How to NOT Get Sick | Proven Health Hacks | Doctor Mike

- Are you ready?

I know you don't wanna get sick.

I mean, who wants to wake up in the morning

with a 102 degree fever, nausea, body aches...

I have all the tips on how to not get sick right here.

More socks.

When your feet get cold, your entire body gets chilled,

even your nose and mouth.

What your body's doing is protecting you from losing heat

by redirecting blood to your vital organs.

But that's bad because now you have no immune protection

in your nose from the viruses

and bugs that live there year-round.

More honey.

♪ Honey ♪

♪ (women vocalizing) ♪

♪ Honey, baby ♪

I hate the term superfood.

All that is is a word created by marketers to make money.

But the food that comes closest to that term is honey.

Not only does honey help control your cough as good

or better than some over-the-counter cough suppressants,

but it also has antibacterial properties.

There is such thing as medical grade honey

that's used to help wounds heal

when antibiotics aren't working.

So, instead of white or brown sugar,

throw some honey in your tea.

Less supplements.

- [Cameraman] Hey, I need those, bro.

- Actually, no, you don't.

It's never been proven that vitamins will prevent you

from getting sick.

All that is is marketing hype designed to sell you these,

and all you're doing is flushing money down the toilet.

Literally, because you pee them out.

(glass shatters)

More sex.

♪ Sexual ♪

♪ Hear me, baby ♪

There have been a few interesting studies

that have even surprised me about getting hands-on.

Getting massages, having sex,

those things seem to have boosted the immune response.

So, it's not unwise to get cozy during wintertime.

Less stress.

Stress can really get the better of you if you let it.

(ringtone sounding)

- [Cameraman] I said no phones!

- See what I mean?

When your body is stressed,

it creates something known as cortisol,

which is a stress hormone

that actually hampers your body's immune response.

So, relax. Meditate a little. Take a chill pill.

More exercise.

Exercise boosts your immune system.

Not only does it improve your white blood cells

and the antibodies which fight off all the viruses

and bacteria within your body,

but exercise also prevents your body

from releasing stress hormones.

Exercise with light or moderate intensity

and do that even if you're already sick

as long as you don't have a fever.

Less alcohol.

No thanks.

Despite you feeling warmer when you're drinking alcohol,

your body temperature is actually dropping,

which can hurt your immune system

and its ability to fight off infection.

Woo! Drink the alcohol; it'll kill the germs.

No, it doesn't. Complete myth. Busted, done, no, kill it.

If you're sick or getting sick, do not drink alcohol.

It'll only hurt your immune system.

Disinfect your phone and your digits.

Yea, I'm looking at you.

You have poop on your phone.

Bacteria that normally lives within poop

lives on your digits and on your phone.

And forget poop bacteria.

Think about all the places

that you put your phone down all day.

On the table, on the floor.

It's covered by viruses and bacteria.

Listen, normally I'm not so anti-bacteria.

I don't believe that

we should be killing bacteria all the time

because there's such thing as good bacteria.

But in this case, sanitize your hands and your phone.

More water.

It's so important that you stay hydrated

because when you don't have enough water,

your body isn't able to maintain your immune system,

flush out toxins, and, when you're sick,

your body loses more water than usual.

More sleep.

It's the cheapest and most effective thing

out of all these tips.

When you don't get at least six hours of sleep,

the amount of natural killer cells falls

by at least 50 percent,

and they're your first line of defense

to kill the bugs that can get you sick.

And I'm not trying to scare you here.

If you get less than six hours one night, that's fine.

But if that becomes a chronic problem, a long-term problem,

and you build up sleep debt,

that's when infection can really set in.

More flu shots.

You know, more people getting flu shots.

Not you getting more than one... whatever.

The flu shot is our biggest protection against the flu.

Everyone that's older than six months of age,

yes that includes you, should get the flu shot.

There are very few exceptions.

I wanna put this thing to rest.

No, you cannot get the flu from the flu shot.

Yes, there can be a coincidence

and you can get the actual flu from somewhere else,

but not from the flu shot.

Remember, it takes two weeks for the flu vaccine

to actually kick in.

Oh, I'm not afraid of the flu.

It's the same thing as a cold.

No, it's not.

The flu virus claims over 30,000 lives per year in the U.S.

Less antibiotics.

Some of you think that when you have the common cold

or the flu and you'll take antibiotics

that you'll recover quicker.

That is not the case.

Antibiotics work against bacteria, not viruses,

which is what common colds and flus are.

By taking antibiotics, you hurt the good bacteria

that's within your stomach, causing diarrhea

and other sorts of problems within your gut.

Also, when you take antibiotics unnecessarily,

you raise the chance

of something called antibiotic resistance,

which is the creation of something called a superbug.

(fearful screaming)

There you go.

Just a few things to keep in mind, but remember,

if you do get sick from time to time, it's not a problem.

In the long-term it just makes your body stronger.

Stay happy and stay healthy.

(makes popping noise)

Check, check, check, check, check, check!

Bee-whoop! (laughing)

Honey, honey, honey!

(takes deep breath)

Okay.

Not only--

(clearing throat)

(laughing)

(laughing)

When you don't get that sleep, guess what?

You don't have that optimal function.

Stress can really get the better of you if you let it.

Hold on a second.

I'm waiting, dude!

- [Cameraman] I'm so nervous.

- Why? Unless you're gonna go like...

So, how does this part go?

(laughing)

Getting things like a massage...

(repeating under breath)

There have been a few studies

that have piqued even my curiosity.

There have even been a few studies

that have piqued my curiosity.

Stop making me laugh.

It's okay to get sick from time to time.

In the long run, it's going to keep you healthier,

and more refreshed, and whiter teeth!

(laughing)

Oh my God. I'm losing my mind.

(jazzy music)