Prevent a Cold or the Flu

It's hard to do much to treat a cold or flu once you're infected. As with many illnesses, taking steps towards prevention may be the best "cure" for the illness. You can help prevent common viruses with careful attention to your hygiene habits and the inclusion of immunity boosters to your diet and lifestyle. You may also be able to avoid a full-blown illness by acting quickly at the first sign of symptoms.

Steps

Following Good Hygiene Practices

  1. Wash your hands. One of the easiest and most effective measures to prevent colds and the flu is by washing your hands thoroughly and frequently.[1] This reduces the proliferation of bacteria and the cold or flu virus from common spaces or surfaces.[2]
    • Make sure you wet your hands before applying soap to your hands. Scrub your hands vigorously for 20 seconds, making sure to get under your nails, between your fingers, and the front and back of your hands.[3]
    • Rinse your hands under running water and dry them on a clean towel.[3]
    • Rub on a hand sanitizer if you can’t locate any soap and water.[2]
  2. Cover your nose and mouth. Put your hand or tissue over both your nose and mouth whenever you cough or sneeze.[2] Covering sneezes and coughs minimizes the risk of spreading your germs and the viruses.
    • Consider coughing or sneezing into the crook of your elbow, which may help avoid contaminating your hands and spreading germs to others.
    • Throw away the used tissue immediately and then wash your hands.[4] You may also want to wash your hands after coughing or sneezing into them.
  3. Steer clear of crowds. The cold and flu are very contagious and generally spread where crowds of people congregate. Steering clear of crowds or packed spaces may minimize your risk of contracting either virus.[1]
    • Wash your hands after touching surfaces in crowded places. Door handles (especially restroom door handles), for example, are surfaces on which cold and flu viruses can linger.
    • If you feel ill, stay home for at least a day to reduce your risk of spreading your cold or flu to others, or making your case worse by catching something else.[1]
    • Avoid touching your face, especially your mouth, nose, and eyes.
    • Choose a daycare for your child that has clear policies on keeping sick children at home and exhibits good hygiene practices.[5]
  4. Sanitize shared spaces. The cold and flu viruses can spread easily on shared surfaces and spaces, especially in bathrooms and kitchens. Disinfecting these areas can help prevent the cold and flu viruses from spreading.[6].
    • Focus cleaning on common spaces such as the toilet, bathroom sink, kitchen counters, and the kitchen sink. Disinfect door handles, too.
    • Use any type of surface disinfectant available commercially, though you may want one that provides broad protection against different strains of viruses, germs, and bacteria such as Lysol.
  5. Clean the places you use the most often. These include your bedroom, kitchen, dining room, sitting room and bathrooms.
  6. Maintain good oral health. A lack of proper oral hygiene can make it easier for microbes to enter the body. [7].

Boosting Your Immunity

  1. Get vaccinated. Although there is no cure for the flu, you can get vaccinated against the virus every year. This can strengthen your immunity against the condition during cold and flu season. Speak to your doctor about whether getting the flu vaccination is a good option for you.
    • You must get the flu vaccine every year. Your vaccine from the previous year does not carry over into the new flu season.
    • Anyone from the ages of six months to those over 65 years of age can receive a flu vaccine.[8] (Over 65 can take Pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumovax) as well, which will vaccinate against Pneumonia.)
    • Be aware that some soreness is normal at the injection site.[9]
    • You may also be able to get the vaccine in the form of a nasal spray. Unlike the shot, this actually delivers a weakened version of the virus to your body, so you must have a strong and healthy immune system to use the nasal spray. If you are going through chemotherapy or are immunocompromised (from an organ transplant or a disease like HIV), you are ineligible for the spray.[10] In addition, if you are regularly around someone who is immunocompromised, you should not use the spray.
    • Report any side effects such as fever, soreness or body aches to your doctor, especially if they are persistent.[10]
    • Obtain a copy of the Vaccine Information Statement. Anyone who gets a flu shot must receive a copy of this statement, which explains the type of vaccine you received as well as how it keeps you safe and eliminates flu epidemics.[11]
  2. Recognize that there is no cold vaccine. Unlike influenza, there is no vaccine for the common cold. The best way to prevent it is by adopting good hygiene habits and taking care of your overall health.[4] Maintain a healthy diet, exercise regularly, wash your hands and so on.
  3. Avoid contact with sick individuals. Try and avoid close and/ or prolonged contact with anyone you know has a cold or who exhibits signs of a cold. This may keep any bacteria or virus from invading your system and getting you sick.[12]
    • Try and kindly excuse yourself from situations with sick persons. For example, if a friend or colleague is speaking with you or wants to go out, simply say something like, “I’m so sorry, I need to excuse myself because I have a prior commitment.”
    • If the sick person lives with you, try and not share the same space as long as the person is sick.
  4. Use your own items. Make sure to not share items with anyone who is sick. This can minimize the risk of bacteria or virus invading your system.[4]
    • Consider using disposable utensils such as cups and forks while someone in your home is sick.
    • Label items to minimize the risk of contamination.
    • Wash any utensils about which you are unsure using hot water or, preferably, a dishwasher.[4]
  5. Try alternative medicines. Some people believe in the benefits of alternative medicine to prevent and relieve colds and the flu. Although there is no definitive scientific evidence that vitamin C, Echinacea, or zinc can prevent or relieve a cold or the flu, you may find these remedies work for you.
    • Despite popular myths to the contrary, there isn’t much evidence that taking Vitamin C can prevent a cold or nip one in the bud.[13]
    • Taking Echinacea at the first sign of a cold may decrease the severity and duration of your symptoms.[13]
    • Studies on Zinc have shown that it can reduce symptoms of a cold if taken within a day of symptoms starting.[13]
    • Avoid intranasal zinc, which may permanently damage your sense of smell.[13]

