5 essential strategies to help you through Flu Season

Regularly wash hand with soap and hot water

The chemicals found in some soaps have health and environmental concerns. Look for bath, shower, and bar soap products that don’t contain Triclosan, a common antibacterial chemical that bioconcentrates in the food chain, is hazardous to marine life, and breaks down to carcinogenic dioxins and furans.

See top-rated soaps on GoodGuide.

Some things to know about hand sanitizers

California Governor Arnold Schwartzeneger has actually issued an executive order to help combat the H1N1 virus that recommends alcohol-based hand cleaners.

However, it is not clear that common hand sanitizers are actually better than soap and water, unless the alcohol content is over 60%. But these high concentrations of alcohol can also present potential health risks to children.

See all hand sanitizers.

If you do get sick, stay hydrated with lots of water

If you feel you need juice, watch out for added sugars. You might be surprised how many juices use high fructose corn syrup to help sweeten them. HFCS accounts for 10% of all calories in the overall U.S. diet, according to the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, and closer to 20% in specific segments of the population including children. The USDA estimates that the average American consumes 17 teaspoons of HFCS every day.

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When aches and pains abound, try some bubble bath

Of course there are the basic pain relievers but a bubble bath might help too. Among potential health concerns in bath and shower products, the primary ingredient to watch out for is “fragrance”, a catch-all term for a trade-secret blend of unsafe chemical ingredients that could be concealing toxic phthalates that are linked to allergies and immune system toxicity.

See cold and flu bath products on GoodGuide.

When all else fails, try chicken soup

But be aware of the amount of sodium in your soup. Some soups have the equivalent of several teaspoons of salt — And according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, healthy adults should aim to eat less than one teaspoon of salt per day.

Learn more with information on the H1N1 flu pandemic from the World Health Organization.

Or, search through GoodGuide’s medicine cabinet.