It’s December and you know what that means: it’s the cold and flu season. If you follow us, then you know that we’re all about keeping you healthy and performing at your best, so it should come as no surprise to see this blog topic come around again! While there are no cures to the flu or a cold, you can use certain vitamins to shorten and prevent them! So stock up on zinc for the common cold, hand sanitizer, and water to stay healthy this holiday season!
How to Spot a Cold
In today’s world, there’s a lot of paranoia around getting sick. While symptoms of COVID and the common cold (and flu) can be similar, it’s generally pretty easy to tell what you have. However, if you do get sick, you should probably get tested for COVID, just to be safe!
One thing is for certain though: colds suck! Each year in the United States, there are millions of cases of the common cold. Adults have an average of 2-3 colds per year, and children have even more.
For a common cold, be on the lookout for a sore throat and runny nose, usually for a day or two. That’s generally followed by coughing. You may also get body aches and headaches during the cold. You should improve in about a week.
Most people get colds in the winter and spring, but it is possible to get a cold any time of the year.
How to Spot a Flu
This is where things get tricky. If you think you have the flu, get tested for COVID. You can never be too careful, as most of their symptoms overlap!
When with flu, you can expect to experience:
- Fever or feeling feverish
- Chills
- Cough
- Diarrhea
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Body aches
- Headache
- Vomiting
- Change in or loss of taste or smell (due to nasal passageways being inflamed)
Typically, a person experiences symptoms anywhere from 1 to 4 days after infection.
How to Protect Yourself from the Cold and Flu
The cold and flu spread like wildfire if you’re not careful. Thankfully, you can protect yourself by doing some everyday things more often. That means:
Wash your hands often with soap and water.
Wash them for 20 seconds, and help your kids do the same. We recommend singing “Happy Birthday” twice to make sure you’re washing them for long enough! Viruses that cause sicknesses can live on your hands, and regular handwashing can help protect you from getting sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Viruses that cause colds can enter your body this way and make you sick.
Stay away from people who are sick.
Sick people can spread viruses that cause the common cold through close contact with others.
Ways to Help Prevent Getting The Christmas Cold and Flu
With the flu, the first thing you should do to protect yourself is to get the flu vaccine.
It’s a once-a-year vaccine that helps optimize your immune system’s response to the virus. Unfortunately, there is no such vaccine for a cold.
For both a cold and flu, though, you can take vitamins to help protect yourself and shorten both of their durations if you do happen to get sick.
Does Vitamin C Work?
Vitamin C — the popular anti-cold vitamin. That’s mostly a myth. Vitamin C can help prevent colds, but only in certain individuals. However, it can help shorten colds for everyone — including kids!
Taking at least 200mg of vitamin C every day you’re sick is proven to shorten symptoms by 24-36 hours!
What about preventing? Well, if you’re heavily physically active — such as marathon runners or in the military — then vitamin C can help prevent colds! In fact, it can cut the risk of you getting sick in half.
Need vitamin C but don’t want to run to the store? We got you. Our mobile IV service brings registered nurses and IVs packed with vitamin C straight to your door. They’ll administer the treatment of your choosing to help you get back on your feet again in no time.
Using Zinc for the Common Cold and Flu
Did you know that zinc can help treat and prevent a cold too? It works similarly to vitamin C and can shorten a cold by up to 24 hours in adults.
The Mayo Clinic also reported that zinc reduces the length of a cold by one day, especially when taken within 24 hours of the first signs and symptoms of a cold.
When it comes to the flu, zinc helps your body fight the virus and may slow down how fast it multiplies, according to Healthline.
Glutathione Boosts Your Immune Response
If you want flu prevention, then look no further than glutathione. Glutathione is the “mother of antioxidants” that boosts your immune system and actively stops the flu virus from multiplying once it’s in your system.
It goes deeper than that too. The Institute of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine found that 25% of participants who received glutathione got the flu, compared to 79% in the placebo group. Don’t want the flu? Glutathione is your best bet.
Not sure where to get it? We’ve got you covered there too. Give us a call and we’ll get you hooked up to an IV in no time to both protect you and help you get back on your feet in no time so you don’t miss a moment of holiday cheer.