Colds and flu: Tips to protect your loved ones and relieve your symptoms

If you’ve caught a cold or the flu, here is some advice to protect your loved ones, and help relieve your symptoms.

Tip 1: If possible, stay home, especially if you have the flu.

This will allow you to rest while making sure you don’t spread the virus to your colleagues. Also avoid visiting loved ones who have a chronic illness or whose health is fragile due to age or a problem with their immune system.

Tip 2: Wash your hands often!

Warm water and ordinary soap are just fine. The important thing is to scrub your hands thoroughly and to wash your hands as often as necessary.

Tip 3: Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing!

When you cough or sneeze, you are propelling millions of infected droplets into the air, each of which could contaminate your surroundings. Try to cover your mouth with a tissue or to cough or sneeze into your elbow. Don’t forget to wash your hands afterwards!

Tip 4: Treat symptoms if they prevent you from sleeping or carrying about your daily tasks.

For nasal congestion, opt for saline solutions (sprays or irrigations). They are effective and safe for anyone.

A cough is a bothersome symptom for which we have no really effective solution. Over-the-counter cough syrups can help a bit, but they don’t work miracles. Lozenges, gum or a teaspoon of honey are other ways of temporarily easing a cough.

It has been shown in recent studies that a cough tends to be the symptom that lasts the longest, often for several weeks after the initial infection has disappeared.

Muscle aches and headaches usually respond well to non-prescription analgesics, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Make sure to respect the dosage indicated on the label. When it comes to children, always use their weight, not their age, to determine the correct dose.

Avoid using all-in-one products, especially if you are taking other products as well, because you risk taking a double dose of certain ingredients. It is also likely that you don’t need all of the ingredients contained in the combination product.

If you need help relieving your symptoms, don’t hesitate to consult your pharmacist!