Prevention

• Try to avoid contact with people who are sick, especially during the first three days that they are experiencing symptoms.
• Avoiding rubbing your eyes or nose unless you have just washed your hands.
• Wash your hands frequently.
• Drink lots of fluids- even when you don’t feel sick.  This flushes out your body and keeps you hydrated.
• Use a sauna if it’s available.  Researchers aren’t sure why, but people who use saunas at least twice a week seem to get half the number of colds as people who don’t.
• Get fresh air.  Central heating can dry you out and make you more vulnerable to viruses.  Since people tend to stay indoors during the winter, there are also more cold germs floating around inside.
• Get aerobic exercise.  This keeps your blood pumping and the oxygen flowing through your body.  It will make your immune system stronger for battling viruses and germs.
• Humidify dry air.
• Don’t smoke.  Cigarette smoke dries out your nasal passages and keeps the little hairs which catch germs from working.
• Eat dark green, red, and yellow vegetables and fruits.
• Relax.  Stress weakens your immune system.

Vaccination
There is a flu shot that can be administered at the beginning of the flu season.  Although it generally is only geared towards one strain of the flu, it is definitely worth everyone getting for the extra protection.  Children, people with weakened immune systems and the elderly should always receive flu shots.

Treatments
Most health experts will agree that the best treatment for a cold or flu is the same as it’s always been - resting in bed, keeping warm, drinking lots of fluids, maybe taking pain reliever and having some good old chicken soup to soothe that scratchy throat.

Here are some other methods which people commonly employ: 

Antiviral Medications (Flu only)

In recent years, some antiviral medications have been developed to help combat the flu. If you catch flu symptoms within the first 1-2 days of catching the virus, these medications may work well for you. You have to ask your doctor for his/her particular recommendations.

Decongestants

One of the ways that your immune system responds to the cold or flu virus is by swelling and expanding the blood vessels in the membranes of your nose and air passageways. This results in what people call “congestion”- that feeling of pressure across your face and in your nose. Taking a decongestant helps to constrict these blood vessels, relieve the pressure and open your airways again. Decongestants are related to adrenaline and therefore are stimulants. You may feel jittery while taking them or have trouble sleeping. Make sure to read and follow the instructions on the package.

Vitamin C

One of the most popular remedies or preventative substances has always been Vitamin C. People supplement with Vitamin C pills in the winter or buy cough drops fortified with Vitamin C. Unfortunately there has been no evidence that Vitamin C does anything to prevent either of the viruses or lessen their symptoms. If you take too much Vitamin C, you might have some complications like diarrhea.

Cough Suppressants

A cough is part of your body’s healing process. Coughing brings up germs and mucus from your lungs. Over-the-counter cough suppressants are okay to take if you need relief from a very bad cough, but they should not be taken for extended periods of time. Taking cough suppressants may also make the virus linger longer. Make sure to follow the instructions on the package closely.

Pain Killers

A simple, safe painkiller will relieve headaches, muscle aches and some of the pressure you feel. Anything stronger than regular over-the-counter pills is unnecessary. Make sure to read and follow the dosage instructions on the package.

Echinacea

Echinacea is an herb which many people have started using to combat cold and flu symptoms.  Because it is an herbal remedy and not a regulated drug, there is a huge variety of Echinacea products out on the market.  There are many different types of the plant itself, and where it is grown or what part of the plant is used in the remedy are all going to make a difference in its effects.  So far, there have been no studies that have confirmed its usefulness in reducing cold symptoms, but there is no real harm in trying it for a few days to see if it works.

Zinc

In some tests zinc (which is one of the minerals our bodies need to maintain immunity) has been shown to interfere with how cold viruses replicate. However, there is not yet any evidence that zinc behaves this way in the human body.  Too much zinc can actually impair the immune system, lower HDL (your “good” cholesterol), cause nausea and lead to a copper deficiency.

 

Zinc is available on the market in the form of lozenges, which vary in strength and have not been consistently shown to work, or in the form of nasal sprays and gels which may help reduce symptoms if taken at the very first signs of a cold.

Nasal Sprays

Over-the-counter nasal sprays are usually decongestants that are directly absorbed by your nasal membranes rather than being ingested in pill form.  Though nasal sprays generally will relieve the pressure and clear your nose, it will only be temporary. Also, they cause what are known as a “bounce-back” wherein the user is only relieved of symptoms when on the drug. When it wears off, the symptoms come on stronger than ever- drawing out a cold indefinitely. Sometimes it becomes so severe that users have to be “weaned” off of the nasal decongestants slowly.  This is why most have a warning that they should “not be used for more than 3 days.” In general, nasal sprays should be a last resort.

What Not to Take

• Antibiotics will NOT cure a cold or the flu.  Antibiotics combat bacterial infections but both the cold and the flu are viruses.  If you don’t have a bacterial infection and you take antibiotics, they may wipe out the bacteria that naturally occur in your body.  This can cause nausea and diarrhea.  Finally, overuse of antibiotics helps serious forms of bacterial diseases become resistant to antibiotics.  This means that when you really need them to do their job, they may not work.
• Also avoid caffeine and alcohol as these substances dry out your body.  While you are sick with a cold or the flu there’s nothing your body needs more than to stay well hydrated.