Tips On Getting Through Cold And Flu Season Now That It Is Upon Us

It's pretty hard to avoid getting sick this time of year but there are ways to shorten the life of illnesses.

We constantly hear that washing our hands is the best way to prevent the spread of germs.  I totally agree with that but it's not the only way.  Yahoo! Health recently published an article that discussed the ways you can avoid getting a cold.  While I agree their ideas will help, I think if you're going to get sick, you're going to get sick.

They talk about taking vitamins and exercising to prevent an illness, which I don't disagree with.  I think all of that can help you from experiencing a long lasting, knock you on your butt cold, but I don't think there's anything that is going to stop it from happening in the first place.

For me, I go in attack mode when I get a cold.  I don't lay around because I think it makes my colds last longer.  I eat soup, toast and other hot foods to try to 'burn out' my sore throat and clear up congestion.  I'll drink orange juice and things like hot chocolate to get through.  I take some kind of cold medicine to help me sleep.

In my experience, when I do these things I only feel bad for a day or two.  Does it always work that way?  No.  Have I been sick longer than a few days? Yes, but doing these things definitely lessens the strength of the symptoms.

Do you have anything go-to cold remedies?