First, remember, there is no "cure" for the common cold - or the flu. Because of this, prevention is very important. Luckily, there are plenty of very simple steps you can take.
For starters, make sure to wash your hands regularly. Like mom always told you, warm, soapy water will do the trick every time. Special attention should be given to teaching your children to follow this simple rule on a regular basis too. Clean hands will go a long way towards reducing your chances of becoming ill.
Of course, the new year is a time when we tend to go to a lot of parties and possibly over-indulge in food and drink. A healthy diet is very important to keeping your immune system running at its most optimum level though, so be especially careful about what you are eating. Make sure to pick on the vegetable sticks as well as the sweets. Remember, alcohol can also weaken your immune system, so watch how much you drink too.
Don't keep staying up so late either. The stress on your body from not getting enough rest can really weaken your immune system and quickly make you susceptible to cold and flu viruses. It's much better for your health if you tape those late night shows this time of year and watch them during the day, instead of staying up until the wee hours to watch them.
For many people, this time of year is very cold, which makes it much less tempting to go outside. Don't get lazy, just because it's winter though. Your body needs exercise and sun to stay healthy and defend itself against viruses. Participating in vigorous outside winter activities such as skating, skiing or even just a good old snowball fight is just the thing to help you fend off colds and the flu.
If you do feel a cold coming on, get ready for it immediately. Start drinking plenty of water and increase the amount of rest you are getting right away. And whatever you do, don't ask your doctor for anti-biotics. They are not effective for colds and will only serve to weaken your immune system and make you resistant to certain strains of bacteria your body might need to defend itself against in the future.
If you are at particular high-risk for developing the flu, such as health-care professionals, you might also consider getting a flu vaccination. Discuss the pros and cons of this with your doctor so you can make an informed decision. For one, it might already be too late in the season for vaccination to be effective. Luckily, preventive measure like those above will go a long ways all on their own.
As you can see, the new year need not be a time to fear the dreaded cold and flu. By taking simple preventive steps you can greatly reduce your chances of getting sick. Here's hoping your 2007 starts on healthy and happy footing and continues throughout the year!
SpeculatingStocks.com discusses two stock picks for this cold and flu season. SpeculatingStocks.com has picked hundreds of stock picks in the past and regularly comments on stock picks, penny stocks, hot stocks and small cap stocks on SpeculatingStocks.com and in their stock newsletter. Now, is the time to be looking at stocks again, particularly the cold and flu sector as the stock market begins to find a market bottom and investors research key, timely sectors.
MTXX is the developer and marketer of the Zicam cold and flu remedy brand with a distribution network that includes Wal-Mart, Walgreens, and CVS. SpeculatingStocks.com's second stock pick for the cold and flu season, RAD (Rite Aid), a drugstore retail chain with prescription and over-the-counter medication for cold and flu and other ailments.
SpeculatingStocks.com Stock Pick: Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. (MTXX)
Stock Price: $14.77
Matrixx Initiatives, Inc. is engaged in the development and marketing of over-the-counter healthcare products that utilize the company's drug delivery systems. Its wholly-owned subsidiary, Zicam, LLC, markets and sells Zicam? and Nasal Comfort(TM) products in the cough and cold category.
MTXX also offers Zicam Multi-Symptom Cold and Flu Relief products, which utilize a spoon dosing delivery to provide relief of cold and flu symptoms.
MTXX is a perennial cold and flu season stock play and well known for that fact. MTXX dropped the last four trading days creating a buying opportunity to play this year's cold and flu season.
MTXX's over-the-counter cold and flu products are sold at several large national retailers including Wal-Mart, Walgreens, and CVS. Zicam is one of the top three cough, cold and allergy growth brands and its multi-symptom cold and flu products account for 45% of the company's retail sales growth.
MTXX has an attractive brand and sold distribution network in place. We believe MTXX will have another cold and flu season move.
SpeculatingStocks.com Stock Pick: Rite Aid Corporation (RAD)
Stock Price: $0.31
Rite Aid Corporation is a drugstore chain with more than 4,900 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia. The company's fiscal 2008 annual sales totaled more than $24.3 billion.
Rite Aid is a major brand that continues to expand. Patients fill their prescriptions at Rite Aid for various ailments and shop for over-the-counter medication for cold and flu and other illnesses.
RAD has been down significantly this year, but we see the potential for a major turn around in the future for RAD. Three independent proxy advisory firms have recommended RAD stockholders support RAD's Board of Directors' plan for a reverse split. The reverse stock split could be approved on December 2nd.
Reverse stock split is never a good phrase to investors, but in this case it looks like it must be done and we believe most of the negativity is already priced into RAD. After the reverse split, we expect investors to look at RAD in a new, refreshing light.
We believe RAD will receive major attention as a cold and flu season play over the next 1 - 2 months. Also, we expect RAD to begin its turn around.
At SpeculatingStocks.com, we believe it is important to find the right small cap stocks and penny stocks at the right time in their stock chart and business cycle. With MTXX and RAD, we believe we have found two stocks that have a great chance at becoming hot stocks in the short-term.
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