Stay Well Tips
While Vicks® always will be there to take care of your family, we also want to help you stay healthy. So we've done our homework and written the following stay well tips to help you remain proactively healthy throughout the year.
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Cold and Flu Prevention
- Cold or Allergies?
Here's one way to know the difference. Allergies almost never cause aches, pains, or fever. Conversely, cold and flu symptoms rarely include itchy eyes or frequent sneezing.2 - Get a Flu Shot
Experts agree that a yearly flu vaccination is highly effective in preventing virulent strains of the flu in 70 to 90% of healthy adults.3 - What's the "Stomach Flu"?
The "stomach flu" is actually a gastrointestinal infection commonly caused by a virus or bacteria. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a gastrointestinal infection can include severe nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. The single best treatment is slow and deliberate rehydration. Think lots of fluids—ice chips, water, and sports drinks. - My Child Is Still Coughing
Parents sometimes have unrealistic expectations when it comes to how long their child's cough should last. Be prepared for a cough to linger, but if has been longer than seven days, contact your doctor. - Flu Shots Work
A flu shot won't give you the flu.4 Rarely, the injection of the shot causes fever or muscle aches, but these minor symptoms typically clear up in a day or two. If the symptoms do not clear up within a few days or get worse, you might be experiencing an allergic reaction and should seek prompt medical attention. - When It's Pneumonia
Fifty percent of all cases of pneumonia are caused by a viral infection, which is not helped by an antibiotic. Another type of pneumonia is caused by a bacterial infection and can be treated with an antibiotic. Two telltale signs of pneumonia are chest pain that gets more severe as you breathe and high fever that causes excessive chills or sweating.5 Pneumonia is a serious respiratory illness. If you think you might have pneumonia, you should seek prompt treatment by a doctor. - Treat Your Allergies to Help Reduce Getting a Cold
In 2006, a French study6 showed that seasonal allergies greatly disrupted sleep patterns and sleep quality, even if the patients didn't wake up. A lack of quality sleep can disrupt the effectiveness of your immune system and make you more susceptible to cold or flu viruses. If you seem to get colds more often than other people, consider getting an allergy test to determine if this could be one of the sources of your increased susceptibility. - Keep Your Immune System Healthy
The best way to protect yourself against the common cold is to keep your immune system healthy. This is best done by eating and sleeping well. - Humidity Levels
Cold viruses thrive in dry air which is one of the reasons why they are more prevalent in the winter months. Keeping your indoor humidity levels between 40 and 60 percent is recommended to help slow the spread and growth of these viruses and also helps maintain a more comfortable environment. - Is It OK to Kiss If You Have a Cold?
Surprisingly, kissing is not a very easy way to become infected. Kissing studies have shown that only 8% of people kissed by infected partners got colds.1
2 Stanford University Medical Center
3 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
4 The American Lung Association®
5 The American Lung Association
6 Archives of Internal Medicine. 18;166 (16):1744-8. Sep 2006.
1 Lorber, B, Perspectives: the common cold, Journal of General and Internal Medicine, April 1996; 11: 229-236.
3 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
4 The American Lung Association®
5 The American Lung Association
6 Archives of Internal Medicine. 18;166 (16):1744-8. Sep 2006.
1 Lorber, B, Perspectives: the common cold, Journal of General and Internal Medicine, April 1996; 11: 229-236.
Clean and Healthy
- Clean Counts
Get into the habit of cleaning stuff you share with others, such as computer keyboards, phones, remote controls, countertops, etc. And remember—germs love money as much as we do, so wash your hands after those ATM pit stops. - Clean Your Humidifier
During the winter months you should clean your humidifier every three days and change the water every day.8 - Know When to Wash Your Hands
To prevent the spread of cold and flu germs, wash your hands at the following times: after petting an animal or using any gym equipment, as well as before and after eating, treating a cut, removing your contacts, and touching doors in high-traffic areas.9 - Good Old Soap
Antibacterial soaps are convenient and certainly have their place, but they're no more effective than regular soap at killing germs.10 So, feel free to use regular soap with water. Additionally, when regular soap and water washing isn't available or convenient, consider using a hand sanitizer. - Hand-Washing 101
Hand washing is so important that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made official guidelines!7 The CDC advises people to use soap and warm water while scrubbing vigorously for at least 20 seconds.
