Cold season. How to avoid a cold - prevention of colds Cold season
Frost and sun, wonderful day .. or not? The cold season can be filled with magical moments, but a cold or flu can easily ruin both workdays and a long-awaited vacation with your family. How to protect yourself and loved ones from the flu and SARS? Now we'll tell you everything.
Colds are gaining strength at the beginning of winter and can ruin both New Year's holidays and all vacations. To maintain health, strength and good mood for loved ones, it is worthwhile to prevent influenza and SARS. Viral diseases and common colds can be prevented if the necessary preventive measures are taken. Agree, prevention of disease is better than cure.
If you are going to defeat the disease, you need to get to know your opponent well. There are quite a lot of seasonal viral diseases, but often all of them, without understanding, are called with one word “cold”. How is influenza different from SARS? The simplest answer would be “everything”, but we are not looking for easy ways.
Let's start with terminology- “flu” is translated from French as “grab, scratch”, and if you have ever experienced this disease, you understand why it got such a name. In general, influenza, acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections are diseases that are initially caused by different viruses and differ in both symptoms and the course of the disease.
There are over 200 viruses that cause colds.
We will answer the most common questions about the differences between these diseases.
How is the flu different from a cold?
Cold- a household name that denotes any ailment caused by viruses or ordinary hypothermia. With the flu, all these ailments have in common a number of common symptoms, but the very course of the disease will not allow you to confuse the flu with a cold. Even in a healthy person with a strong immune system, influenza occurs with symptoms of intoxication - aches in the joints, pain in the eyeballs, may be accompanied by nausea and chills, this disease is also characterized by temperature fluctuations that stay above the norm from 2 days to a week, and a severe headache .
If the body is weakened or the immune system is unstable, as is the case in children, the elderly and pregnant women, the flu is more severe, can cause convulsions and lead to pneumonia (pneumonia) or other respiratory diseases, so they are most vulnerable during epidemics.
At the beginning of the course of the disease, influenza is characterized by a dry cough, but if complications occur, sputum may appear, as with bronchitis. Colds pass faster and do not require a long recovery, while after the flu, a long recovery period is required with dizziness and blood pressure drops.
What is the difference between ARI and SARS?
ARI and SARS- abbreviations that are often confused, which is not surprising - these groups of diseases are almost identical. ORZ stands for acute respiratory disease, and ARVI stands for acute respiratory viral infection. Thus, the main difference between them is the viral nature, acute respiratory infections can be limited to one patient, and SARS has the ability to be transmitted.
Thus, influenza viruses are included in the concept of SARS, and before establishing an accurate diagnosis - determining a specific infection that has appeared in the human body - these four letters make up the first diagnosis in patients.
Usually colds occur in the off-season, and often we wonder how not to get a cold in the fall, but the most dangerous flu epidemics are in the winter-spring period, with outbreaks especially common in February and March. If you care about your health, then you should prevent a cold at an early stage or protect yourself from it altogether with the help of preventive measures.
First of all, general measures to maintain immunity are relevant - high-quality nutrition, multivitamins, exercise. To prevent the onset of a cold at an early stage, it is enough to follow basic precautions:
- avoid hypothermia, especially freezing of the legs and nose, since a weakened body can become infected faster;
- try to avoid contact with patients;
- wash everything regularly that get into public places with you, especially during epidemics, including outerwear, since viruses can be stored in it for a long time;
- if you have a runny nose, use disposable handkerchiefs, so as not to become a “mobile home” of a bacterial colony;
- during epidemics or if you yourself have caught the virus and have to be on the street or in a public place, you need to wear a sterile medical mask, and change masks at least once every 4 hours.
Also, when answering the question of how to prevent the disease, you need to remember the rules of hygiene when visiting public places - be sure clean hands and face after visiting public transport and public places.
If the disease has already affected your household, you should think about how not to get ARVI from a patient, since often the disease can capture everyone living in the house in a circle. If there is a sick person with SARS or flu in the house, then after contact with him, you should be especially careful in hygiene. In a room with a patient, you need to regularly ventilate, this will benefit both the sick person and healthy household members.
Through ventilation is most effective, but it can adversely affect the patient's condition. To update the air in the room without, it is better to use it - it will supply fresh air to the room in a timely manner without the street cold, as well as dirt, dust and allergens due to several stages of filtration.
During epidemics, ordinary precautions may not be enough, and it is worth including “heavy artillery” in the form of folk remedies and medicines.
