Boost Immunity This Cold & Flu Season
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Cold and flu season comes fast, and our pharmacy wants you to be prepared. Cold and flu symptoms come in many forms. Whether it’s a scratchy throat, a lingering cough, or a fever that keeps you in bed, these seasonal illnesses can throw off your routine fast. Before you worry, we have you covered. With the right mix of prevention, symptom relief, and care, you can make the season much easier to handle. At your local pharmacy, we’re here to help you stay healthy and feel better faster.
Lifestyle Tips
Avoid close contact. Avoid close contact with people who are sick, and when you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick, too.¹
Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when feeling ill. You can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:¹
Your symptoms are getting better overall.
You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).
Cover your mouth and nose. Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing to help protect others around you from getting sick. Influenza viruses are thought to spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze, or talk. If you want to take further precaution, wearing a mask is an additional prevention strategy that you can choose to do to further protect yourself and others.¹
Clean your hands. Something as simple as washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.¹
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.¹
Take steps for cleaner air. You can improve air quality by bringing in fresh outside air, purifying indoor air, or gathering outdoors. Cleaner air can reduce the risk of exposure to viruses.¹
Practice good hygiene and other healthy habits. Sanitizing touched surfaces, such as countertops, handrails, and doorknobs regularly can help prevent the spread of some illnesses.¹
Key Nutrients
Your immune system plays a vital role in helping your body defend against colds, flus, and other illnesses. Healthy habits such as regular physical activity, quality sleep, and stress management can help keep your immune system at its best. Eating a balanced diet filled with colorful fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats provides the essential nutrients your body needs to support immune health and fight off infections. Some of the most important nutrients for immune support include:²
Beta carotene: found in sweet potatoes, spinach, carrots, mangoes, broccoli, and tomatoes.
Vitamin C: found in citrus fruits, berries, melons, tomatoes, bell peppers, and broccoli.
Vitamin D: found in milk, fatty fish, and eggs.
Zinc: found in beef, seafood, beans, nuts, and tofu.
Probiotics: found in cultured dairy products, such as yogurt, and in fermented foods, such as kefir and kimchi.
Protein: found in milk, yogurt, eggs, beef, chicken, seafood, nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils.
Managing Cold and Flu Symptoms
Being sick is never fun. In some cases, the sickness can linger for 1 to 2 weeks. Most of the time, we are unable to pause everything in our daily routines for that long. With these tips below, you can help support your body’s healing process to get you back healthy sooner!
Drink plenty of fluids. Water, juice, clear broth, or warm lemon water with honey helps loosen stuffiness, called congestion. These also help prevent losing too much fluid, called dehydration. Don't drink alcohol, coffee, or sodas with caffeine. They can make dehydration worse.³
Rest. Your body needs rest to feel better.³
Sip warm liquids. Warm liquids support easing stuffiness by increasing mucus flow.³
Try honey. Honey may help coughs in adults and children who are older than age 1. Try it in warm tea or lemon water.³
Add cool moisture to the air. A cool-mist vaporizer or humidifier can add moisture to your home. Moisture might help ease stuffiness. Change the water daily and remember to clean the device.³
Most cold and mild flu cases can be managed at home, but sometimes medical care is necessary. Contact your healthcare provider if you experience:⁴
A fever that doesn’t respond to over-the-counter medication.
Shortness of breath, chest pain, or wheezing.
Symptoms that last more than 10 days or get worse after initially improving.
Severe discomfort when swallowing.
A cough that doesn’t go away for two or three weeks.
Severe sinus pain.
While we may not be able to avoid cold and flu season, the right habits, remedies, and support can help ease stress and aid in faster recovery. Your local pharmacy is here to guide you every step of the way, whether it’s a flu shot, supplement advice, or help finding the right relief for your symptoms.
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