8 The National Institutes of Health
9 The Mayo Clinic
10 The Mayo Clinic
7 http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HandWashing/
9 The Mayo Clinic
10 The Mayo Clinic
7 http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HandWashing/
Staying Healthy
- Sleep It Off
Not getting enough sleep decreases your immune system's ability to fight off a cold.14 Try to get a consistent six to eight hours of sleep every night. - Winter Doesn't Make You Sick
Cold weather doesn't give you a cold.15 However, the increased amount of time we spend breathing germ-infested air indoors might help contribute to more respiratory illnesses in the winter months. - Use Antibiotics Sparingly
Unless you're diagnosed with a bacterial infection, avoid asking a doctor to prescribe antibiotics for cold or flu symptoms. Antibiotics are ineffective at treating a viral infection. And, a cold or flu is caused by a virus. Also, too-liberal use of antibiotics can give rise to antibiotic-resistant germs. Of course, antibiotics can carry the risk of unpleasant side effects as well. - Fight Off Germs in an Airplane
Keep germs at bay by washing your hands often (here's where a bottle of hand sanitizer can come in real handy when regular soap and water washing isn't available or convenient). And be sure to drink lots of water to combat the super-dry pressurized air. - A Flu Vaccination Won't Protect You from Cold Viruses
The yearly flu vaccination protects against the pathogens of influenza. There is no vaccination against the common cold. The most important prevention is a healthy immune system. - Get Older, Get Stronger?
According to Professor Ron Eccles, among the elderly, "the generation of antibodies to the viruses that they have encountered over the years increases." He says that once you have built up your immunity to some strains of cold viruses, you might become infected with the same strain again, but your immune system handles the encounter so quickly that you never feel the symptoms. - Watch Out for Coughs and Sneezes
Cold viruses enter our bodies in two ways:11,12,13- Directly, through the tiny droplets that are aerosolized by coughs or sneezes. Sneezes create droplets that are capable of carrying infectious viruses that can be inhaled. Fortunately, these droplets gradually fall out of the air.
- Through direct contact with contaminated hands or surfaces. This is believed to be the more common route of infection.
14 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
15 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
11 Tyrrell, D, Fielder, M, Cold Wars: The Fight Against the Common Cold, Oxford University Press, 2002.
12 Treanor, J, Hayden, F, Infectious Diseases of the lungs—Viral Infections, Textbook of Respiratory Medicine, 3rd Edition, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 1988; 1: 932.
13 Turner, RB, Hendley, JO, virucidal hand treatments for prevention of rhinovirus infection, Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 2005; 56, 805-807.
15 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
11 Tyrrell, D, Fielder, M, Cold Wars: The Fight Against the Common Cold, Oxford University Press, 2002.
12 Treanor, J, Hayden, F, Infectious Diseases of the lungs—Viral Infections, Textbook of Respiratory Medicine, 3rd Edition, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 1988; 1: 932.
13 Turner, RB, Hendley, JO, virucidal hand treatments for prevention of rhinovirus infection, Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 2005; 56, 805-807.
Healthy Expectations
- We Get Well Gradually
Generally speaking, a normal cold or flu lasts around five to seven days.17 On those occasions when you have a cold or the flu, many over-the-counter cold/flu medications can help to relieve the symptoms. However, if you don't start to feel better after a week, experts recommend you seek prompt medical attention. - Know Your Sick Days
Women on average have six bed-sick days a year. Men average four.18 Regardless, we're not alone in our misery. Every year, Americans report 1 billion colds and miss more than 50 million workdays and 60 million schooldays as a result. - Cold Season Is Longer than You Think
Cold season isn't confined to the winter months. In fact, in the United States, cold, cough, and flu season runs from late August through early April.16 In 2009, a late but hard-hitting cold season didn't peak until mid-March, just at the start of spring.
17 U.S. Food and Drug Administration
18 The 2006 National Center for Health Statistics Survey for U.S. Adults
16 American Pharmacists Association, Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation, American Academy of Physician Assistants. OTC Advisor: Advancing Patient Self-Care; Self Care for Fever, Cough, Cold, and Allergy, 2007.
18 The 2006 National Center for Health Statistics Survey for U.S. Adults
16 American Pharmacists Association, Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation, American Academy of Physician Assistants. OTC Advisor: Advancing Patient Self-Care; Self Care for Fever, Cough, Cold, and Allergy, 2007.
