The best approach to treating colds and flu is to avoid getting them in the first place. Here are some steps you can take to keep a vicious virus out of your life.

  • Celebrate C. Not all scientists agree about the value of vitamin C in fighting a cold or other infec¬tion. But some studies have shown that it can make cold symptoms milder and chase the cold away sooner. It also may prevent colds in the first place. So, boost your overall health and resistance to infection with a diet that includes plenty of vitamin C in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • Stave off stress. When you’re under stress, your immune system doesn’t work as well as it should. This makes your body more vulnerable to infec¬tions, including colds and flu. Try to get a handle on your problems by keeping your sense of humor and a healthy perspective. Eliminate the unimpor¬tant things in your life. Make time for the people and activities you really care about.
  • Keep those hands clean. If you’ve been shopping, cashing a check, attending a baseball game, or doing anything else in a public place, wash your hands when you get home. Thousands of people with dirty, germy hands have touched the same door handles, stair rails, elevator buttons, and money. You pick up their bacteria and viruses and infect yourself when you touch your eyes, mouth, or the food you eat. The best soap to get rid of germs is liquid antibacterial hand soap in a pump bottle. Bar soap can actually harbor cold germs on its sur¬face. It’s easy and inexpensive to take along little packets of antibacterial towelettes to wash your hands before a meal or anytime you’ve been somewhere especially dirty. It’s a simple thing, but it could determine whether you catch a cold or the flu.
  • Make a clean sweep. Keep your house really clean and germ-free, and you’ll protect yourself from colds and flu. Use an antibacterial cleanser, or a solution of bleach and water, to clean kitchen counters, doorknobs, cabinet handles, staircase railings, tele¬phones, and anything else you touch often. Let your dishes air dry, or dry them in the dishwasher. Don’t use a dish towel; it provides a warm environment for bacteria. Frequently change the dishcloth you use to clean kitchen counters. It could become a germ factory if it’s left wet for long. If you use a sponge, try the new antibacterial kind, and throw it out if it gets too dirty. Both sponges and dish brushes can be washed in the dishwasher to give them a clean, new start. You may feel like you’re going over¬board, but that extra cleaning could knock out a stray virus that would give you or your family a bad cold or case of the flu.
  • Give up smoking. Cigarette smoke can lower your resistance to disease, whether you’re the person smoking or breathing the smoke secondhand. If you smoke and get a cold, it’s more likely to turn into something worse like bronchitis. Nicotine gum and patches are available at any drugstore today to help you beat this habit. Do yourself and the people around you a favor, and give it up.
  • Get a flu shot. Do you have diabetes; heart dis¬ease; lung, kidney, or blood problems; asthma; or an immune system that doesn’t work well? Are you elderly or undergoing chemotherapy? If so, you should probably have a flu shot. All these conditions put you at higher risk of getting the flu, and a vaccination can probably prevent it. Based on research and statistics, scientists create a new vaccine every year, including the A and B viruses they think will be around the next winter. Sometimes a new, unknown strain will surface. But if you’ve had the flu vaccine, even this new flu shouldn’t hit you as hard. Fall is the best time of year to get a flu shot, from October through November. This is six to eight weeks before the flu season starts. It takes a while for your body to produce antibodies, its ammunition against the virus. The most common side effect of a vaccination is a sore spot on your arm from the shot. Some people may have fever, sore muscles, and fatigue for a couple of days after the vaccination, but not a full-blown case of the flu. If you’re allergic to eggs, don’t get a flu vac¬cine. It may contain a small amount of egg protein.
  • Avoid antihistarnines. These medicines block hist¬amine, a chemical released in your body when it reacts to such things as pollen and dust. Antihistamines are excellent for allergy and hay fever, but not as helpful for a cold.

Scientists have finally come up with a flu medicine that really works, although it only fights influenza type A. If you take rimantadine vrithin 48 hours after your ill¬ness begins, you should have shorter and less severe symp¬toms. This is a real help if you haven’t had a flu vaccine.

For a cure to the common cold, you’ll have to wait a little longer. Recently, scientists have seen some promis¬ing results on experiments with cold viruses. But suc¬cessfully beating the army of cold germs in the world is an ongoing battle. Until that war is won, use our treat¬ment tips to make yourself comfortable, and try to avoid the problem as much as you can.