WHILE AUTUMN MAY BRING the wonderful elements of cosy jumpers, hot chocolates and crisp leaves beneath your feet, it also brings one not-so-welcome visitor every year – the influenza virus.
What can begin as a seemingly simple cold can quickly develop into an achy, energy-draining, sweat-drenched nightmare that can often keep you from climbing out of bed or off the couch for a full week.
So, what can we do to arm ourselves against it, then? Chris McGarrity, Supervising Pharmacist at LloydsPharmacy in Letterkenny shares the inside track on how to protect yourself against the flu this winter.
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Why do our immune systems take a dive for the worst when the winter comes? As the New York Times claims, the winter weather creates a perfect environment to stabilise viruses. Like McGarrity explains: “When the air is cold and dry the virus particles remain in the air longer. Therefore we’re more likely to breathe them in and contract the flu.”
To combat it, McGarrity suggests finding a multivitamin with vitamin C, B6 and E in it, such as Pharmaton. Vitamin C helps our immune cells kill pathogens, while B6 provides building blocks for antibodies. Vitamin E on the other hand work by protecting cells from damage caused by free radicals.
There’s something else that McGarrity often recommends to his customers to boost their immunity against the flu – echinacea drops, which can be used everyday to “stimulate your immune system and have it on high alert”. This is due to four different compounds which can boost immunity in specific species of the plant.
Mayo Clinic explains that echinacea can both shorten the duration of a cold and reduce the severity of your symptoms, while some studies suggest taking it can decrease your chances of developing a cold by up to 20%, though it is important that those with autoimmune diseases avoid the supplement.
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Although McGarrity wouldn’t put anybody off getting a flu injection this winter, there are particular groups he advises that absolutely should: these include over 65s, those with chronic illnesses, diabetes, lung and heart disease, immune system issues, pregnant women, healthcare workers and carers and those in close contact with poultry/swine.
While the flu should only take a week’s recovery if you’re healthy, “those in the at-risk groups can’t fight it as well and sometimes you get hospitalisations and end up having it for a longer time and experiencing symptoms more severely. If you’re finding you are just not getting better, that would be a big one to go to the doctor for these groups.”
One group he includes not for their immunity level or occupational hazard, but more for practicality – the self-employed.
“Although you may be over the fever, you’ll probably be fatigued for a few weeks. If you can’t afford to be off that time around Christmas, you should really be getting the flu vaccine, especially if you’re the partner of a healthcare worker, farmer or carer as they’ll be more at risk of carrying it”, urges McGarrity.
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Bad at picking up on when your cold could be something a lot worse? “The main difference between a cold and flu is the fever and aches a pains. You can experience dehydration because of the high temperature and sweating and exhaustion.” You can compare your exact symptoms with the Centres for Disease Control guide here.
Generally, McGarrity says that healthy people won’t usually need to attend a doctor with the flu, but “if you have severe chest problems, are getting shortness of breath or have severe asthma, chances are you’ll end up at the doctor”, and while antibiotics are not advised for a flu, it’s important that they rule out secondary, bacterial infections.
Whether you think that it’s likely that you will contract the flu or not, it’s worth preparing your household with the few things that will help, says McGarrity. “Stock up on painkillers – you can take paracetamol for your temperature and ibuprofen for your aches and pains, they are safe to take together”. This is also recommended by Mayo Clinic.
There are a number of Mayo Clinic-approved over the counter remedies that can soothe specific symptoms, lots of which McGarrity also recommends: “You can also get cold and flu remedies such as decongestants for your stuffiness and throat sprays or lozenges for your throat.”
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One of the worst parts about having a flu, or a cold for that matter is how red raw your poor nose can quickly become, but they’re not caused by what you’d think, says McGarrity: “That’s mainly from bad tissues would you believe.”
His advice to avoid this would be two-pronged. “Nasal spray will stop you getting so blocked up and reduce the number of times you need to blow your nose. Secondly, invest in a good packet of tissues with aloe vera that are two-ply and soft.”
Feeling better? Take an extra day, says Garrity: “A lot of people make the mistake of going back to work too quickly, it’ll be at least a week and even if you’re feeling better take the week because your body will need it”. Harvard Health confirms that for healthy people, flus usually last between five and seven days.
Harvard shares that all three flu virus types are usually spread by “droplets of saliva that become airborne when someone sneezes or coughs.” For this reason McGarrity suggests “using alcohol hand gels, washing your hands regularly, especially in public, being careful touching buttons and then touching your nose, mouth or eyes, and washing hard surfaces once a day.” He reminds: “The flu virus can live on a hard surface for 24 hours.”
Worried about flu season? LloydsPharmacy is a one-stop shop for all of your flu protection and prevention needs – they even offer flu vaccinations and free advice if you do find yourself or a loved one ends up developing the flu this year. Find your nearest LloydsPharmacy here.
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