My office recently sent out an e-mail telling us how to best prevent the flu for this coming flu season. With lots of talk of the Swine Flu, as much as I want a day or two so I can empty my DVRs, I never want to hear Charlie Gibson say, “A blogger in Baltimore has come down with the Swine Flu.” That would be seriously embarrassing.

Can oregano oil keep Swine Flu at bay?

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), washing hands is the single most important act to help stop the spread of disease and stay healthy. That’s because 80 percent of all infections may be transmitted through our hands. In a recent interview about an inevitable influx of swine cases this fall, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that “the best thing we can all do are the very simple things, the washing of the hands, the coughing into the sleeve.”

Besides singing “Happy Birthday” twice to make sure you’re sudsing enough, what else can you do to avoid going Swine-y? According to a 2004 Georgetown University study, using a soap that contains oregano oil, which is a naturally powerful antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic, has been proven to destroy antibiotic-resistant super germs such as the MRSA virus.

But where to get such a super soap? LUSH, of course! Check out their gorgeous 13 Soap Unlucky for Dirt, which not only contains oregano oil, but is more hygienic than liquid soap, because it doesn’t contain water, which is a breeding ground for bacteria.

While you’re at it, keep your hands out of your mouth and eyes, and clean your keyboard and phone. Then you can just take a day off for fun, not for the flu.

Read more by Kelly Gould at her blog Gouldylox Reviews.

Photo Credits: Oregano – SP Veres; Soap – LUSH