We have passed the part of the winter season where the snow is new and beautiful. For many, it has become a nuisance, something that we have to remove daily and plan our driving around. Additionally, the cold air does not seem to let up. This is also the time of year when people notice an increase in cold and flu symptoms. Winter will still be around for a few more months, make sure you and your family are prepared for the prevention of the common cold and the flu.
Be cognizant of germs and illnesses
As soon as we feel like we have made it through the winter season without getting sick, the cold or flu hits us head on. It is important to remain cognizant throughout the entire winter season. If you do develop cold or flu symptoms, make sure you are preventing it from being spread to your family members or coworkers. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Know when to stay home and relax. Take over the counter medications to reduce the effects of the symptoms. Keep eating healthy throughout the year to fight off these common symptoms.
Avoid going into public when you are feeling ill
Many people push through work or school despite common cold or flu symptoms. Although you might feel like you can?t stay home, sometimes it makes more sense to. You are less likely to be productive and you are more likely to spread the illness to your coworkers or classroom students. One of the biggest problems with spreading the common cold is that people do not avoid going into public when they are the most contagious. If you are questioning whether or not you should go into work, consider visiting a local urgent care center. You can ask the best doctors for a diagnosis, over the counter medication, and consultation on your ability to return to work or school.
Wash and sanitize your hands regularly
Washing your hands is the single best thing that you can do to prevent the spread of illness. You will find that young children tend to pick up the majority of illnesses spreading around their school. This is because they are not yet aware of the importance of regular hand washing. Although you should wash your hands after every bathroom visit, you should also wash them frequently throughout the day. Wash or sanitize before and after eating meals, after touching your face, or after touching another being. An estimated 3 million patients visit urgent care centers each week, according to the Urgent Care Association of America and many of these visits are related to the common cold.
Seek medical consultation
Most people push through cold and flu symptoms without ever seeing a physician. Although you do not necessarily have to see a physician during the common cold symptoms, you should seek medical consultation if your symptoms do not go away or if they get much worse over time. With over 20,000 physicians practicing urgent care medicine today, you can easily seek medical consultation on your own schedule. You can even visit a local 24 hour urgent care center. Additionally, you will find that urgent care physicians see a lot of cold and flu symptoms. In fact, the most common diagnosis in an urgent care clinic was upper respiratory infection in 2012.
We are right in the middle of the common cold and flu symptoms season. Many people will come down with at least a couple of the symptoms of each common condition. Make sure you are practicing the proper prevention techniques and that you are preventing the spread of illness, if you do come down with one of these common medical conditions.