Avoiding Illness in the Cold & Flu Season

When a new school year begins, the cold and flu season is sure to follow. Keep your family healthier this time around with our preventative tips.

Maximize Immunity Most illness prevention requires daily immunity maintenance. Eat nutritious foods, get adequate sleep and exercise regularly. However, cooler months benefit from a concentrated effort. So get to bed earlier, eat more fruits and vegetables, and try supplements like vitamin C, echinacea and goldenseal.

Certainly get your flu shot, and if you smoke, quit. If you’re exposed to the cold or flu, take a zinc lozenge.

Are you open to acupuncture? Studies show regular treatments with these hair-thin needles bolster immunity.

Minimize Exposure Wash your hands regularly throughout the day. Fall and winter really demand we up the ante and wash frequently because our hands are a primary source for germ exposure. Avoid touching your eyes, ears or nose without washing hands first.

Whenever you can, avoid eating food you directly handle with your hands. Try to eat with a utensil, and if you do eat something like a sandwich, wrap it with a paper towel as you eat.

While we don’t recommend going overboard with antibacterial products, you would still do well to keep cold and flu germs off surfaces by wiping them down with disinfectant cloths. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is also very helpful in cases where you can’t wash your hands or you are exposed to surfaces touched by a sick person.

If you find your family caught up in the cold and flu season, remember Faulkner’s Drug Store is here to help you feel well again.