Before highlighting folk remedies for flu and colds, we remind you that the treatment of diseases must be carried out under the supervision of a qualified doctor, and these methods can only be used as prevention, self-medication can be dangerous to health.
The most common folk remedies include:
Garlic
If eating garlic for some reason is not possible, inhalation can be done: grate a few cloves of garlic and half a small onion head and breathe over the mixture.
vitamins
Winter and the beginning of spring are often accompanied by a massive one - if the body is deficient in vitamins, then it is more difficult for it to resist diseases. Therefore, most of the popular methods of preventing influenza are taken by vitamins - they are replenished through the use of honey, berry fruit drinks, cranberries and lingonberries, herbal decoctions, rose hips, aloe and other plants are especially effective. In addition, it is recommended to consume lemons and ascorbic acid - at least 500 mg per day - and drink more fluids.
Inhalations
At an early stage of colds, the first “swallow” is a runny nose. Inhalations can be carried out using essential oils. To do this, 500 ml of water is heated in a small saucepan to a boil, after which oil is added to the water - usually eucalyptus or mint - and the fragrant steam is breathed under a towel for 10-15 minutes. Also for inhalation, you can use decoctions of sage, oregano, lavender or other herbs, as well as steam of freshly boiled potatoes. Such “breathing” slightly reduces the risk of catching an infection, but helps to restore the nasal mucosa and get rid of a runny nose.
Folk remedies have their pros and cons. Their advantages include:
- availability: both recipes and ingredients are easy to find in any store at low prices;
- minimal side effects: even if the chosen remedy does not help prevent the disease, there will be no harm from it either;
- no contraindications they can be used during pregnancy and while breastfeeding;
- they are universal, as they support immunity in general, and are not aimed at a specific virus.
The disadvantages of folk remedies include low efficiency- in order for them to have an effect, you need to practice them constantly. Such prevention is more a way of life than a set of measures.
Prevention of influenza and SARS, the drugs for which you find in a pharmacy, is more effective than traditional methods. Medicines work effectively if they are used according to the instructions. Today, there are many drugs to prevent diseases, first of all, they support our immunity. The fact is that due to the variety of viruses, it is impossible to invent pills for influenza - what wins one strain of the virus is not suitable for fighting another. Respectively, drugs are divided according to known influenza modifications and types of drugs.
- Exist individual drugs against influenza A, they are used as prescribed by a doctor, they shorten the course of the disease, and the symptoms become less pronounced.
- Antiviral drugs are used to treat and prevent influenza A and B. Such drugs are used during epidemics in contact with an infected person according to the instructions.
- Homeopathic remedies for flu most often syrups can be used to prevent flu and colds in children.
- Complex soluble powders with paracetamol, which are most often used as an answer to the question “What to take to prevent a cold?” they are characterized by a high speed of work and almost immediately relieve the symptoms of the disease, however, they have a strong effect on the gastrointestinal tract and liver, so it is not recommended to use them for prevention.
- Nasal drops most often used when in contact with a sick SARS, so as not to catch the virus. Among them there are both preventive and stronger drugs. For example, nose drops for flu and colds are used at any stage of the disease, and some of them also help fight the destruction of the nasal mucosa. The doctor will help you choose the right drops, in accordance with the characteristics of the body and the stage of the disease.
- Often used to prevent influenza ointment in the nose. The locality of their impact allows the use of ointments even during pregnancy and lactation.
Whether to get a flu shot
The flu shot is one of the most talked about ways to protect against illness. It is considered most effective if the vaccine is chosen correctly and matches the current strain. The task of vaccination is to strengthen the immune system, start the production of antibodies and prevent infection. There are several vaccines, it is best to choose the right one together with your doctor. When answering the question of whether it is possible to get a flu shot, the doctor considers the general history and condition of the body.
- pregnant women
- patients with diabetes,
- people with cardiovascular disease,
- patients with immunodeficiency
- preschoolers.
After the vaccine, in the first days there may be an increase in temperature and slight weakness. Vaccination is prohibited if symptoms of the disease appear.
Pregnancy lasts 9 months and captures at least three seasons. Summer is short, autumn and spring are slushy, winter is long. The risk of catching a cold increases in the cold that accompanies a significant part of pregnancy...
Colds often include acute infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract - acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI). The upper respiratory tract consists of the nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea and bronchi.
