Fighting flu: The best defense is a good offense.

Byline: Julie Deardorff

A vaccine might be the first line of defense against avian flu, but there's an inconvenient little catch: We don't have one yet. Meanwhile, the bird-flu virus is showing resistance to Plan B, or the antiviral flu drug called Tamiflu.

Worried? Then take action. The government might be woefully unprepared for a possible flu pandemic, but you can fortify your immune system and prepare for a garden variety of cold and flu viruses.

In addition to the usual admonishments to wash your hands and wipe down your desk and phone _ while avoiding crowds and stair railings _ here's a list of everyday flu fighters:

_Avoid your doctor's office. Not only are waiting rooms friendly breeding grounds for germs, but "physicians don't wash their hands (very often), and they're a primary vector for influenza," said Alan Zelicoff, co-author of "Microbe: Are We Ready for the Next Plague?"(Amacom, $23). The good news, said Zelicoff, who believes the bird flu threat is vastly overblown, is that studies show nurses do wash their hands.

_Try oscillococcinum. Impossible to pronounce but worth considering as an adjunct therapy. O-sill-o-cox-see-num is an over-the-counter homeopathic medicine made from wild duck heart and liver. It should be taken within the first 24 hours of symptoms.

_Drink cranberry juice. New research suggests the compound found in cranberries stops or reduces the ability of the flu virus to stick to cells and infect them.

_If you drink, make it red wine. The antioxidant resveratrol, long touted for its cardiac benefits and anticancer properties, also may be able to ward off the flu. "Rather than directly attacking the flu virus itself, resveratrol seems to block host-cell functions that are essential for viral replication," according to the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy. Resveratrol also is found in grapes, raisins and peanuts.

_Eat aged garlic extract. Not only could it keep people away from you _ a good idea during a pandemic _ but aged garlic extract also has been shown to provide protection from the common cold and flu.

_Cough into your elbow. This helps prevent spreading germs when you shake hands or touch things said Allison Janse, co-author of "The Germ Freak's Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu" (Health Communications Inc., $11.95). But better to hack into your hands than someone's face.

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(c) 2005, Chicago Tribune.

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