Tips to stay healthy this rainy season

Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/Rakesh Krishna Kumar

The rainy season in the Philippines kicked off in May. In all seriousness, the monsoon brings happiness to some Pinoys as it makes the environment cool after the scorching summer. Unfortunately, the wet season also brings health problems including respiratory diseases and leptospirosis that occurs frequently in tropical countries like the Philippines.

Since we can’t simply shun the torrential and even light downpours these days, we have tips that can help you protect your health in full gear.

1. Keep good hygiene

Of course, if you want to minimise the risk of infection, make sure that your hygiene is in shape. Keeping good hygiene is not only important to make you look and smell good, but good hygiene habits will also enhance your overall health. While you may be tempted not to bathe during the monsoon season, taking a shower is very important because you wouldn’t want to catch different types of viruses and bacteria that become active when it is always pouring.

Taking a bath every day helps get rid of bacteria, excessive grime and odors, as well as dead skin. So do remember, take showers religiously. Wash your hair with a good shampoo. Brush your teeth. Wash your face. Wear clean clothes. Put on your favourite lotion or cologne if you like.

2. Enhance your body’s immunity.

While the body has natural barriers to protect itself against diseases, it is still important to supplement your body’s immunity power. Pack more vegetables and fruits on your plate. Eat foods that also boosts your immune system. Take Vitamin C and mineral supplements. Researchers say that getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep also helps boost the immune system so make sure that you get your doze of sleep to keep your immune system running strong.

3. Drink clean water.

We all know that staying hydrated is as equally important even though the weather is not as hot as the summer. Make sure that you will drink only clean water to avoid catching amoebiasis or other water-borne diseases that are very common during the rainy season.

4. Learn the habits to keep our home and surrounding clean.

Keeping our home and surrounding neat and clean will help us to live healthy. During the rainy season, make sure that you keep your waterways clean as they become breeding ground for mosquitoes that can cause Dengue and Malaria. Put on mosquito-repellants cream to protect yourself. You may be tempted to play in floodwater, but think twice as floodwater can be dangerous not to mention filthy dirty. While it may look fun, floodwater is full of bacteria that could lead to life-threatening diseases. The rainy season also brings an increased risk of catching Leptospirosis, an infectious bacterial disease that occurs in rats (rodents) and other mammals that can affect humans. Just recently, 16 towns and one city in Pangasinan have reportedly been put under Leptospirosis watch after four deaths had been recorded.

5. Work out indoors.

Take advantage of the time spent inside the house during rainy days by working out. Exercise is important for keeping immunity in the body. You will discover that there are various exercises that you can do inside the house without having to use an exercise machine. If you feel like dancing, indulge yourself with a little Zumba workout. Exercise is good for cardiovascular health and it helps maintain a healthy weight.