...and no, I'm not talking about vaccines. The foundation to not getting sick is to boost your immune system. It's no guarantee, but you'll certainly up your odds.

The stuff we've all been told:

• Wash your hands

Enough has been said on this topic. You know how to do it.

• Avoid touching your face

What has not be emphasized are the ways that you can make your body stronger and be able to fight off viruses and bacteria. Here are some basics:

1. Eat Healthy

You've heard me say it before for various reasons, and here it is again. Eat healthy. It will help your immune system to fight off viruses and bacteria. Eat less processed, sugary, and junk foods which deplete the immune system. Eat more of these foods:

• Carrots, squash, pumpkin, yams, and sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene, a nutrient that makes these foods that nice orange colour.

• Other brightly coloured foods--greens, blues, reds--are also rich in phytochemicals that improve immune function.

• Red meat, oysters (don't overdo these 2 foods), poultry, pork, fortified cereals, and yogurt are high in zinc.

• Mushrooms are immune power sources that make your white blood cells stronger in their fight against invaders. Shiitake and maitake are the best of the grocery store options. Cook them for optimal digestibility.

• Black or green tea are great antioxidants that help protect your cells and they also pump up your immune system, as found by Harvard researchers.

• Chicken noodle soup really works! The amino acid cysteine, released from chicken during cooking, chemically resembles the bronchitis drug acetylcysteine, which may explain the results. The soup's broth keeps mucus thin the same way cough medicines do.

• Garlic contains the active ingredient allicin, which fights bacteria and viruses.

• Wild salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel and other fatty fish rich in omega-3s created the highest blood levels of flu-fighting T cells and interferon-gamma cytokines.

• Oats and barley contain beta-glucan, a type of fibre with antimicrobial and antioxidant capabilities more potent than echinacea, reports a Norwegian study.

2. Exercise

• Choose regular moderate exercise to pump up more than just your muscles. Too much intense exercise can, however, lower your immune function.

3. Get enough sleep

• Miss a few night of good sleep and your immune system will get lazy and not fight infections as well as it should.

4. Rinse your nose and gargle

• You've heard of the neti pot, used for centuries, and more recently popularized by Oprah. Yes it sounds weird, but doing doing a saline nasal irrigation helps rinse out bacteria and viruses from our sinus passages. Gargling with salt water will help rinse out bacteria  from the mouth and throat. It's easy to do, inexpensive, and takes almost no time to do both of these things. I like the Nasaline irrigator, but neti pots are the traditional way and you could also sniff the water out of the palm of your hand (though I don't think it would work as well because you wouldn't be able to move the water that far).

5. Supplement

• Vitamin C is the first remedy that often comes to mind to boost the immune system, but vitamin D is also vitally important and is a nutrient that many of us do not get enough of.

• Other immune supplements include echinacea, oregano oil, olive extract, astragalus, bee propolis, mushroom extracts, plant sterols, and more. Talk to your natural health provider to find out what is best for you.

6. TCM Herbs

• The department of public health of Shenzen, China recently announced herbal formulas to help prevent H1N1. These are their equivalent of flu vaccines. I'm not saying that they are the same as the shots, but these herbs do help boost immune function. There are two formulations. One is for those with a strong constitution and the other is for those with a weak constitution, the elderly, and children. The herbal formulae are consumed as a tea twice a day for at least three consecutive days. All of our Chinese herbs are rigorously tested for quality and safety, and yes they do taste awful. But, you know what Buckley's cough syrup says, "It tastes bad and it works".

7. Laugh!

• Laughter is medicine. Plus, if you are already sick, you could probably use a bit of a giggle. You've heard that you should cough and sneeze into your sleeve. Well, 22 Minutes has another option for you:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv2AeGZ7mVA

As always, we offer a free 15 minute consultation for the Bonsai Facial Rejuvenation (BFR)  treatments. But until the end of December we are also offering one FREE full BFR session with the purchase of each package. You can buy a package for yourself and give the free session as a gift (they'll never know...unless you tell them). Buy a package for a friend (oh, generous you!) and keep the freebie. Keep it all for yourself (why not? you deserve it!). Or give it all as a gift (wow!). And, we are also offering a new package.

The original treatments were all offered only be Dr. Carr. They will now be offered as "TCM Bonsai Facial Rejuvenation" treatments and packages and will include acupuncture if you so choose. Do note that the acupuncture sessions are not as complete as if done solely as an acupuncture session rather than a combo. However, if you have extended health insurance benefits, acupuncture is usually a covered service. And, our focus remains to better your health--sneaking the veggies (healthy stuff) into the chocolate cake (beauty stuff).

Lynsday McDonald is now trained as well to offer the BFR treatments. Her studies in dental hygiene mean that she is used to being close to people's faces. Instead of staring into your mouth though, she will be checking out your skin. Though she cannot offer acupuncture, she does still have the basic health information for you to follow, so don't think you'll be getting away without at least a bit of a push in the healthy direction!

TCM Bonsai Facial Rejuvenation

Single session $135

Package of ten sessions $1300

Bonsai Facial Rejuvenation

Single session $100

Package of ten sessions $900

If you have specific skin health issues like rosacea, severe acne, eczema, or psoriasis, or if you have facial muscle problems like Bell's Palsy or other facial nerve damage or TMJ syndrome (jaw pain), then you should choose the TCM Bonsai Facial Rejuvenation treatments. Otherwise, Lynsday's BFR treatments are your best option.

For more information, check out our website, including the before and after pictures: http://www.activetcm.com/bonsai-facial.html, call 604-783-2846 or email office@activetcm.com.