General: A Healthy, Happy Leader

As a leader, you are not only more active than others, but you have more responsibility than others. This means you need to do what you can to stay healthy and happy.


St. Jude was one of four institutions world-wide asked by Washington, D.C. to help create vaccines for H1N1. Here is a release from St. Jude with some H1N1 prevention tips...

It's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. The portals of entry are the eyes, nostrils and mouth/throat. Contact with H1N1 may not be as much of a problem if you can avoid proliferation.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand washing

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. That doesn't mean just your eyes, nose and mouth. Resist all temptations to touch any part of the face (unless you are eating or bathing).

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (or use Listerine if you don't like salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Use of a Neti Pot can help wash away proliferating viruses. Blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down the viral population.

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C. If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.