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How to stock your medicine cabinet for cold and flu season · Silver FM 100.6

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  Speaker 2: So I was on the train today and this lady
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  Speaker 2: started coughing. And, you know, my first thought, of course, is,
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  Speaker 2: is she sick? Mm-hmm.
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  Speaker 1: Right?
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  Speaker 2: Like... You're, like, hoping she's.
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  Speaker 3: Choking, which sounds actually terrible.
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  Speaker 2: But maybe she just choked on her own spit or
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  Speaker 2: on some water or something. But then as she starts
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  Speaker 2: coughing more, you're, like, trying to diagnose it.
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  Speaker 4: Does it sound wet?
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  Speaker 2: Is it phlegmy?
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  Speaker 5: You know? And, like, do I have to get up?
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  Speaker 2: Can the germs travel that far?
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  Speaker 3: Right. Like, is this a, like, can I just turn
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  Speaker 3: away situation? Is this, like, a move to a different, like,
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  Speaker 3: move to a whole different train situation?
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  Speaker 2: I feel like I notice cold and flu season just
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  Speaker 2: by the number of coughs that I hear on the
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  Speaker 2: train in October.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah. That's a real thing.
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  Speaker 2: Well, you're listening to Life Kit. I'm Mariel Segarra, and
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  Speaker 2: I'm talking to reporter Andy Tegel. Andy, what is it
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  Speaker 2: about this time of year? Why are we so susceptible
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  Speaker 2: to getting sick now?
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  Speaker 3: There's a lot of things working against us at the
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  Speaker 3: same time, Mariel. Let me introduce you to Dr. Mona Amin.
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  Speaker 3: She's a board-certified pediatrician and the host of the podcast,
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  Speaker 3: Peds Doc Talk.
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  Speaker 5: There's so many things that are happening in this time frame.
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  Speaker 5: The first one is that different viruses replicate in different climates.
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  Speaker 5: And then you add the fact that kids are back
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  Speaker 5: in school. And so when you put germs with germy
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  Speaker 5: little kids together... It's like a nice little petri dish
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  Speaker 5: that everyone's just sharing the love.
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  Speaker 4: Nasty. I hate it.
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  Speaker 2: So what have you got for us? Do you have
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  Speaker 2: some tips you can help me not get sick?
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  Speaker 3: Well, I'm going to do my best, Mariel. I'm going
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  Speaker 3: to do my best. In this episode of Life Kit,
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  Speaker 3: let's get you prepped for the cold and flu season
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  Speaker 3: as best we can. Mona will share all of her
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  Speaker 3: must-haves for your medicine cabinet. We'll also talk to a
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  Speaker 3: pharmacist about reading labels and how to be smarter in
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  Speaker 3: the cold and flu aisle. And then we're going to
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  Speaker 3: wrap up with tips for understanding when to treat a
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  Speaker 3: sickness at home and when to go in to see
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  Speaker 3: a doctor.
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  Speaker 2: Here's hoping that this is all just good to know
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  Speaker 2: and you won't need any of it and you'll be illness-free.
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  Speaker 3: Crossing all of my fingers, all of my toes.
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  Speaker 4: That's hard to do.
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  Speaker 8: This fall, there are a lot of movies and TV
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  Speaker 3: Takeaway one. As the weather turns colder, multiple factors can
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  Speaker 3: work against your immune system at once. the very best
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  Speaker 3: medicine at your disposal is prevention.
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  Speaker 5: My GOAT, my greatest of all time hack is saline.
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  Speaker 5: So like anytime my nose is feeling dry, even if
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  Speaker 5: I'm not sick, I am squirting saline into those nostrils
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  Speaker 5: to help keep it moist, almost like the version of
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  Speaker 5: washing your hands, but for your nose.
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  Speaker 3: It's easier for viruses to attach, to stick to you
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  Speaker 3: when your nose is dry.
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  Speaker 7: Yes.
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  Speaker 5: That being said, it's not a full stop, But it's
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  Speaker 5: one layer of that Swiss cheese model, which means adding
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  Speaker 5: different layers of the Swiss cheese to reduce the risk of,
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  Speaker 5: you know, getting an infection in the first place.
