It’s been a rough cold season for Mike and Cindy Gorbett. Mike had such a severe case of bronchitis in December that he was still coughing when they traveled out of town on Jan. 31 for their granddaughter’s softball tournament.

When they arrived, he crawled into bed, exhausted with a worsening cough, and stayed there until it was time to go home. Cindy developed a cough the following day.

It didn’t take long for the couple to realize it wasn’t a run-of-the-mill virus. Their coughing and fatigue were sudden, intense, and getting worse, so they headed to a walk-in clinic. Tests confirmed both had influenza A, the dominant strain wreaking havoc on millions of Americans this month.

“We still both have coughs. His cough is worse than mine. Mine is a little tickle you feel like you need to clear out but it never really clears out,” Cindy told The Epoch Times. It was the first time she’s been officially diagnosed with influenza.

This year, the Gorbetts are among at least 33 million Americans who’ve been sick with the flu, which has caused 430,000 hospitalizations and 19,000 deaths so far this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s the highest flu severity season since 2017–2018, affecting all age groups—and it’s not over yet.

That’s why experts say it’s important to adopt healthy habits that can help you to avoid catching a respiratory illness, or to manage your symptoms if you do.

When Is the Flu an Emergency?

Dueling social media posts among nurses in one community illustrate the complicated nature of managing influenza. One nurse advised people to recuperate at home, rest, and drink lots of fluids, to prevent spreading the virus and to alleviate an already burdened health care system.

The other nurse criticized that approach, saying that a local child’s death from the flu justified taking a trip to the hospital if one didn’t feel well.

Influenza differs from a common cold in that it comes on quickly with fever, chills, cough, sore throat, aches and pains, headaches, fatigue, and a runny or stuffy nose. A cold tends to have a gradual onset with a runny or congested nose.

Cindy Gorbett, who is a nurse in a health system but works offsite, knew influenza numbers were running quite high when she got sick. She received a system-wide email encouraging expedited discharges to make room for the high influenza admissions.

CDC data show influenza levels were extremely high or high in 45 states earlier this month. The week ending Feb. 15, showed 43,367 patients with influenza admitted to hospitals, down from 50,382 admitted the week prior.

It is important to reduce the influenza burden on hospitals that can have overcrowded emergency rooms, limited bed availability, and strained staff when flu numbers are high, Lisa M. Lee, an infectious disease expert and senior associate vice president for research and innovation at Virginia Tech, told The Epoch Times.

However, she said unresolved symptoms may warrant a trip to urgent care or the emergency room—particularly during peak flu season in high-risk populations like the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. Of particular concern are high fevers that aren’t coming down, troubled breathing, and anything that feels extremely uncomfortable, she said.

“Even if you already know you have COVID or influenza,“ Lee said, ”if it’s bad enough, go seek care. You might go there and you’re sent home, but if you go home and you continue to have a high fever or severe symptoms, go back.”

Prevent Hospitalization

Whereas colds don’t typically result in serious complications—like bacterial infections, pneumonia, and hospitalizations—the flu can pose these risks.

“Hospital care can be needed,” said Dr. David Brownstein, a family physician and holistic practitioner. “But my job is to keep someone out of the hospital and to not allow them to get close to where they can’t breathe.”

Maintaining optimal levels of nutrients—particularly vitamins A, C, and D—can support the immune system to protect against illness, according to Brownstein, author of “A Holistic Approach to Viruses.”

He’s used the same protocol for 25 years in his practice to aid the immune system in fighting viral illnesses, including COVID-19.

Researchers pointed out in a 2020 Nutrients study that vitamin D’s ability to ward off infection would be useful during the pandemic for both COVID-19 and influenza.

Vitamin C may also help prevent severe illness.

“Vitamin C is an essential substance for the human body. We can’t manufacture it. We have to get it in the diet. Every cell in the body needs vitamin C. Vitamin C requirements go up when we have illnesses, including viral illnesses,” he said, adding that his supplement protocol for viruses is “one of the best things I do in my practice,” Brownstein said.

He advises that adults take 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C every hour when flu symptoms first begin. For vitamin A, he suggests taking 100,000 international units (IU) daily, and for vitamin D, 50,000 IU. The protocol can be used for four days. He also recommends taking iodine, which has proven successful in reducing influenza transmission in animal studies, and boosting fluid intake—water with added electrolytes or salt.

While malnourished people are more susceptible to infections, megadoses of single vitamins aren’t proven to help the immune system. Micronutrient deficiencies—including vitamins A, B6, C, and E, among others—alter the human cellular immune response.

Micronutrients ensure the body’s mucosal barriers and immune cells are working correctly. Children, the elderly, and those whose immune systems are compromised by infection, stress, or pollution may need higher micronutrients, according to a review published in Nutrients, particularly vitamins C and D and zinc.

According to medical experts, effective ways to strengthen your immune system may include:

• Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables
• Quitting smoking
• Exercising regularly
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Avoiding heavy alcohol use
• Getting plenty of sleep
• Minimizing stress
• Getting vaccinated with the flu shot.

To Get or Not to Get the Flu Shot?

It’s not too late to get a flu vaccine, which Lee advised, even with declining cases. The CDC indicates that if you get the vaccine now, it’s probably going to take about two weeks for it to take effect. Of note, flu season generally runs through May.

A little more than 45 percent of the population has gotten a flu shot this year, Lee said, though the target rate is 70 percent.

