As Autumn runs on, it feels as though everywhere you turn somebody is feeling under the weather or suffering from the “seasonal sniffles”. The last fortnight has seen a surge in coughs, colds, flu and covid across the country, as well as the usual increase in cases of norovirus. Whether it is in the workplace, university, school, nursery or even in hospitals, there is no escaping the bugs at this time of year as more of us are spending time inside and so infections are able to spread with relative ease.
There are a number of viruses circulating this Autumn – causing a myriad of unpleasant symptoms for those affected. Cold symptoms are typically mild and include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, and sometimes a mild cough. Flu symptoms come on more suddenly and are more intense, including high fever, chills, body aches, fatigue, and a dry cough. COVID symptoms can vary widely and often are a combination of those which are commonly associated with cold and flu – although a loss of taste and smell is still often reported.
However, if you suffer with allergies, these illnesses can feel even more unpleasant. Coping with your allergy symptoms on top of an illness can leave you feeling particularly unwell and exhausted, sometimes leaving you unable to work or carry out usual activities. Therefore, the team at Dr Helen Allergy have compiled some top tips to help allergy sufferers stay as well as they can during this cough and cold season.
Tip 1: Manage Your Allergy Symptoms
“Avoiding illnesses at this time of year is virtually impossible,” says Dr Helen “so controlling the controllable is crucial.” This means ensuring that your allergy is well managed – be that through environmental measures or medication, or most likely a combination of both. Check that you are taking your antihistamines at the correct dosage and intervals. If you use a nasal spray, ensure that it is being taken correctly as this makes a huge difference to how effective it is – see here for a useful guide. By getting on top of your allergy symptoms you will feel the benefit as the winter season approaches.
If you need to discuss your allergies and treatments book an appointment with your GP or with our clinic.
Tip 2: Ensure Asthma is Well Controlled
In the UK it is estimated that between 60% and 90% of allergy patients also have Asthma, with this figure being the highest for children. It is absolutely crucial therefore, that your Asthma is well controlled so as to limit the impact of seasonal illness on your respiratory system.
Charlotte, our specialist respiratory nurse, says that “I always remind patients—it’s not just about treating symptoms of asthma, it’s about managing the condition every day.” A combination of inhalers are often prescribed for patients – preventers to keep inflammation down long-term, and relievers for fast relief during an attack – both play their part in managing asthma. Therefore, ensure that your medications and inhalers are up to date and that you are taking them as prescribed.
You can book an appointment with Charlotte here.
Tip 3: Attend Your Vaccine Appointments
Both the flu and Covid vaccines will protect you against catching these viruses during the winter season and will also help to help to reduce the severity of the viral symptoms. Many people are eligible for a flu and covid vaccine on the NHS, contact your GP to see if this is applicable to you.
Children aged 2 and above will be offered the flu vaccine in the form of a nasal spray and if they are of school age this will take place at school. Contact your child’s GP or school if you are yet to have been offered this. Many pharmacies also offer flu vaccinations which can be a convenient option, as can clinics such as Dr Helen Medical in Ringwood.
Tip 4: Follow Good Hygiene Practices
The classic hygiene tips – which we are all familiar with – may sound repetitive but really do work in terms of helping you to avoid the seasonal sniffles. Regular hand washing (especially before eating) covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing and opening windows where you can, all go a long way in helping to limit the spread of germs. It is a good idea to get young children to practice these habits with you so that they eventually become routine. These healthy habits are particularly important if they attend a childcare or educational setting where they are mixing with other little ones.
Tip 5: Seek Medical Advice Where Necessary
“Sometimes patients worry about being a burden” says Dr Helen, “but remember we are here to help” Coughs, colds etc can often be managed at home with fluids, rest and painkillers as necessary. However, if you do feel extremely unwell or symptoms are persisting a long time it is important that you seek medical advice. Depending on the severity of your symptoms you may require a GP apt or potentially a hospital visit. It is important that you reach out to a medical professional if you have concerns about yours or your child’s health.
For a more in depth discussion about illness in children, consider watching our talk with Dr Lexi about when to worry about children’s infections – all details here.