Don't catch cooties this cold-season!

Fall is upon us! And while that means pumpkin spice lattes and riding boots, it also means it’s cold season and the sniffles and sneezes are on also on their way.

Hopefully you’ve already gotten your flu shot, so congrats to you for starting the season off on the right foot health-wise.

We are in constant contact with everyone every day. You never know when people are sick; sometimes they don’t even know when they’re sick! To stay in tip-top shape this year, you need to be proactive in protecting yourself from cold and flu season.

Here’s how:

Always have hand sanitizer on hand. Always. Keep one in your car, in your purse, and in the pocket of your favorite coat. Don’t get caught off guard.
Up your Vitamin C intake. Vitamin C helps boost your immunity. Emergen-C and Air Borne are long time pharmacist and doctor favorites of the super vitamin.
Drink tea. Warm tea helps keep your body auto-regulated so it is not having to adjust to the constant temperature changes. Drink it with honey, and you get the natural antibiotics that are present in raw honey.

sweetlemoncold by kkn1120 featuring a tea press

Already coming down with something?

Avoid dairy. Feeling a little mucus-y? The dairy thickens the mucus and will make the cough much worse.
Stay hydrated. The regulation system that gets kicked into gear takes up a lot of your body’s water and energy.
Know what you’re taking. Expectorants like Mucinex or guaifenisen are only useful if you are having chest congestion or a productive (chunky) cough. If it is a dry cough, try something with dextromethorphan (be prepared to show ID for it) and pop a cough drop. If it is mostly nasal congestion, Sudafed will definitely relieve some of that pressure (also be prepared to have the ID scanned). Take a look at the active ingredients so you’re not taking double doses of medicine. For example, the ingredients in Dayquil and Tylenol Cold are practically the same. Taking both may do you more harm than good.

Be prepared and fight the cold before it even starts!

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Featured image via The Singing Sunflower.