Flu vaccines are generally about 40 percent to 60 percent effective, varying year to year, according to Lee. There are limitations to their effectiveness for a number of reasons:

• The vaccine takes six months to develop and is based on circulating viruses.
• Viruses change rapidly, meaning the vaccine based on previously circulating strains may not be protective to new strains.
• Antibody levels, which indicate how well your immune system will protect you from the flu, decline over time.

Lee said these limitations are no reason to skip getting a shot, and that everyone should consider getting a flu vaccination both for individual and community protection. She believes this intense flu season is likely the result of low vaccination numbers.

“In large part that happens because people think, ‘Well, I had the flu last year, and it wasn’t so bad,’ or ‘I’m healthy and I don’t really need it.’ You might not really need it yourself, but you could be the person who carries the flu to someone who is vulnerable and gets them sick,” Lee said.

Dr. Cammy Benton, a family physician and integrative practitioner, used to feel that way and share that advice—until three years of making her mom and siblings get flu shots to be around her young children.

All three reacted to their vaccinations with high fevers, body aches, and respiratory infections. The third year, Benton told The Epoch Times, she got an upper respiratory infection that lasted longer than three months. She now advises against the flu shot, pointing to evidence of ineffectiveness and potential harms.

“There’s never going to be a good flu vaccine,” she said, adding that in the past, as a physician, she would tell patients that they can’t get sick from the vaccine, that any sickness after a vaccine was already present when they got the vaccine, and that patients would have been sicker had they not gotten the vaccine.

“These are the typical answers doctors are trained to give.”

CDC flu vaccine information warns that vaccines can cause soreness, redness, and swelling where the shot is given, as well as fever, muscle aches, and headache. The CDC cites one study where 1.1 percent of recipients of the Fluzone influenza vaccine experienced moderate to severe fevers.

There’s also an increased but small risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome after shots with inactivated influenza. Children who get the flu shot alongside pneumonia and/or DTap vaccinations are more at risk of seizures caused by fever.

“As with any medicine, there is a very remote chance of a vaccine causing a severe allergic reaction, other serious injury, or death,” CDC information states.

The Gorbetts have skipped flu vaccines since the COVID-19 pandemic because they learned of adverse events associated with the COVID-19 vaccination. They aren’t the only ones.

“People who tend not to get the flu vaccine also tend not to get the COVID vaccine,” Lee said.

Flu vaccinations for adults increased right after the start of the pandemic but have been lower in the years since, according to the CDC. This is the first season you can opt to get both vaccinations on the same day.

The CDC maintains that the flu vaccine is the best way to prevent the spread of illness and complications from the infection.

Prevent the Spread

There are other basic hygiene practices and tips that can help prevent infection and spread, whether or not you are vaccinated.

Lee suggests:

• Washing your hands frequently.
• Avoiding touching your face.
• Wearing a mask if you don’t feel well.
• Staying home if you’re ill, especially if you have a fever.
• Isolating from others in the house if you have symptoms and are able to do so.

“I was on a flight yesterday, and I was pleasantly surprised how many people were wearing masks—not half the plane or anything, but a good 10 to 15 percent of folks were masked and being very careful,” she said.

Benton said there are plenty of ways to help prevent the spread of influenza, and one of the more important ones is to avoid fear-mongering about the illness.

“Hopefully, what we did learn from COVID is, if you’re sick, stay home,” she said.

Other tips Benton offered include:

• Coughing and sneezing into your inner elbow
• Getting plenty of rest and a full night of sleep
• Irrigating your sinuses, especially when traveling

She travels with Xlear, a saline spray with xylitol. Both saline and xylitol have been shown to be protective against respiratory viruses. Regularly rinsing the sinuses and even gargling with saline or salt water can reduce viral load (amount of virus present in body fluid) and potentially shorten the duration of illness.

Similarly, running a humidifier and keeping a room at 55 percent humidity can kill viruses, Benton said. To offset the risk of mold, she said to add about a quarter-cup of hydrogen peroxide to the humidifier.

According to a 2001 JAMA study, the administration of 75 mg of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) once daily for 7 days protected close contacts of influenza-infected persons against influenza illness, stopped outbreaks within households, and was well tolerated.

Home Remedies

Herbs, homeopathy, and even some generations-old home practices and remedies can be useful to manage the discomfort of influenza, Benton said.

Some of her favorites are:

Don’t Treat Fevers: Unless a fever is really high or the patient is under duress, allow the fever to run its course rather than using fever-breaking medication like acetaminophen (Tylenol). Fevers also force you to get in bed and sleep, which is what you need to be doing.

Garlic Soup: Make chicken soup with an entire head of garlic and turmeric, which is anti-inflammatory. Be sure to eat the garlic in the soup.

Herbs: Try elderberry, a common remedy for preventing and treating viral infections that’s widely available in markets and pharmacies. Another herb is echinacea, often taken with goldenseal. One clinical trial found a hot echinacea drink was just as effective at treating influenza as Tamiflu.

Homeopathy: Consider consulting a homeopath, who may offer a number of treatment options. Oscillococcinum, for example, can be taken to help with fever, body aches, headaches, chills, and fatigue.

Joy and Gratitude: Boost your mood by focusing on what matters most in life.

Wet Socks: Put wet socks over warm feet and cover them with wool socks before going to bed.

Preferring to use home remedies doesn’t mean someone believes medicine is wrong or bad, Benton said. However, the medical system has led to a widespread disconnect from intuition, she said. Ideally, patients should seek a blend of modern treatment with natural solutions.

“Over the many decades, people have lost the old ways and take a pill for everything instead,” she said. “Learning how to protect the immune system is a lost art. Our goal is to teach people how to take care of their immune systems first and then that makes medicine a last resort.”