During pregnancy, a woman's body is rebuilt due to hormonal changes. The immune system starts to work differently. The expectant mother and fetus are two genetically different organisms. To prevent the baby from being perceived as a foreign agent, the mother's immune functions are suppressed. Against the background of a decrease in immunity, the likelihood of colds increases. In the first trimester of pregnancy (from conception to 12-13 weeks), infections can cause pregnancies, miscarriages, miscarriages (death of the embryo inside the uterus), and gross malformations. In the second trimester of pregnancy (13-27 weeks), a cold can cause a threat of premature birth and minor anomalies in the development of the fetus. In the third trimester (from 28 weeks), the transferred viral and / or bacterial infections cause many - and intrauterine growth retardation syndrome, placental disorders, intrauterine infection of the fetus.
Colds can be caused by viruses or bacteria. Viruses are much smaller than bacteria, spread quickly in the surrounding air, and easily cause colds. Bacterial diseases have a longer duration, compared with viral ones, and often cause complications. Infection is possible not only from a sick person, but also when using personal hygiene items, dishes.
Cold symptoms
More often, colds begin with a "prodromal period". These are the harbingers of the disease: weakness, fatigue, sweating, decreased performance, headache, sensations of sore throat and nose. This period lasts 1-2 days. If you notice these signs in yourself and remember contact with a sick person, then you can use the means of preventing the disease: Arbidol - after consulting a doctor, tea with honey or raspberries, proper rest and sleep.
If you do get sick, these measures will reduce the severity of the disease. Then the "crisis" period of the disease begins: runny nose, cough, lacrimation, fever, headaches, aching bones and muscles. This period lasts on average up to 4-7 days. If at first the causative agent of the disease was a virus, then after 3-4 days a bacterial infection can join, which prolongs and aggravates the course of the disease. You can notice this in yourself by the second "outbreak" of the disease: a repeated rise in temperature; discharge from the nose, previously transparent, mucous, becomes greenish and difficult to separate; cough becomes frequent, with phlegm. Then comes recovery: there is a decrease in all manifestations of a cold, weakness remains for several days, sweating, drowsiness, fatigue.
How to avoid SARS: prevention of colds during pregnancy
Infection is possible not only from a sick person, but also when using personal hygiene items, dishes.
First of all, you need to reconsider the diet. Exclude from your diet smoked meats, foods containing preservatives, dyes, flavors. These factors are agents that "irritate" the immune system, forcing it to produce protective proteins, instead of building a defense against external pathogens and preventing chronic foci of infections from activating in the body. Be sure to consume enough protein: meat, fish, cottage cheese, eggs. Proteins and their components - amino acids - are the main building material for new cells, including immune defense cells.
Among the vitamins recommended for the prevention of colds, one can single out: pyridoxine (B 6), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), pangamic acid (B 15), vitamins A and E. All the necessary vitamins are contained in special vitamin complexes for pregnant women.
Phytoncides, substances of plant origin with anti-inflammatory and antibiotic-like properties, have a beneficial effect on the body. There are many of them in onions, garlic, radishes. These foods are best eaten raw as a dietary supplement. It is possible during the period of epidemics of colds to arrange plates with finely chopped garlic around the apartment, periodically changing them.
Among the measures useful for the prevention of SARS is hardening. This procedure not only strengthens the immune system, but also tones the skin, normalizes vascular tone, and prevents aging. Daily tempering treatments may include a 5-minute contrast shower. Pour alternately warm (38-40 ° C) and cool (20-22 ° C) water for 30-40 seconds completely over the entire body (if you did this procedure before pregnancy) or only legs up to the knees (if you decide to try it for the first time). Finish the procedure always with cool water.
It is also useful to walk barefoot on the floor, in summer - on grass and sand. If you have never done this, then you can start at any time, on any, if you do not have pregnancy complications. The earlier the better. Over time, gradually reduce the temperature of the cool part of the contrast shower.
Walking at any time of the year can be attributed to hardening methods. Walking should be, above all, fun. Walk as much as possible, preferably in a park or suburban area, it’s good to walk after rain, because humidified air is a means of preventing a lack of oxygen for the mother and fetus.
Ventilate the room. Sleep in a well-ventilated room (approximately 30 minutes of airing is required before bedtime, or an ajar window for the whole night, provided there is no draft).
If a flu epidemic has begun, use Oxolinic ointment. Apply it in a thin layer around the nostrils on the skin and 2-3 mm inward on the nasal mucosa.
Avoid contact with infections during pregnancy. Public places with a large number of people (shops, cinemas, clinics) are not the best place for expectant mothers during influenza and SARS epidemics. If you can't do without visiting crowded places, don't hesitate to wear a mask.
Treatment of SARS during pregnancy
For a mild cold, you can use home remedies. Be sure to consult a doctor, consult with him about the use of these funds.
