Wednesday, October 16, 2019

You Can Stop Colds From Ruining Your Day, A Health Product Review

The Seasons are changing again.  We just has the most beautiful Full Hunter's Moon over the weekend and Fall colors are being painted on the trees!  It's time to think about how to keep ourselves healthy during cold and Flu season.  I have already tasted the first snow fall during my holidays, so I know that the dreaded sniffles, coughs and colds are just around the corner.  This year I will be ready to tackle the colds before they get a chance to ruin my fall and winter.

Let's review some interesting facts about colds and flu! Then let's become ambassadors for eliminating many of the common reasons that colds seem to spread.
girl with a cold
Did you know:


  • Colds are minor infections of the nose and throat caused by more than 200 different viruses...
  • A cold may last for about one week, but some colds last longer, especially in children, the elderly and those in poor health.
  • In the United States, colds account for more visits to the doctor than any other condition.
  • Adults get an average of two to four colds per year, mostly between September and May.
  • Young children suffer from an average of six to eight colds per year.
  • Colds are highly contagious.  They most often spread when droplets of fluid that contain a cold virus are transferred by touch.  These droplets may also be inhaled.
Colds and flu are one of the most preventable diseases that afflict our society. ** The American Lung Association



How to Avoid Catching a Cold or the Flu


The #1 way to keep from getting a cold or the flu, is to wash your hands.  Wash them every time you are out and come back home.  All hard surfaces like door handles, shopping carts and counters are breeding places for cold germs.  Even breathing next to someone who has a cold can be the reason you get sick.  Covering your mouth and nose with a handkerchief when sneezing or coughing is advisable.  If you don't have a Kleenex handy, then cough or sneeze into your bent arm.  The germs will land inside your elbow and not on your hands.

Using your hand as a shield only makes it worse because now everything that you touch is germ laden.  Don't do that!  

When I was working in the hospitals, they encouraged everyone to use the hand sanitizers often.  It worked well in that environment and I know that they would work  well in your family too.  Have some hand sanitizer in your purse or backpack at all times.  Train yourself to keep your hands away from your mouth and nose.  If you must touch your own face, use sanitizer before you blow your own nose or wipe your eyes.  When you get home wash your hands well.  




If you still manage to get a cold after all of the precautions have been taken, make sure you have some gentle, but effective Vicks VapoRub on hand to help with breathing and keeping your nasal passages open.  This happens to be my favorite brand, but there are others.  Or you can also get herbal rubs to help with breathing and sinuses.  Eucalyptus and menthol are the active ingredients in most rubs.


Keep Kleenex or paper hankies available and if your nose is really sore from wiping and blowing, have a good scent free lotion or cream to keep the skin moist. 

If your cold is bad enough, please learn to stay home until you are feeling better.   Grab your favorite blanket and teddy bear and just rest.   Work will get along without you for a day or two.  Even your boss would rather see you at home, getting better, than coming in to work to make everyone else sick. 

Because the average cold is a virus related illness, there are no magic pills that will make you feel better.  Treating the symptoms is your only way to the road to recovery.  Drink lots of fluids to keep you hydrated.  Even if you lose your appetite, you should eat healthy meals.  Soups and stews are great comfort food and easy to down with a sore throat.  Taking a good multivitamin even when you are healthy is a good idea.  

If your cold seems to be getting worse instead of better, then you might want to give your doctor a call.  If you have problems breathing, pain in your chest, high fever or pain in your ears, then a trip to the doctor is a good idea.  Sometimes a simple cold can lead to other ailments that will require medical help.  

I hope that knowing the facts about colds and flu help you and your family get through the coming winter months! 

***Olivia is not a medical practitioner and this information is for your benefit.  If you are sick and not sure if it's a cold or a bacteria infection, call your doctor!


Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


15 comments:

  1. Olivia, good advice on how to both prevent a cold and treat one. I think the sudden switch from Summer to Fall/Winter catches us by surprise and those cold viruses begin to circulate. Common sense practices for prevention and treatment work well. Good reminders here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometimes we all need reminders about what to do and not to do during cold season. My biggest thing to remember is to check my levels of Vicks VapoRub and make sure I have some on hand when I need it. I'm just a Vick's kind of gal.

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  2. Great reminders for how to avoid catching a cold or the flu, and excellent advice on how to behave when you are sick. I really wish people would learn to stay home when they have a cold or the flu. I hate going to the grocery store and being around people who clearly should be home, especially if it is the checker.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh I so agree with you. The checker at the grocery store should be sent home if they have a cold! Everything they have touched has become a germ factory and that is truly upsetting, because they have to touch almost everything in your cart. Washing your hands is the best practice, before, after and during the day.

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  3. Fan of Vicks! **as I recover from a cold!**

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too Tracey, I'm a life long Vick's fan and always will be! Hope you feel better soon.

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  4. Very timely article. I just read that it is supposed to be a bad flu season. Got my flu shot today and plan to use your tips for staying healthy. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to hear that you are taking the right steps to stay healthy this fall/winter season. Wash your hands often or use santizer to keep the germs at bay. Here's to staying cold free this year.

      Delete
  5. Haven't had a cold or the flu for over 35 years. Appreciated your old fashioned advice

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So happy that you have been so healthy for so long. Not many people can say that! When a cold does hit, that Vick's is the first thing I reach for. It is just so comforting to feel warm and being able to breathe in the menthol....

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  6. Olivia, thanks for the heads-up and tips. We're heading into that season, and it makes me nervous for the ones in my family who always seem to catch everything. Since I have an overactive immune system (not in a good way), I haven't had a cold or flu in 10 or 15 years or longer. It's crazy. My body is self healing and self destructing. I'm working at keeping things in check though.

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  7. Here's to staying healthy Barbara. Lucky you that you don't catch everything. Or if you do that you heal quickly. Having a stash of Vick's on hand just in case you do need it, is a good thing. It doesn't expire in it's effectiveness, and can be quite soothing.

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  8. Having just recovered from a long, nasty cold (courtesy of my generous husband, lol), I really appreciate this sound advice. I keep hand sanitizer in all the bathrooms and next to the kitchen sink and often use it after washing my hands - especially when one of us is sick!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great, now you need to put some in your handbag. Germs in stores, shopping malls, and other public places will catch you when you least expect it. Getting into the habit of using it is big and getting out of the habit of touching our faces when we are in public is huge too!

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    2. I agree completely and do keep some in my purses as well.

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