Everyone has heard about the potential spike in COVID-19 cases that is expected this winter while we’re waiting for the vaccine to be distributed, and the measures that we can take to try to keep from passing germs around. However, we also need to watch out for the usual winter culprits: influenza, the common cold, strep throat, and all variety of stomach bugs. Though they don’t have the notoriety of COVID-19, these illnesses range from unpleasant to dangerous and are also worth avoiding. It can be hard to steer clear of germs during the height of flu season, but with a few easy steps, you can minimize your chances of picking up something unsavory while you’re getting groceries.
Wash Your Hands
It’s the advice you’ve heard over and over again, especially while you were growing up. “Wash your hands before you eat!” “Wash your hands when you come inside!” “Wash your hands after you touch that!” They aren’t wrong. Washing your hands regularly is crucial when you are being exposed to germs. Lots of people swear by pouring a steady stream of hand sanitizer into their palms, but as an obsessive hand washer, I am a proponent of good old-fashioned soap and water. While hand sanitizer does indeed zap a lot of the germs sitting on your hands, it doesn’t remove nasty, germ-ridden substances that your hands may have come into contact with (do you even want to know what the last person to open that door touched?). It is also ineffective against some germs, including norovirus, which is likely responsible for that nasty stomach bug that’s going around. Of course, if you have to shake hands with someone who’s been sneezing, hand sanitizer is much better than nothing, but don’t discount the power of soap and water.
Use Thieves’ Oil
Legend has it that when the Black Death was desolating Europe, a band of thieves was following in its path, robbing the houses of plague victims. When these criminals were finally caught, the king of France offered them a bargain: if they would reveal how they were entering the plague-ridden houses without sickening, they would be released. Their secret was a blend of essential oils that they wore when they were exposed to the disease. Today, you can buy thieves’ oil ready-made in a bottle as an easy, low-cost preventative measure. Recipes differ, but the usual blend includes clove, cinnamon, rosemary, lemon, and eucalyptus essential oils. You can dab it on like perfume, diffuse it into the air, or dilute it into a spray to disinfect surfaces. I even mix some in coconut oil to have a topical disinfectant on hand. Though most evidence for thieves’ oil as a preventative or healing measure is anecdotal, the ingredients do have antimicrobial properties, which points to at least some benefit. Call it bunk if you want, but I have often found myself the one person in a group to avoid falling ill when something’s going around.
Echinacea
If everyone around you seems to be getting sick, or if you’re feeling that tell-tale tickle in the back of your throat, you can often head off an oncoming cold with a barrage of echinacea supplements. You can get the immune-boosting herb in capsules, tinctures, or, my favorite, as a tea. That way you get the added bonus of extra hydration and the soothing feeling of a warm beverage, and it is usually mixed in a blend that offers additional benefits. My favorites include Throat Coat, which soothes a sore throat, and Breathing Space, which offers mild relief for sinus congestion.
Nourish Yourself
I’m someone who loves to eat, and unless I’m pretty sick, my appetite doesn’t flag much with something mild like a cold. In fact, I will invariably use a cold as an excuse to eat anything and everything I want. Spicy foods are especially desirable, as they are said to “clear your sinuses.” Fact or old wives’ tale? I don’t know, but spicy food does manage to entice taste buds deadened by a stuffy nose, tasting better than more bland foods. French onion soup is one of my secret weapons against sickness. It has to be the real thing, though, either from France or made with a recipe like Ina Garten’s. Yes, real French onion soup involves a lot of booze. (You can make it vegetarian by using mushroom broth instead of beef broth). Speaking of booze, the best cough syrup you can get isn’t commercial cough syrup at all, but a hot toddy: whiskey, honey, and lemon juice in some hot tea. The downside of this miracle elixir, of course, is that in most cases you probably wouldn’t be allowed to utilize it at work. My bottom line is to do my best to make sure I’m eating plenty of healthy(ish) food. Just eat what sounds good to you, but don’t let yourself fall into a rut of only sweets. If you’re feeling too terrible to even want to eat, just do your best with some brothy soup and crackers, and of course plenty of water.
Rest Up
The piece of advice that is the hardest to follow is probably the one about getting enough sleep. Yes, it’s boring and cliche, but it is also absolutely true that few things make you susceptible to falling under the weather like being worn out. I’m not going to hand out any sort of magic number of the proper amount of sleep it get; it’s different for everyone. Just listen to your body, and if you’re feeling tired, make an effort to get in a couple more hours.
There’s no need to panic about seasonal illnesses. Just use precautions, be aware of when you may have been exposed to something, and use these tips to prevent yourself from getting sick.
