Avoiding Getting Sick: Research-backed Ways to Prevent Covid, Colds, and Flu

Key takeaways:
~Everyone is exposed to viruses that cause respiratory illness, but not everyone develops symptoms.
~ There are research-backed ways to both prevent colds and respiratory illnesses and reduce symptoms when you do get sick.
~ Genetic variants strongly affect whether you are likely to get sick from certain viruses. Knowing this can help you prioritize your avoidance measures.
~ Be prepared during cold and flu season with supplies on hand for combating illness.

Staying Well During Virus Season:

No one enjoys getting sick—time off work, feeling terrible, and being confined to the couch with a box of tissues. It stinks! When my kids were little and got sick, a trip to the doctor would inevitably result in the doctor saying, “It’s just a virus”. The meaning was clear: nothing to be done; viruses can’t be treated or prevented; your child will feel better in a few days.

This mindset that there is nothing to be done about viruses continued, at least for me, until recently. My thoughts were that everyone catches a cold or “the crud” every year or two, usually in December or January, and that some people were lucky and didn’t get exposed to it.

But I was wrong. It turns out that there is a lot you can do to help your immune system avoid illnesses, and there are genetic reasons that some people won’t become ill from specific viruses.

Let’s dive into the research on how to minimize your risk of getting sick.

Viruses are everywhere, including your nose.

How many viral infections per year?
A 2015 study looked at how many respiratory viruses were found in Utah families. For an entire year, researchers swabbed noses and asked about symptoms weekly in 26 households (108 people). The results showed that 783 viral episodes were detected over the year, with less than half of the viral episodes causing any symptoms. Viruses were detected in a quarter of the weekly samples, and almost everyone had a rhinovirus detection at some point during the year.[ref]

The most common viruses causing symptoms were coronaviruses, human metapneumovirus, and influenza A. Bocavirus and rhinovirus detections were usually asymptomatic. Households with many young children had more viral infections.

The study concluded that adolescents and adults had an average of 5 viral respiratory illnesses per year, but that most were asymptomatic. Children under the age of 5 were much more likely to have respiratory symptoms.

Immune system:
Once you’ve been exposed to a specific virus, your immune system makes antibodies that will recognize and quickly fight off the virus when you are exposed again the next year. This is why kids are more likely to have symptoms of a viral infection than adults.

Genetics:
Not everyone is equally susceptible to every virus. Some people have genetic factors that bolster their defenses against certain viral infections. Check out the full article on susceptibility to viral illnesses to see where your superpowers lie.

Prevention and Treatment Strategies for Flu, Cold, and Common Cold:

Let me be clear: I’m not saying that any of the following are miracle pills that will prevent all illnesses for everyone. Instead, I want everyone to take away from this article the research-backed ideas for preventing the common respiratory illnesses that circulate every year. You may still get sick, but knowing what works and being prepared can help lessen the symptoms and duration.

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