How to Be Prepared for the Cold & Flu Season

Unbelievably, summer is already gone, kids are back in school (moms say, Yea!), beautiful Indian summer is here, and just around the corner is the flu, cold and winter season. Are you prepared ahead of time to curb the effects of these upcoming inevitable ailments?

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 
    

   Be prepared now. I have always been one susceptible to pneumonia so I make sure I get my shot for that every 5 years as I am instructed by my doctor. However, flu shots are administered yearly, being offered almost everywhere, right now. Take advantage of this in your area.
   They say that taking Vitamin C, Zinc and Echinacea helps to ward off the old common cold if taken well before the cold is here. This is the time to start taking these preventative vitamin supplements. You know once the kids are in school they are exposed to a lot of other kids that are not always the healthiest, and they bring home all kinds of illnesses and viruses. What can you do? You certainly can't tell them logically "Stay away from sick kids!" We certainly don't want to teach our kids to be judgmental or biased to anyone whatever the reason.

2. 
    

   Problems do not always exist at home. Sometimes it can be at work where someone feels they cannot stay home even if sick, or out shopping, anywhere actually, there can be exposure. Those are all situations out of our hands.
   We can't prevent where we are exposed to other people carrying germs but we can be in control of our own preventative measures. Read up and stock up on the above mentioned vitamins and how much you need to take according to instructions, stock up your medicine cabinet now with Mucinex or generics, your most effective and favorite cough syrups, decongestants, antihistamines, cough drops/tablets, and so forth. Of course, the best thing to have on hand if you have very small children is a vaporizer. I am sure you know what you have had to use in past years and be ready when a cold tries to hit you and your family. You know how it is, when you least expect it, like 2 AM, who will find someone needing one of these things. Emergencies never seem to happen at the peak of daylight when all stores are open.

3. 
    

   Start a treatment at the very first sign of a cold approaching, the light sneezing, scratchy throat, minor coughing, fever coming on . . . whatever the symptoms usually are for you and your family that "I think I am coming down with a cold". That is the time to start treating it, not when you can no longer breathe. I hope my tips and advice can ward off and prolong the nasty ailments that seem to be associated with winter season.

[cajungurl1947]

on 10/4/2009 great tips on preparing for the cold an flu season thanks

[kristara]

on 9/28/2009 Great tips to be prepared for colds and flu 5*