How to Prevent and Treat the Inevitable Fall Semester Cold

Kalie Souknary
Blog Content Contributor

As the semester finally starts to settle in, you would hope that the spreading of the common cold settles down. But since a lot of us aren’t used to being around so many new people at once, we’re bound to catch it at one point. Fortunately, there are simple ways to prevent and treat the common cold without having to spend a bunch of money at the pharmacy or grocery store. Here are a few tips that I use as someone who hates taking medicine.

Wash your hands.
People haven’t started skipping class yet, so you need be aware that out of the three hundred kids in your class, someone in there has a cold. And someone who sat in that seat before you probably put their sickly hands all over it. Don’t touch your face without washing your hands so you can avoid spreading germs, and always have hand sanitizer handy. It’s something we learned when we were in kindergarten but often tend to forget how essential it is.

Drink something warm.
If your throat is sore, the worst thing you can do is keep drinking cold liquids. I know it’s hot outside, but your throat needs something soothing. Drink warm tea, milk, or even just room temperature water. Another trick I know to soothe your throat if you hate cough drops is to go buy some jolly ranchers. It’ll coat your throat with the same kind of texture that cough drops do.

Take it easy.
Some of the time, the only reason we get sick is that we don’t give ourselves enough time to rest. I totally understand how busy the semester gets, but we also need to remember that we can’t accomplish anything if we aren’t able to function properly. Don’t overwork yourself if you feel like you’re getting sick. Take some time to rest and when you are working, take it as easy as possible.

Take a preventative medicine.
I know I said I hate medicine, but this isn’t quite the same. I usually take Emergen-C to keep me from getting sick and it doesn’t really feel like taking medicine. It feels like more of a vitamin supplement than anything. It’ll strengthen your immune system so that you have a lesser risk of getting sick.

Eat healthier.
If you’re sick, it’s probably a sign that you’re also not taking as great of care of your body as you think. Your body needs fruits and vegetables to help build those proteins that help fight viruses and colds. Make some soup for yourself and eat lots of fruit. You’ll feel better about yourself anyway.

Some (or maybe even all) of these tips may feel like common sense, but let’s admit it– we don’t always take the best care of our bodies. It could really make a difference in beating the common cold that comes creeping up on all of us at some point in the new semester. If you take my advice, you’ll be over it no time.