It is advisable to limit physical activity during illness and during the recovery period in order to avoid additional stress on a weakened body.
- At temperatures above 38 ° C, you can wipe the body with cool water (20-25 ° C) or a weak 1.5% vinegar solution. Do not forget about raspberry tea - the best antipyretic, tea with lemon or honey. At night, you can drink a glass of warm milk with a spoonful of honey and a spoonful of butter mixed in it. This causes increased sweating and thus lowers body temperature. A sufficient amount of fluid consumed (up to 1.5-2 liters - in the absence of edema) will replenish the moisture lost with high temperature and then. From drinks, give preference to cranberry or lingonberry juice, rosehip broth, infusion of sage or lemon balm.
- During an illness, all the forces of the body are thrown into the fight against the pathogen. The main role in these processes is played by the liver. In order not to "load" it, it is desirable to observe a sparing diet, eat less meat (preferably in the form of minced meat), more dairy and vegetable products.
- For a runny nose, instill a saline solution (0.9% saline solution) 1 ml into each nostril. You can also use Aquamaris, Aqua-Lor, etc. After 5 minutes it will be easy to blow your nose. With severe nasal congestion, you can drip 0.01% Nazivin.
- For pain and sore throat, it is recommended to rinse with decoctions of herbs (chamomile, St. John's wort, sage), a solution of soda and salt (1 teaspoon in a glass of warm water). When coughing, inhale with steam of baking soda, boiled potatoes or decoctions of herbs (St. John's wort, chamomile, calendula). Brew in a small saucepan for 1 liter of water 2-3 tablespoons of medicinal herbs, bend over the steam, covering yourself with a towel so that the steam enters directly into your respiratory tract. Breathe alternately through your mouth and nose for 5-7 minutes. Then rinse your face with cold water, dress warmly. Perform the procedure 1-2 times a day.
After the illness, it is recommended to take a general blood test, a general one, and an electrocardiogram. From 30 weeks of pregnancy, it is necessary to assess the condition of the fetus using the method of cardiotocography. After recovery, after 7-10 days, you need to repeat blood and urine tests. It is advisable to undergo an ultrasound scan 2-3 weeks after the infection. Possible complications are long-term, in connection with this, a cold is a reason for regular visits to the doctor.
Absalyamova Dina, obstetrician-gynecologist,
Assistant of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology No. 1, Bashkir State Medical University, Ufa
Like autumn - begins: snot, cough, red nose, watery eyes, head gods ... Another cold! Of course, not everyone is prone to endless seasonal colds. But the modern pace of life, constant stress, nerves, a sedentary lifestyle plus an unhealthy diet, and in a hurry - all this contributes to the weakening of our defenses and the emergence of an increasing army of sick people, from autumn to spring (and some manage to get sick in the summer). What to do, how to protect yourself in the cold season?
Let's start by thinking about what a cold is. In fact, it is hypothermia that causes a painful condition. But hypothermia becomes a provocative moment for the occurrence of serious infectious diseases. The most frequent "guest" with hypothermia is an acute respiratory viral infection (). ARVI covers a whole group of infectious diseases - adenovirus infection (eye damage), rhinovirus infection (nasopharyngeal damage) and others. In addition, chronic diseases “wake up” - tonsillitis, pharyngitis and laryngitis. The causative agents of these diseases already live in the body, and the immune system “watches” and does not allow them to roam. But if hypothermia sets in, the immune system begins to weaken, “turns sour”, and chronic diseases “raise their heads”. And it starts - cough, snot, sore throat, hoarse voice. Under a cold, ordinary herpes can also be hidden - it is worth catching a cold, as they appear in the corners of the lips. But catarrhal phenomena (cough, snot, lacrimation) herpes does not cause, preferring to immediately strike deep into the internal organs and nervous system. So.
- Rest. Rest is meant not only in summer, but in autumn and winter. After all, the increased load in school and at work, lack of sun, stress - everything affects the state of the immune system. Rest means the ability to relax on time, to sit with your eyes closed - so during the day several times. A simple rule, but it works great.
- . Honey perfectly fights colds and strengthens the immune system. For this effect, you need to eat at least one teaspoon per day. The solar energy accumulated in honey allows you to resist the most harmful microbes.
- Oddly enough, in autumn and winter a person loses moisture no less than in summer. In the cold season, we wear warm clothes, ventilate the premises less often, travel in stuffy vehicles, the air from the heaters is dry, and we are less thirsty. And dehydration is a powerful factor that affects the decrease in immunity. Therefore, the third advice is to drink plenty of water, because water removes all kinds of toxins from our body, reduces the level of stress hormones, and removes dry mucous membranes.