Nursing Early Symptoms

  1. Keep your body hydrated. Drink enough fluids to replace any you through a fever or producing mucus.[13]
    • Keeping yourself hydrated can help you feel better and minimize the risk of getting more sick.[13]
    • Women need at least nine cups of liquid daily to keep their bodies hydrated, while men need at least 13.[14]
    • Have water, juice, broth, or non-caffeinated sodas or teas.[13]
    • Stay away from caffeinated drinks including coffee and tea because they can dehydrate you and exacerbate symptoms.[13]
  2. Sip chicken soup. Studies now show that the longtime home remedy of chicken soup can help keep a cold at bay and relieve symptoms.[13] Sipping chicken soup may help you nip a cold in the bud or help minimize your symptoms of a cold and flu.[13] Even the steam from the hot soup can help alleviate symptoms.
    • Eat chicken soup to help relieve the congestion that accompanies cold and the flu.[13] Chicken soup can prevent dehydration.[12]
    • Be aware that chicken soup acts as an anti-inflammatory to your system. It also temporarily increases movement of mucus through the nose, which in turn limits the amount of time the virus is in the lining of your nose.[12]
  3. Avoid alcohol and cigarettes. Alcohol and tobacco products may make a cold or the flu worse. Eliminating or limiting these products may reduce the duration of your symptoms and help prevent complications.[13]
  4. Soothe your throat with saltwater. Gargling with a simple saline solution may help a sore throat.[13] Although the benefits are temporary, you can use this remedy as often as you need it to combat inflammation.[15]
    • Dissolve 1/2 a teaspoon of salt in an 8 oz. glass of warm water to make the saline solution.
    • Swish a mouthful of saltwater for 30 seconds at least twice a day. This can also help relieve any inflammation in your throat related to the cold or flu.[13]
  5. Use lozenges or sprays. Mild analgesics can relieve a sore throat. Products such as lozenges and sprays containing eucalyptus or camphor can also relieve any cold- or flu-related congestion.[13]
    • Use throat lozenges or apply sprays every two to three hours.[13]
    • Avoid chewing or swallowing throat lozenges because they can numb your throat and cause swallowing difficulties.[13]
  6. Take pain medication. You may have body aches with a cold or the flu. Take an over the counter medication to help relieve any pain, which may also help you relax and more quickly recover from a cold or the flu.
    • Take acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen sodium to relieve body aches.
  7. Get enough rest. Making sure that you allow your body to rest can relieve your symptoms and help you more quickly recover from a cold or the flu. Stay home from work or school, especially if you have a fever. Getting enough rest also minimizes the risk of you infecting family members, friends, or colleagues.[16]
    • Get at least 8 hours of sleep per night and take naps, which can help your immune system fight any developing cold or flu viruses.[16]
    • Sleep in a bedroom that is comfortable, warm, and slightly humid (use a humidifier) to help relieve congestion and coughing.[17]

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/basics/prevention/con-20035101
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/basics/prevention/con-20035101
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/basics/prevention/con-20019062
  5. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/basics/prevention/con-20019062
  6. ↑ http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/updated/everyday_preventive.pdf
  7. ↑ http://www.areasontosmileboise.com/flu/
  8. ↑ http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaxadmin.htm
  9. ↑ http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2024.pdf
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm
  11. ↑ http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/flu.html
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/in-depth/health-tip/art-20048631
  13. ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14 13.15 13.16 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20019062
  14. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256?pg=2
  15. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20019062
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20035101
  17. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20035101
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