19th Street Magazine November 19

HEALTH

BY: LINDSAY CUOMO

Diving into Sick Season

Keeping Your Family Healthy During Cold and Flu Season

As the temperatures go down outside, many of us might find our own temperatures going up, but the old wives’ tale about the cold making us sick isn’t exactly based on facts. It is true that doctors do diagnose more cases of illnesses like the common cold, flu, strep throat and the dreaded rotavirus and norovirus, often mistakenly called the stomach flu. But the winter months do play a role in increasing our chances for getting sick.

“We tend to spend more time closer together, breathing the same air, touching the same surfaces,” said Dr. Shaylea Beach, a family medicine doctor at the Primary Care Robinson Medical Plaza.

As we seek shelter from the cold, we are stepping into closer quarters with germs, but there are some tried-and-true ways to reduce your risk of getting sick and Dr. Beach recommends starting with getting a flu shot.

“The best way to protect yourself is to get your flu shot as soon as possible,” Beach confirmed.

Next up, Beach says the community should take note of practices used by hospitals and doctors’ offices everywhere.

“Wash your hands often with warm water and soap long enough to sing Happy Birthday or about 15 to 20 seconds,” Beach advised.

Just like the staff at Norman Regional do, Beach suggests parents have their kids “wash in and wash out” when they are around germ hot-bed areas like schools and daycares.

“Wash your (baby’s or toddler’s) hands when you get to daycare and when you leave,” Beach said.

She also encourages your school-age kids to do the same, that way they are less likely to bring germs in or out of school.

And, finally, if you do find yourself feeling under the weather, Beach recommends that you stay home. Not only will you reduce the spread of the illness but you will also give your body the time its needs to recuperate.

If you are deciding on whether a doctor visit is in order, Beach said it’s important to look closely at your symptoms, a main concerning symptom being a fever.

“If you are having cold symptoms like a running nose, congestion or cough without fever or body aches, it’s okay to wait up to 10 days,” Beach said. “After that you might have a bacterial infection that needs to be treated.”

But, if you do have a fever paired with other common flu symptoms, its best to schedule an appointment sooner rather than later.

“If you have fever or body aches, you should try to get in within two days so you can take Tamiflu,” Beach explained.

There are plenty of over-the-counter medications and at-home remedies that can help alleviate your symptoms.

“Hot tea with lemon and honey and saltwater gargles for sore throats, saline sprays or rinses for nasal congestion, ginger for nausea are natural, at-home remedies you can try,” Beach said.

Just be sure to not use Afrin (oxymetazoline) for longer than three days or you might have to deal with a rebound phenomenon and make your congestion worse, Beach cautioned. Nasal saline rinses or sprays and nasal corticosteroids are safe for daily use.

There are a variety of over-the-counter medicines that can help you feel more comfortable as well, including pseudoephedrine for congestion, an expectorant for more productive coughs, dextromethorphan as a cough suppressant and Tylenol or ibuprofen for fever and aches.

“A good, one-stop shop for all those meds in one would be something like Nyquil or Dayquil,” Beach said. “But you need to make sure to read the label to determine the active ingredients so you can be sure to not to overlap.”

Dr. Beach is accepting new patients and she has some same-day appointments available. Her office is located at 701 E Robinson St, Suite 101. Appointments can be made by calling 515-1935 or online at www.normanregional.com – 19SM