It’s that time of year again—the dreaded cold and flu season. While many may have their family doctor in White Salmon, WA on speed dial, ready to call when they or their children inevitably get sick, there is a multitude of ways to prevent viruses from plaguing your household. Take these preventative measures and you’ll vastly increase your family’s chances of keeping the cold and flu at bay all winter long:
Wash Your Hands
With every object you touch throughout each day, you pick up germs with it. Many viruses including those that cause the cold and the flu are spread when individuals touch common items, pick up germs, and then touch their mouths or eyes. Germs can be picked up from nearly any surface, from your phone and your keyboard to doors and writing utensils. While avoiding touching these everyday items will likely prove to be a challenge, washing your hands is simple. Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, using soap and warm water to kill germs and keep them from spreading.
Get Yourself a Flu Shot
While the flu may be far from your mind in the fall months, it’s important to take proper precautions early to prevent the virus before it strikes during flu season. The flu can affect you for days, keeping you out of work and your kids out of school, and it can be quite dangerous for certain individuals. To prevent it from entering your household, visit your family doctor in White Salmon, WA and ask for a flu shot before you begin hearing of friends and family members who have been affected.
Be Prepared
Although frequent hand washing and the flu shot will significantly reduce your chances of catching a cold or the flu this winter, you may find yourself with one of the resilient viruses anyway. No one expects to get the cold or flu at any specific time, and that’s why it’s important to be prepared as if you could get sick at any time. Stock your medicine cabinet with any cough syrups or medication your family normally uses and be sure to keep plenty of tissue, soap and hand sanitizer in the house and ready to use. Make sure your thermometer battery still works, and pay a quick visit to the grocery store to purchase fluids that will keep you hydrated, herbal tea and cough drops. Simple comfort foods like chicken noodle soup won’t hurt either.
Catching a cold or the flu can severely disrupt an individual’s life for days and sometimes weeks. While someone you know is likely to fall victim to a virus, you can protect yourself by taking the above measures. Be sure to prepare before a cold or flu strikes, and if you do find yourself battling one or the other, there’s only one thing to do—get some rest. Do yourself and others a favor and stay home from work or keep your children home from school. Take a day or two to relax, drink plenty of fluids and keep yourself comfortable while you wait it out.