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This Time Of Year, Take Precautions Against Catching Flu

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 27, 2007

You know how it feels, and it's no fun: the dreaded flu. Your body alternates between fever and chills, aches all over and you feel like you're single-handedly supporting the facial tissue industry.

There are ways to prevent getting a nasty bug, though. A slew of products line the store shelves, and some are effective, some not. Nutritionally enhanced drinks, with names such as House Call and Rescue, stand ready to boost weakened immune systems.

But most of these products are more about marketing than strengthening the immune system, said Damon Schranz, a medical director and assistant professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center.

BayLife, Page 6

•To kill off flu germs, good old soap and water are our friends. Most colds are transmitted by shaking hands, and hand sanitizers aren't as effective.

•Long used in Europe, probiotic dairy drinks have hit the U.S. market with promising results. As the commercials for Dannon's probiotic drink suggest, 70 percent of the body's immune cells are found in the intestinal immune system.

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