The Holiday season is here and with it cold and flu season. As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, travel, and spend time with our closest friends and family, Rainbow Health wants everyone to have a wonderful and healthy holiday with these easy tips.
Keep yourself and your loved ones safe during this holiday season.
Make a plan
Having a plan is the best way to prevent any health problems from ruining your holiday fun. It’s easy to put a plan in place that allows everyone to stay safe and healthy. If you’re traveling, follow basic precautions such as hand washing/sanitization, wearing a mask, avoiding touching your face with unwashed hands, getting plenty of sleep, and keeping yourself hydrated.
Get tested
Have you or any of your family members been feeling under the weather? Honesty is very important when it comes to planning a safe Thanksgiving holiday. Asking family members to alert others if they are feeling poorly can be the difference between one person being ill or 20 being ill. Call your healthcare provider and get tested for any alarming symptoms. If you or your loved one is elderly and feeling poorly ask your provider to get tested in your own home with a house call provider. At-home care will allow you to keep others from getting sick while staying comfortable as you recover.
Practice gratefulness
Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for the people, the comforts, and so much more that we have in our daily lives. We can also be thankful we live in a time that has a basic understanding of how to avoid getting sick - such as washing our hands. Gratefulness comes with its health benefits as well. Those who routinely practice gratefulness are more likely to be more healthy. According to Dr. Sood of the Mayo Clinic “The daily practice of gratitude shows a significant increase for your happiness and your physical health and well-being. Practicing gratitude visibly improves sleep cycles, boosts immunity, and decreases the risk of contracting diseases.”
Enjoy family time
Spending time with family can be of huge benefit to your health. Positive family time has positive proven health benefits. Dr. Sawchuk says "We are social animals by nature, so we function better when we're in a community and being around others," Having positive interactions while spending time with family can reduce stress, improve your psychological well-being, is good for your cardiovascular system, and can even extend the length of your life. Take pictures, share memories, eat some good food, and enjoy all the love and laughter with your family.
Monitor your health
After spending time with others it is always best to monitor your health. Carefully watch for any changes that could alert you to an oncoming problem. One of the best ways to take care of your health is to catch any problems early. At-home care physicians can come to your home or take your call via telemedicine and let you know if you need to go into the doctor's office or if they can give you care in the comfort of your own home.
Finally
At the end of the day, you have to make a personal decision about how you will celebrate your holidays. By following CDC guidelines you can be sure to have the best outcomes for family gatherings. If you are ever unsure, always contact your local health care provider for more information. Most importantly of all...
Have a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!
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