Tips are simple and accessible. Of course, do not forget about general hardening activities - physical education, outdoor walks, as well as proper nutrition. And also - you should not wrap yourself up heavily in winter and autumn and get scared if your feet are already wet. Any fear exacerbates negative forces, and positive thinking strengthens the immune system.
With the end of summer and the onset of cold weather, the season of colds begins. Despite the fact that in the summer the body received a supply of vitamins, not everyone's immunity increases so much that it is able to resist new strains of influenza and various acute respiratory viral infections and acute respiratory infections in the off-season.
What is the difference between SARS and SARS?
The general term ARI refers to all acute respiratory diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract with a viral, bacterial and fungal nature of the infection. ARVI (acute respiratory viral infections) is more of a diagnosis, it defines diseases that are only of a viral nature. Among the whole set of acute respiratory viral infections, the most famous and severe acute respiratory disease is the flu.
Epidemiological outbreaks of influenza accompany every winter-spring season. The influenza virus multiplies and spreads very quickly. It is well known how long SARS are contagious, how they are transmitted and spread, but it is not easy to protect yourself from them. The route of transmission of infection is aerosol. A sick person becomes the source of infection.
During his contact with a healthy person, the virus enters the respiratory system by airborne droplets, invades the epithelial cells and enters the systemic circulation. During the first 5-6 days, a sick person poses the greatest infectious danger to others, and if he remains on his feet, he can put to bed more than a dozen people who meet on his way.
How and how to treat influenza and other acute respiratory viral infections
Influenza is characterized by an acute onset and a rapid increase in symptoms during the first day. High fever, aching muscles and joints, headache, pain in the eyes definitely indicate the viral origin of the disease. Respiratory symptoms - sneezing, runny nose, red throat, dry cough appear on the second or third day.
Worst of all, flu is tolerated by small children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, especially if the disease is not mild, but moderate and severe with a temperature of 38-40 ° C. Treatment should be under the supervision of a physician, as the flu is fraught with complications and exacerbations of chronic diseases.
Treatment of SARS consists of bed rest, the use of an antiviral drug, nasal remedies, throat and cough medicines prescribed by a doctor. Before his arrival, you can take 2.5 g of ascorbic acid in powder, or drink tea with lemon.
Antipyretics should be taken depending on how you feel, but at high temperatures, the virus dies faster. In order to avoid dehydration of the body at elevated temperatures, you need to drink plenty of fluids. Any warm vitamin drink is useful - fruit drinks, juices, dried fruit compotes, herbal teas.
Do not go to extremes, trying to reduce the treatment time yourself. No medicine will help to cope with a viral infection in 1-2 days. Medical statistics on how many days ARVI is sick indicates that with a favorable course, the disease lasts 5-7 days, but the body is fully restored in two weeks.
If after 7 days of treatment the patient's condition does not improve, but is complicated by the appearance of otitis media, pharyngitis or pneumonia, this may mean that a bacterial infection has superimposed on a viral infection. In such cases, the doctor changes the tactics of treatment and prescribes antibiotics.
Prevention of seasonal colds
It is impossible to completely protect yourself from acute respiratory infections, but you can reduce the risk of seasonal diseases and influenza infection if you follow preventive precautions:
- do not contact with other people's infected items - tablets, phones, bank cards;
- use a mask in transport, public places and when caring for the sick;
- wash your hands more often or use disinfectant wipes;
- avoid crowded places - shops, theaters, cinemas, celebrations;
- ventilate the premises more often and carry out wet cleaning;
- An effective remedy is the flu shot.
In the season of colds, you need to dress properly so as not to freeze, and your immunity can be supported by immunomodulators, taking vitamins, micro and macro elements, and good sleep.
The doctor will help you choose the right preventive measures.
There are few people who do not encounter certain colds - runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever. More often this happens with the onset of autumn. The so-called “cold season”: the air temperature drops, cold winds and rains are frequent, and sometimes we are in no hurry to warm up, as if we hope that the heat will return. And it seems that we know by heart everything about the prevention of colds, but sometimes it’s impossible to avoid a cold.
There are still many cold days ahead of us, and I think that hardly anyone will disagree with the statement:
It is better to prevent a disease than to cure it.
So let's remind ourselves of the measures that need to be taken to protect ourselves and our loved ones from colds. And maybe the "cold season" will not be such for us.
