8 ways to avoid getting the dreaded flu this year Can the vaccine make you sick?

What should you do if your coworker (or co-sleeper) is a walking germ? Are natural cures worth the cash? These are the flu answers you d get from a top doctor if she were your !estie" You can't get the flu from the flu shot #$ne of the most common %uestions & m asked !y my friends is whether you can get the flu from the vaccine" & always answer no' !ut even my hus!and is convinced that the head cold he often gets after the flu vaccine was caused !y the shot" (y own hus!and) The truth is that the flu shot contains inactive virus that cannot cause the flu" *ut it can take a couple of weeks to !uild immunity' so you might still get sick if you were e+posed to the virus !efore or right after going in for the shot" Also' the flu vaccine is not ,-- percent effective' so even if you get it' there s still a chance you can !ecome sick" All that said' the a!solute !est way to protect yourself is to !e vaccinated" And the more people who do' the !etter off we all are" *y getting my kids vaccinated' & m also protecting their friends' their teachers' and their elderly grandparents"# Mallika Marshall, M.D., urgent care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and medical contributor to ABC s .atie If you smoke, stop end of story #$f course' & tell every smoker in my life to %uit for their overall health' !ut few of them know that smoking can have a very dangerous effect on your !ody if you get influenza" /ot only can cigarettes do a num!er on your immune system' !ut when you smoke' you re disa!ling essential mechanisms that help your lungs fight the flu virus" 0moking destroys the lining of your lower airways' actually creating openings in them" 0moking also disa!les the little hairs on the surface of the lungs that act like a !room to sweep away infection1 the result can !e a life-threatening complication such as viral pneumonia' or even worse' a !acterial supervirus that s resistant to anti!iotics" That risk should !e enough to make anyone !reak the ha!it"# Arnold Monto, M.D., professor of epidemiology at the ni!ersity of Michigan "chool of #ublic Health in Ann Arbor, MI

Don't be the person who always gets sick! #(y own daughter is one of those people" 0he doesn t get enough sleep' and doesn t always eat as well as she could' and those things a!solutely play a role in your immune system" & tell her to stay hydrated' eat fruits and vegeta!les rich in vitamin C' and e+cuse herself if friends are coughing and snee2ing and may!e not covering their mouths as they should"# "orana "egal$Maurer, M.D., director of the infectious disease di!ision of the department of medicine at %e& 'ork Hospital (ueens in )lushing, %'

Be careful with popular natural remedies #3veryone wants to know if $scillococcinum4a homeopathic therapy found in health-food stores4works on the flu" A small num!er of studies suggest that taking it may reduce the duration of illness from the flu' !ut only !y a few hours" Another popular one & get asked a!out is 0am!ucol' or elder!erry syrup1 it has some antiviral properties that can ease symptoms' and one study showed that people who took it felt !etter an average of four days faster than those who took a place!o" *ut there is not enough evidence to suggest that it can pre!ent colds or the flu" &f you do decide to try either of these remedies' check with your doctor first" They re not recommended for !a!ies or pregnant women' and can also interact with certain medications" & tell friends who want natural relief that their !est !ets are salt-water gargles to soothe a sore throat' and neti-pot rinses to help with nasal congestion" 5or a cough' drinking tea with a teaspoon of honey or !reathing in the steam from a hot shower can help too"# Mallika Marshall, M.D. Flu can be deadly if you're pregnant #& can t tell you how upset & was recently when & walked into an &C6 and had to attend to a critically ill mom-to-!e who later died of flu complications" 0o' as the dad of a new !a!y myself' & tell every pregnant woman & know that' yes' you are at a higher risk of complications and death from influen2a if you get it' and if you don t die' the illness could adversely affect your !a!y' especially if you get sick during your third trimester" 7octors still don t fully understand why' !ut most likely it involves your ina!ility to !reathe properly4you can t possi!ly pass the proper amount of o+ygen to your un!orn child if you re struggling for !reath yourself' and that can harm the fetus in many different ways" A!solutely get your flu shot' and call your doctor 8ust to !e safe to discuss treatment options if you do start feeling sick"# Cameron *olfe, M.D., infectious disease specialist at Duke ni!ersity Medical Center in Durham, %C uarantine the sickie in your family

#& tell my friends9 &f someone in your family gets the flu' the !est way to avoid passing it around is to set up a sick room in your home" &t s okay for one or two family mem!ers to act as a caregiver to the sickie4however' this isn t a role you want to volunteer for if you are pregnant or have a pre-e+isting medical condition yourself' !ecause it could put you at higher risk for more serious illness" When you set up their sick room' make sure you have these items on hand9 a cooler with ice and drinks to stay hydrated' a trash can with a !ag so you can easily dispose of it' alcohol!ased hand ru!' and' of course' plenty of tissues" These are all recommended !y the C7C4which also suggests a humidifier and' yes' face masks" The sick family mem!er should wear one any time he or she has to leave the room' say to go to the !athroom4although if you have more than one !athroom in the house' designate one as a 5lu :one and have the rest of the family use the other"# *ilbur H. Chen, M.D., infectious disease e+pert at the Maryland "chool of Medicine in Baltimore ni!ersity of

Friends don't let friends go to work with the flu #& make a point of telling my pals this little-known !ut important fact9 ;ou can spread the flu even if you re !asically asymptomatic" This means that if you ve !een around someone who s sick and find yourself with a fever' cough' or even 8ust !ody aches' you may have influen2a and could pass it to someone else with a weaker immune system' regardless of whether you have full-fledged flu symptoms" 0o you should take precautions' such as coughing into your el!ow" &f you do get sick' stay home from work until your symptoms really start to fade' or at least <= hours after your fever !reaks" &t s good for you and your colleagues)# ,ekha Murthy, M.D., medical director of hospital epidemiology at Cedars$"inai Medical Center in -os Angeles Don't belie!e the e"ercise myth

#0o many people & know start pushing themselves as soon as they !egin to feel a little !etter during a !out of the flu' and then tell me they can t !elieve it when they get knocked !ack down" The truth is' once you start feeling symptoms' you really have to let your illness run its course" & swear !y the ><-hour rule9 no gym trips for at least three days after your fever !reaks' and that s only if you re feeling !etter" &t s a myth that e+ercise will help you get over the flu faster" &n fact' when you do go !ack' cut the intensity of your workout !y half until all of your symptoms are gone" Take it easy' give yourself time' listen to your !ody' and you ll !e on the road to recovery for real4no relapsing)# .an /. "mith, M.D., cohost of The 7octors