lot in the first 1-2 years in TWN is “normal”. In my first year I got asthma (pollution and humidity) which took forever to get over (to the extent that I don’t need my medication anymore). I also had every other illness under the sun - colds, flu, bronchitis, pneumonia (after 3 months of worsening health), chicken-pox (from a student whose mom sent her to class while the scabs were still on her face) etc etc.
Oddly enough, I only got most of the seasonal illnesses (colds, slu, bronchitis) in my SECOND year. At first I thought nothing of it, but later I clicked: flu shots.
Before I left home for TWN 5 years ago, I was, like most of us, clueless as to what to expect, and my pharmacist insisted that, before I go, I “get my shots”. Which I did.
Once in TWN I neglected to do so for the following 2 years, and was sick often. The last 2 years I have had my shots, and once again, have barely been affected by what everybody else seems to be picking up.
I know many people will tell you stories like “I / My cousin / My pet parrot had the flu shot and it made it worse” etc etc. The reason for this, I think, is that if you are already coming down with something when you have the shot, it can make you feel worse. This is why they now check your temperature, ask some health Qs and give you a general check before they give you the shot (at hospitals anyway).
Of course, there are things which make illness worse or more common:
If you are a teacher of kids, like I was when I first came here, expect to be exposed even more to germs. Kids have snot and othe bodily fluids everywhere, don’t forget (there’s a nice image, isn’t it). The secret is to follow the advice given earlier, about washing hands VERY regularly, keeping your hands away from your face etc. It often requires a complete change in mindset. I was in the worst-affected part of Beijing during SARS a couple of years back, and in those conditions was forced to re-evaluate my own basic hygiene standards (which weren’t too bad to begin with). That’s perhaps what those prone to lingering coughs and sneezes should be doing. Be a little obsessive-compulsive.
Stress plays a major part in breaking down the body’s resisitance. No matter how long you have lived here, having to communicate in a language not your own, sort out problems, try and figure out the cultural differences etc all have an effect, even if we don’ realize it.
The usuals - eating right, sleeping right and exercise. If you needed seven hours sleep in your own country, you need eight here. If you needed eight at home, you probably need nine here. I find that on any less than 8 a night (on average, not possible every day of course), I begin to function less well, start to wake up with headaches and sore throats etc. Eating right is probably the hardest part here, as the foods and styles of cooking you’re used to at home are not always available, so unless you cook for yourself (which I don’t), it’s an uphill battle.
[quote=“Yui”]
5. Take regular saunas. Many experts believe that taking a sauna several times a week can help to keep you from getting the flu. Many people, especially in Europe, takes saunas just for this reason. The air you breath in a sauna is too hot for cold and flu viruses to survive.
I hope this helps![/quote]
I’m a believer in saunas, but I’ve ended up (perhaps by coincidence) having colds after visiting saunas a couple of times.
I’ve run into problems after taking ‘lukewarm’ saunas after intense aerobic exercise. Many places turn their saunas on and off throughout the day, and often when I visit saunas, they’re not as hot as they should be, certainly not hot enough to kill bacteria. Add a variety of phlegm to that enviornment and yikes.
Same goes for lukewarm pools. I still swim in heated pools when I have no choice, but I try to avoid them.
Finally, I try to either do heavy exercise or have a sauna.
I used to have the same problem at university. I get sick then I get better for a few days and get sick again (and continue this for another 3 times). It was a private joke among my friends that if they ever needed drugs (cold medicine to be precise) I was the person to go to. I had a whole drawer of them. It wasn’t until I was in Taiwan for the summer and my parents took me to an accupuncturist and she used those suction cups, which hurt like hell but it seemed to help. I didn’t have any problems with colds afterward. If this is not your cup of tea, then here are some other techniques that I found on the Internet.