How to avoid a cold
Before we start talking about measures to prevent colds, let's learn the main thing for ourselves.
We often think of a cold as a "harmless disease" that simply becomes a nuisance and disrupts our usual way of life.
There is even this expression:
"If you treat a runny nose, then it will pass in seven days, if not treated, then in a week."
Yes, sometimes this happens - a few uncomfortable days and a complete restoration of working capacity.
But, unfortunately, it does not always go so harmlessly, sometimes a banal cold turns into a more serious illness.
So let's treat a cold not as a kind of discomfort. This is a disease and it must be treated, but this is a topic for another conversation, today we are talking about prevention.
Prevention of colds
Measures to prevent colds can be divided into two groups:
- specific prophylaxis is a vaccination aimed at counteracting a specific pathogen, as a rule, is carried out to protect the population from influenza.
- non-specific prevention is the topic of our conversation - increasing the defenses of our body.
And who stands guard over the body's defenses is our immunity. And, of course, we need to think about immunity not when the cold season begins, but constantly. This is an integrated approach, which includes proper nutrition, hardening procedures, exercise, and other methods that are useful for maintaining immunity.
I have an article on the blog about how to strengthen immunity, where I examined everything in detail, I recommend reading it.
But there are preventive measures that are directly related to the autumn-winter period, let's remember them:
- In autumn, as a rule, chronic diseases become aggravated and this reduces the protective functions of our body, increasing the risk of catching a cold. Knowing about your illnesses, take care in advance and take a number of measures so that this autumn exacerbation passes more comfortably. It is better to do this under the supervision of your doctor.
- Dress for the weather and consider how much time you will be spending outside. Hypothermia is often the cause of our colds. But you also don’t need to play it safe in this matter, you should be comfortable in your clothes.
- Humidify the air. The dry air of heated rooms dries the nasal mucosa, and this makes it easier for viruses to enter the lungs from the nasal cavity.
- Ventilate the room. Changing the air is useful in any case, but if there are colds in the room, then by airing, you will reduce the concentration of viruses in the air.
- Aromatherapy is actively used for preventive purposes, as some oils have an antiviral effect. This oil is geranium, lavender, lemon, lemon balm, tea tree oil, eucalyptus. To process the room, it is enough to pour 3-4 drops of oil into the aroma lamp and leave for a couple of hours. If there is no aroma lamp, then you can add a few drops of oil to the water and spray it around the room with a spray bottle. There are no essential oils, there is an affordable remedy - chop the garlic, put it in a saucer and put it in the room - evaporating essential oils and garlic phytoncides do an excellent job with viral microbes.
- Wet cleaning also applies to measures to prevent colds. You can use essential oils when cleaning by adding a few drops to a bucket of water.
You can often hear the rule:
During the period of exacerbation of colds, and especially during an influenza epidemic, be less likely to be in crowded places.
Yes, the advice is correct, but not always feasible, since we use public transport, are at work, visit supermarkets and can easily catch a viral infection.
How to protect yourself in this case? It is necessary to create a barrier for viruses:
We are used to the fact that if we are talking about a cold, then we immediately remember vitamin C. Yes, indeed, it strengthens the body's defenses, but now scientists have become not so unambiguous about this vitamin. As a result of research, it was determined that an excess of vitamin C can lead to the opposite effect.
Everything should be in moderation and the presence of other vitamins is equally important for the prevention of colds.
For example, vitamin D reduces the risk of contracting the flu and other colds. B vitamins play an important role in maintaining the immune system. Vitamin A, strengthening the mucous membrane, enhances the protective functions of our body. Vitamin E also helps fight colds.
Other useful substances are also important. In order to have strength and the immune system to work without failures, the body needs proteins - primarily animals, because all the essential amino acids that are important for immune cells are contained in them. A trace element such as zinc helps to resist bacteria. Iron enhances the body's resistance.
Conclusion - a varied and balanced diet is necessary at any time of the year, but in the autumn-winter period, pay special attention to this, thereby helping your body to increase its protective functions. What products contain this or that vitamin and microelement can be read and.
Do not forget about the gifts of nature - honey, herbs, berries (rose hips, cranberries, lingonberries, ginger, chamomile, mint). You make vitamin teas from them - these are not only delicious drinks, but an excellent prophylactic against colds. Take note of the useful one, and also watch the video.
There are ready-made vitamin and other preparations for the prevention of colds, maintaining immunity, but it is not recommended to take them without consulting specialists.
Take care of yourself and your loved ones and be healthy.
