The “cold” season is in full swing, in order to protect themselves and loved ones from infection, doctors recommend following simple rules
The “cold” season is in full swing. Folk remedies – garlic, onions, ointments for the nasal mucosa at best will not help, at worst they can harm and lead to complications. To protect themselves and loved ones from infection, doctors recommend following simple rules.
Health rules

1. Wash your hands
Mandatory before eating, after walking on the street, traveling in transport or visiting any public place. With soap and water, you wash off viruses from the skin surface. Wash your hands 2-3 times a day, each time for at least 20 seconds, rinsing well between the toes. Then dry your palms well with a dry paper towel or running warm air.
2. Do not take antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription
The main cause of ARVI is viruses and only in some cases bacteria. Antibacterial drugs are ineffective against viruses. Only a doctor can establish the cause of the disease and prescribe the correct antibiotic (if it is really needed). Self-medication is unacceptable and often leads to an increase in the period of illness and more severe complications, especially in children and the elderly.
3. Garlic, onions, inhalation help to cope with ARVI
No, they don’t. If the inflammatory process is already underway, additional heating can promote the spread of infection and increase the days of illness. Garlic and onions are irritating to the mucous membrane and only weaken the local defense. By the way, the opinion that nasal ointments prevent charging is wrong. On the contrary, the ointment “glues” the cilia of the epithelium and it captures viruses worse, so the risk of “catching” ARVI is higher.
4. Ventilate the room
It is especially important to do this if there are already people in the house or office who are sick. There is no need to keep windows open all day – hypothermia will only aggravate the situation, and the number of sick people will only increase. Air 2-3 times a day for 10 minutes. Fresh air literally “blows” viruses out of the room.
5. Get enough sleep
Sleep disturbance negatively affects the body’s defenses. The recommended sleep rate is 8-8.5 hours a day. At the same time, it is important to observe the time of going to bed: the period from 22:00 to 23:00 is considered optimal. This is primarily due to the production of hormones important for the body, which are synthesized at night during sleep.
6. Walk more
And it’s better not in shopping centers, but in the park. Even a 20-30 minute walk in the fresh air helps to strengthen the immune system.
7. Don’t diet
A poor diet and a minimum of calories are not the best companions of winter. Many believe that dietary supplements and vitamins can fill nutritional gaps . Remember, supplements and multivitamin complexes, as well as superfoods (!) Will never replace complete proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Eat healthy – that’s all your body needs to maintain a healthy and healthy metabolism. Be sure to include meat, fish, eggs, dairy and sour milk products, fresh green salads, herbs, and seasonal root vegetables in your diet.
To differentiate a bacterial infection from a viral one, as well as to identify which virus caused the “cold” in CITILAB, you can pass a scraping from the nasopharynx or oropharynx. For this, a special test “ARVI-complex” has been developed. It includes the main causative agents of viral infection (influenza A virus, including the H1N1 subtype, influenza B virus, parainfluenza viruses 1, 2, 3, 4 types, coronaviruses , bocavirus , adenovirus, rhinovirus , respiratory syncytial virus, metapneumovirus .