No appointment is necessary with Saint Alphonsus' Care on Demand
Every fall and winter people begin to spend more time indoors and in close contact. Then come the holidays. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Years Day. When friends and family gather there is also the risk of spreading illnesses such as viruses and bacteria. When food is served, there can be an increase in food-born illness and poisoning. Many of these winter related illnesses can be prevented through careful measures and following a few simple rules. Below is a list of the most common winter related illnesses:
- The common cold (rhinovirus with around 200 viruses causing)
- Flu (Influenza A and Influenza B are most common)
- Bronchitis (most often caused by viruses and in some cases bacteria)
- Bronchiolitis (most often viral such as RSV and others)
- Croup (mostly viral such as parainfluenza virus)
- Conjunctivitis (mostly viral in adults and adolescents but can be bacterial in infants and children)
- Strep throat (bacteria Group A streptococcus)
- Pharyngitis (most often viral with others caused by Strep bacteria)
- Pneumonia (viral and bacterial)
- Gastroenteritis or "stomach flu" (mostly viral, norovirus, enterovirus, rotavirus, and others)
- Food poisoning (often bacterial such as staph related, E coli, Salmonella, Shigella, Listeria, or parasitic such as giardia, cryptosporidium)
- Sinus infections (mostly viral with some being bacterial)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) mood related depression or sadness related to the decreased sunlight and outdoors.
Vaccinations have led to many dangerous illnesses either being rarely seen or wiped out. These include measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis (whooping cough), chicken pox, and smallpox. This is why it is important to get a flu shot every year just before Halloween to boost your immunity most effectively for the winter months. Getting the shot too early such as July through August, is not advised.
Probably the most important ways to prevent illness are self-care to prevent spread or catching an illness. Frequent hand washing is the most important. Taking at least 20 seconds to scrub hands with soap and water (singing the happy birthday song twice is a good measure) after being in public places, before and after eating, after sneezing, coughing, blowing your nose, after using the bathroom, changing diapers, before and after meal preparation, will remove viruses and bacteria from hands that can be transmitted to the face and mucous membranes (nose, mouth, eyes). Antibacterial soaps do not work any better than regular soaps and the water temperature does not matter. Wash time is the most important factor.
When one does become ill, sneezing into the elbow rather than the hand is better and can lower transmission to others. Isolating and masking are other ways to be safe. Viral illnesses are most infectious in the early stages, during the first 1 to 5 days and less so after that. This is one of the main reasons why viruses are so difficult to control when people get together in groups. Many may have minimal to no symptoms but can spread the virus. Disinfecting home surfaces in kitchens, bathrooms, and common living spaces is also important.
Reducing stress, getting a good night sleep, eating a well-balanced nutritional diet, avoiding tobacco, vaping, and alcohol, while maintaining an exercise program also ways to boost immunity and prevent illness and disease.
When cooking, there should be separate surfaces for meat preparation that are away from other food preparation areas. Food should be well cooked and meat temperatures measured prior to serving. Food should be covered until serving and quickly put away and refrigerated when not eaten. Clean up and disinfecting all food preparation surfaces is also important to kill harmful bacteria and viruses.
For the 1 in 20 people who experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), bright light therapy twice daily can be of benefit. Using a light box with 10,000 Lux intensity is advised. Getting outside and walking during daytime for 20-30 minutes is also a great way to improve "winter blues.” Exercise at home or at the gym, socializing with friends and family, staying active, getting good rest, eating well, avoiding alcohol (which is a depressant) are also all important to improved and positive mood and attitude.
Even when using all the proper prevention measures and self-care, these above illnesses can and will still happen. When they do rest, fluids, over the counter medications for symptom control, and contacting your primary care provider are all important options to consider. The Saint Alphonsus Online Urgent Care is a telehealth option that can evaluate and treat many winter-related complaints from home without having to travel to a medical office or urgent care. With the use of MyChart, Online Urgent Care can put you in touch with a health care provider with whom you can have a medical visit through your computer or mobile device.
The link below will take you to the landing page to register and begin a visit:
Saint Alphonsus Care on demand
Care on Demand can assist with illness caused by any of the infectious winter related illnesses discussed here. Most visits can be completed without having to be referred to an in-person visit, but a small percentage of online visits may. You will be provided with options as to where to go for the best evaluation and treatment plan.
Anticipation, preparation, and prevention are three of the best tools to keep yourself healthy. But if those should fail, an online consultation with an online provider can get you the care you are looking for.
