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Sweater weather, sore throats and runny noses can only mean one thing – the start of cold and flu season! Luckily, there are easy ways to protect you and your family, and with the proper care and a lot of TLC you can say goodbye to cold and flu symptoms in as little as three days. By taking these preventative steps, you’ll fight every flu season with confidence.
Practice healthy eating: Maintaining a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables will help keep you healthy. But sometimes it’s hard to keep up and give your body all its recommended nutrients. To help keep pace with your hectic schedule, take a multivitamin to help support your immune system. If you’re like me and don’t like swallowing pills, try Men’s and Women’s Complete Multivitamin – they come in an easy-to-take gummy format and taste delicious.
Be active: Keep your body moving every day. Take a brisk walk or spend 30 minutes at the gym to keep your immune system healthy and your stress levels low.
Combat stress: Stress can affect how your immune system functions and a weakened system can lead to colds and the flu. To keep your immune system strong, get plenty of rest, and relax– not just when you’re sick!
Drink plenty of liquids: Fluids in general will help soothe a sore throat, loosen congestion and flush out any bacteria in your system. Drinking plenty of water also helps to prevent dehydration and replace fluids lost from a fever or respiratory infection.
Rest and recuperate: Unless you were one of the lucky ones this fall, and managed to avoid getting sick, you may have to spend a few weekends indoors resting. Keep plenty of tissue nearby, enjoy a movie marathon and recover with Gravol™ Multi-symptom Cold & Fever. This natural health product is an all-in-one anti-nauseant, pain reliever and fever reducer. The medicinal ingredients that make this formula so effective are Ginger and Willow Bark extracts, traditional herbal medicines used for centuries.
Know when to see a doctor: The symptoms of different viruses and bacterial infections can be very similar and often confusing, which is why it’s important to know when to see a doctor. If you don’t start to feel better after a few days, your symptoms worsen or you’re in a high-risk group to develop flu symptoms , you should see your doctor.
Tip: Antibiotics are great at fighting the bad bacteria that makes you sick, but for some women, they can also affect good bacteria (also known as vaginal flora) making them susceptible to bacterial vaginosis (BV), which causes discomfort, discharge and itching. If you’re prone to BV when taking a prescription medication, try RepHresh™ Pro-B Probiotic. Just 1 oral capsule daily while using oral antibiotics can help treat bacterial vaginosis and help maintain vaginal flora in a normal range.
To help you stay ahead of the flu season, print out this infographic and post on your fridge for constant health tips and reminders.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you in part by the Church & Dwight ambassadorship program.
Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!