Too close for comfort--the swine flu near you?

I hate how the media is spinning the swine flu situation--it seems the first thing out of commentators' mouths is the antisocial advice to avoid public places, accompanied by frightening video of people in Mexico wearing face masks. Ugh.

However, now that the flu--and fear of flu--is spreading quickly, it's best to remember that basic measures are the best prevention. What are some of these simple things?

Hibernation. Get your eight hours every night as often as possible--your life may depend on it. As researcher Stanley Coren notes in the "Sleep and Health" chapter of his book Sleep Thieves, "Researchers are now gathering a lot of evidence that confirms the idea that sleep is a vital factor in staving off disease and fighting disease organisms that have already started their attack."

Hydration. Drink mostly water, sipped often throughout the day. Occasionally drink 100% Concord grape or cranberry juice, hot (but not boiling hot) tea, or a tisane (lemon balm, honeysuckle petals, ginger, all of which have antiviral properties, mentions James Duke in The Green Pharmacy).

Sanitation. Wash your hands! Take a good twenty seconds under warm running water to lather, rinse, and repeat. (Use regular soap, not that antibacterial stuff which has antibiotics such as triclosan added.)

Nutrition. You know the drill--aim for five fruits and veggies daily, at a minimum. For extra protection, take vitamin D. Foods to consider eating regularly to prevent upper respiratory illnesses like the flu include apples and yogurt, according to Jean Carper (The Food Pharmacy). In Food--Your Miracle Medicine, Carper notes that food with antiviral activity include: barley, black currants, blueberries, chives, coffee, collards, cranberries, ginger, garlic, gooseberries, grapes, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, mushroom (notably shiitake), orange juice, peaches, pineapple juice, plums, plum juice, raspberries, sage, seaweed, spearmint, strawberries, tea, wine (red).

All of the abovementioned actions consist of taking care of ourselves as individuals. However, there is not-so-idle speculation that this flu virus came via a town which has a factory pig farm. Such industrial farm operations implicate us as a society, for our lust for meat at the lowest cost is causing pigs to be raised in sickening conditions which are a breeding ground for pathogens like swine flu. The Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production report, "PCIFAP Staff Summary of Occupational and Community Public Health Imports," which focuses on public health consequences of factory farming, makes for frankly frightening reading, particularly pages 13 and 14.

As Republican speechwriter Matthew Scully stated in Dominion, "And no one who has seen how they are treated will ever again dare to use "pig" as a synonym for filth and greed and ugliness."

* * *

In times like this, it's good at times to savor the simple things, such as this song of the same name from the late, great Minnie Riperton.

Cherry Surprise!

Those delightful Yoshino cherry trees (show-offs!) nonfruiting though they are, turn the mind to all things cherry nonetheless. Like so many other things, though, les cerises can leave a bad taste behind if not properly handled, delicate as they are. Cherry products that do right by me include:

• McCutcheon's whole cherry preserves (the fruit-sweetened variety). This Frederick, MD-based company believes in truth in advertising, as you'll find many whole cherries, as well as large fruit pieces, in every jar of this fantastic, chunky spread.
• Boylan black cherry soda--the best cherry soda ever! Full of old-fashioned fruit flavor, not medicinal in the least (the bane of many products that purport to contain cherry flavor).
• The Republic of Tea's spring cherry green tea. I have one caveat about this one--it must be brewed properly for green tea. This means that its water must be kept just below boiling before pouring over the tea bag, and the bag must steep for less than three minutes. Otherwise, the brew, like the critters from Gremlins who munch after midnight, turns ugly.

* * *

You may have heard (or not) that cherries can relieve aches and pains. Jean Carper, in her book,
Food--Your Miracle Medicine, relates that cherries are one of the foods that are extremely high in natural (and legal!) painkilling substances, in the book subchapter titled, "Salicylates: How Foods May Work like Aspirin." (Perhaps this lends credence to the decades-old belief that cherries can relieve the pain of gout.)

Obviously, Carper is not the only one who's heard that the rouge fruit can come to the rescue, as scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture have performed preliminary investigations (ooh!) of whether cherries can relieve aches; the initial results are promising.

* * *

In honor of cherries, and in time for Easter, local chocolate manufacturer (in the original sense of being handmade) Christopher's Confections held a (free!) tasting at the fine chocolate proprietor Biagio last night.

Now, this foray was justified, as it was held around dinnertime, dark chocolate is a good source of antioxidants, and Biagio is stocked with plenty of this form of the 'food of the gods.' Frankly though, the new cherry offering, Ying Hua, is among my least favorite from the aforementioned confectioner, because I'm not particularly fond of the cherry-chocolate combo. Sorry!

However, most of Christopher Blume's (the owner of Christopher's Confections) other chocolates blew me away, and the master himself was on hand to explain aspects of the chocolate-making process, as well as to bring out more samples! My favorites are the juniper cassis, raspberry, and the butter + scotch flavors. Runners-up are the pistachio, macadamia, and the gingerbread. Now I no longer need to rack my brain to come up with gift ideas, 'cause I only need to boogie down to Biagio to purchase some of its glossy, delicious offerings, and my shopping is done!