‘Tis the season for traveling, holiday feasts and quality time with extended family. It’s also cold and flu season, and unfortunately some of the festivities may increase your likelihood of becoming sick.

How we get sick in the first place

During the holidays, our practices see an increase in the number of patients with upper respiratory infections as well as strep throat and ear infections. The increase can be attributed to a combination of frequent travel, exposure to large crowds, and lack of sleep.

Preventative measures that truly work

While it’s inevitable that you’ll come in contact with germs, it is possible to prevent illness.

Wash your hands more frequently. No matter where you are, you’re going to want to have a way to clean your hands. It’s smart to bring your own hand sanitizer, especially when you’re in situations where you don’t have control of the conditions.

Clean up your space. At the office, wipe down your keyboard, phone and mouse when you come back from lunch and at the end of the day, especially if other people are using your workstation. Germs can be transmitted by touch and droplet spray from sneezes and coughs.

Mind your manners: Wash up before eating and drinking at a party. You can protect yourself from getting sick by eating responsibly. When you’re with large crowds especially, wash your hands before touching and eating food.

Take care of yourself: Get plenty of rest, drink at least eight classes of water a day, stay active and eat nutritious meals. You are more susceptible to germs if you are tired and run down.

So, you still end up getting sick. Now what?

If despite your best efforts you end up with a sore throat, fever or body aches, don’t despair – here’s some advice for shortening the length of your illness as well as ways to avoid spreading it to your loved ones. Depending on the severity of your condition, you may or may not need to see your doctor.

Keep a thermometer in your home so you can monitor your temperature if you suspect you’re getting sick. For adults, a high fever is one that is above 100.5 degrees. If you’re normally healthy and still feel rundown after two to three days, see your health care provider. Some medications can shorten the duration of influenza. For bacterial infections, like ear infections or strep throat, our providers can prescribe antibiotics.

If you feel generally not well, but don’t have a high fever, give it a few days and stick to "grandma’s remedies," like chicken soup, orange juice, plenty of fluids and lots of rest.

Finally, consider others if you are sick. Take extra precaution around those who might have a compromised immune system. Avoid hugging or touching them and consider wearing a face mask to avoid spreading germs.

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