Cold and flu

most common human diseases

Fever, aches and pains, sneezing, blocked nose, coughs – we’ve all been there. The cause is usually cold or flu. In fact, the common cold is the most common human disease¹, and the flu (influenza) virus accounts for between 3 and 5 millions of severe cases annually².

Your immune system versus cold and flu

Once an infection is detected, your healthy immune system amps up its defences to fight the pathogen (infectious microorganism). Fever is your body turning up the heat to fight off infection. Healthy immune function can help speed up recovery and prevent any post-viral respiratory complications³.

Avoiding cold and flu

While avoiding the common cold and the flu virus is more difficult during the fall and winter seasons, you can follow a few simple rules to reduce the risk of infection.

Healthy diet It’s no secret that a healthy, balanced diet is essential for good health. Proper nutrition is linked with your body’s immune response⁴. A balanced diet should include daily fruit and green vegetables, wholegrain bread, cereals, moderate amounts of dairy, and small amounts of meat and fish.
Vitamins and minerals: following a healthy, balanced diet should provide your body with adequate levels of essential vitamins and minerals. But you can add a vitamin and mineral supplement like Redoxon to your diet to make sure your body has everything it needs to maintain a healthy, strong immune system⁵.
Vaccination: Anyone over the age of six months of age can get a flu vaccine every year⁶. You should consult your doctor before vaccinating in case you have allergies or other conditions.
Good hygiene: The key to avoiding illness to is to reduce your exposure to germs, so practicing good hygiene becomes even more important when you are trying to stay healthy³. You should always wash your hands thoroughly before touching or preparing food, and before inserting your contact lenses or any other activity that requires you to touch your eyes, face or mouth.
Keep personal items personal: A single sick person can pass the flu virus to an entire family, or a group of coworkers³. That’s because the flu virus can survive for up to 24 hours on most surfaces, giving it plenty of time to infect multiple people. Do not share any personal items, like toothbrushes, towels, clothes, eating utensils or drinking glasses.
Get your exercise: Regular exercise helps keep your immune system healthy³ and reduces stress and inflammation, and it keeps white blood cells moving to help your immune system fight infection.
Relax and sleep well: there is a correlation between prolonged mental stress and physical illness³. That’s why avoiding stress and getting adequate sleep supports your immune system and can improve your overall health.

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What to do when you are suffering from cold and flu?

Whether you are suffering from a common cold or the flu, your doctor will always recommend the best treatment and medication. But there are some things you can do to relieve symptoms as your body is fighting the illness.

Stay home and get plenty of rest. Let your immune system do the work in peace and avoid spreading the virus to coworkers or colleagues.
Stay hydrated. You can drink water, fruit juice, chicken soup or even sports drinks. Your body needs the liquid to avoid congestion in your sinuses and lungs.
Increase humidity. Vaporizers and humidifiers can help ease your congestion if the air in your home is dry.

A sick boy lies in bed and blows his nose in a tissue

References:

Eccles, Ronald; Weber, Olaf (2009). Common cold. Basel: Birkhäuser. p. 3. ISBN 978-3-7643-9894-1. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016.
Nguyen HH et al, What is the global incidence of influenza?
https://www.medscape.com/answers/219557-3459/what-is-the-global-incidence-ofinfluenza#:~:text=The%20duration%20and%20severity%20of,about%20250%2C000%20to%20500%2C000%20deaths
How to prevent infections. Harvard Medical School, 2016. (Accessed 10/02/2020, at
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-to-prevent-infections.)
Song et al, 2019; Patel et al 2012 and Gombart et al 2020.
Gombart AF, Pierre A, Maggini S. A Review of Micronutrients and the Immune System-Working in Harmony to Reduce the Risk of Infection. Nutrients 2020;12.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/vaccinations.htm

Build your immunity

Looking for ways to strengthen your immunity? Check out helpful articles on supporting the immune system and learn how to build your resilience with Redoxon!