As cold and flu season begins, how to avoid being sick becomes a hot topic, along with the many products on the market claiming to boost the immune system. To understand what’s essential to strengthen our immunity to common ailments, Linda Sullivan, D.O., a family medicine physician with Saint Francis Health System in Tulsa, provides some insight.
“People often think we have to do these elaborate things to boost our immune system, but really it’s all the things your mother likely told you,” says Sullivan. “Don’t smoke and get plenty of rest – eight hours if you can – and exercise regularly, at least three to four times a week, because exercise does help the immune system. You also need to eat a healthy diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables – and citrus, which is perfect because it’s in season.”
She says while many people take extra vitamin C during the winter months, it may not be necessary and may not help prevent them from getting sick.
“Most people who consume a Western (a.k.a. American) diet receive enough vitamin C,” says Sullivan. “A few years ago, there was a study where participants took an extra 500 milligrams of vitamin C a day. The study looked at whether or not those people were sick less often than those who didn’t take extra vitamin C, and it concluded that they weren’t. However, there was one subset of individuals who regularly did intense exercise, such as marathon runners, and they appeared to get less colds when they were exercising a lot and taking additional vitamin C.”
She shares that getting your daily recommended vitamins from food offers the most benefits.
“If you eat an orange, you’re getting vitamin C but also fiber, and it has less sugar than a glass of orange juice,” she says. “However, if you don’t like oranges or if there’s some reason you can’t tolerate them, there’s many other foods rich in vitamin C, or you can take a vitamin C supplement.”
Also, when it comes to avoiding illnesses, thoroughly washing your hands is a simple step that people often rush through. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), scientific studies have shown that a person needs to scrub their hands for 20 seconds to remove harmful germs and chemicals – the equivalent of singing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song twice.
“If you don’t have soap and water, using alcohol hand sanitizer is very effective; we use it in the office and hospital settings,” says Sullivan. “Also, if you’re in public, high traffic areas, try to avoid high touch surfaces such as doorknobs and try to avoid touching your face.”
She also recommends everyone staying up-to-date on vaccinations – especially if you’re considered high risk due to health issues.
“People will often decide not to get the flu vaccine because they say it won’t keep them from getting the flu,” she says. “That’s true, but the flu shot isn’t designed to keep you from getting the flu, it’s designed to keep you from being hospitalized and potentially dying. Many people die from the flu each year and we’re still seeing COVID-19 deaths, although they’ve declined.”
The CDC currently recommends that everyone six months and older should receive the flu vaccine and COVID-19 vaccine, and adults over age 60 should receive the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. Older adults with certain medical conditions and infants up to 12 months of age are at an increased risk of severe RSV disease.
