How to Protect Your Kids From Swine Flu In Three Easy Steps - Back to School Series

Now that school is back in session, parents will need to be extra attentive to the health and safety of their kids. Most know the precaution that one needs to take with handwashing and covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough - but, as one knows it happens and germs spread and swine flu is nothing to sneeze at. Since the expectation of the vaccine will not be available until mid-October, parents can do something now to help ensure this disease doesn't come home with their children by doing the following:

1. Besides hand-washing, you can give your child a small container of hand-santizer boosted with several drops of pure essential oils that contain anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. These include: rosemary, lemon, cinnamon bark, tea tree, eucalptus and camphor.

2. Diffuse therapeutic-grade essential oils in your home such as those listed above will also ward off airborne pathogens such as H1N1, preventing it from being spread person to person. Medical research has presented in a book entitled, CINNAMON AND CASSIA: The Spices of Life by P.N. Ravindran, K. Nirmal Babu, M. Shylaja, revealed that extracts from Cinnamon and Cassia exhibited immune system potentiating and inhibiting effects as well as exhibiting antiviral action against the Influenza A virus. Studies conducted at Weber State University (Ogden, UT) demonstrated an essential oil blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus radiata and rosemary power against airborne micro-organisms. One analysis showed a 90 percent reduction in the number of gram positive Micrococcus luteus organisms after diffusing for 12 minutes. After 20 minutes of diffusing, the kill-rate jumped to 99.3 percent. Another study against the gram negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed a kill rate of 99.6 percent after just 12 minutes of diffusion.

3. Parents can create a blend of essential oils mixed with a carrier oil such as olive oil or another vegetable oil to rub on the child's chest for inhalation throughout the day. If that is not suitable, another method may be to have the child carry a small pocket-size diffuser in his pocket to use as an inhaler.

University of Manchester researchers found essential oils used in aromatherapy destroyed MRSA and E. Coli bacteria in two minutes, Reuters Health News reported. "A pair of orthopaedic surgeons report that two essential oils Eucalyptus and Tea Tree oil (Melaleuca) are surprisingly effective at treating Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infections."

Several essential oils have antiviral and antibacterial characteristics that can boost your immune system. For maximum effectiveness, diffuse them in your home and office twice a day for 15-20 minutes at the earliest sign of influenza and/or before contracting a cold/flu as a preventative. For more information on essential oils, please visit http://HealWithOil.com.