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  Speaker 3: The idea here, if it's new to you, is that
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  Speaker 3: no method of prevention is perfect. They all have holes.
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  Speaker 3: But you can reduce your overall risk of getting sick
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  Speaker 3: by adding on more layers of protection. Like?
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  Speaker 4: So, I mean, definitely you want to make sure that
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  Speaker 4: you're hand washing.
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  Speaker 3: This is Alicia Reed. a licensed pharmacist and health educator
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  Speaker 3: based in New Orleans.
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  Speaker 4: So, you know, like they have a girl's girl. I
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  Speaker 4: consider myself a girl's pharmacist because I'm the pharmacist that's
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  Speaker 4: going to tell you whether or not something is worth buying.
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  Speaker 4: I don't want you to get fooled by clever marketing.
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  Speaker 4: So I consider myself a girl's pharmacist.
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  Speaker 3: Together, Alicia and Mona are going to tag team to
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  Speaker 3: help get you and everyone in your family ready for
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  Speaker 3: this cold and flu season. Both say it's pretty simple.
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  Speaker 3: Just don't skip the basics.
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  Speaker 5: Hydration, fluid helps things move along, and also fluids help
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  Speaker 5: keep our throat moist. So things can't get into our
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  Speaker 5: mucous membranes in the throat that can cause viruses.
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  Speaker 4: Proper nutrition.
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  Speaker 5: Getting fresh air is so healing. Getting sunshine is so healing.
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  Speaker 5: Vitamin D, all of this is so good for our
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  Speaker 5: immune system.
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  Speaker 3: And let's not forget about the biggie, sleep.
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  Speaker 5: The two biggest things that cause illness... It's lack of
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  Speaker 5: sleep and stress. When we're very high stress for a
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  Speaker 5: long period of time, viruses love us because we're considered
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  Speaker 5: a good host to replicate it.
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  Speaker 4: And of course, as a pharmacist, I'm always going to
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  Speaker 4: recommend up-to-date vaccinations.
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  Speaker 3: In particular for this conversation, your annual flu shot. According
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  Speaker 3: to the CDC, the ideal time to get a flu shot,
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  Speaker 3: for most people, is before the end of October. so
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  Speaker 3: that those antibodies have kicked in by the start of
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  Speaker 3: the season. But if this episode is finding you later
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  Speaker 3: than that, don't think you're off the hook. And that
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  Speaker 3: includes if you've already caught the flu, by the way.
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  Speaker 3: In that case, current guidance says, wait until you've been
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  Speaker 3: symptom-free for two weeks before getting your shot. And yes,
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  Speaker 3: it's still worth it to do that, because there are
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  Speaker 3: a lot of different strains out there, and a lot
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  Speaker 3: of other viruses that can have you running straight to
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  Speaker 3: your medicine cabinet.
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  Speaker 7: Or.
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  Speaker 3: Recently online, I saw this idea I really liked. And
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  Speaker 3: it's the idea of prepping a sick box before you
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  Speaker 3: start sniffling or you have that tickle in your throat.
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  Speaker 4: I have actually a bag that has like pharmacist survival kit.
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  Speaker 4: I definitely think that you should prepare ahead of time
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  Speaker 4: for cold and flu season and have things readily available
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  Speaker 4: so that you're not scrambling or depending on someone else
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  Speaker 4: to run to the drugstore for you when you become ill.
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  Speaker 4: And I do make sure it's very important to check it. So,
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  Speaker 4: you know, because it may be expired. You may end
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  Speaker 4: up not using it in a while. So you want
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  Speaker 4: to go in and make sure that everything is up
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  Speaker 4: to date.
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  Speaker 3: That's a good point. What's the general shelf life of
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  Speaker 3: over-the-counter medications?
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  Speaker 4: Well, they usually give like a year or two years
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  Speaker 4: if you're looking at the expiration dates. I will say
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  Speaker 4: that that's the date that the company can guarantee the
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  Speaker 4: stability of the medication and guarantee that it's going to work.
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  Speaker 4: Anything beyond that, they're unsure of the stability. So I
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  Speaker 4: know some people still keep it and say, well, you know...
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  Speaker 4: It's probably still good. I don't want to waste my money,
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  Speaker 4: but I typically like to stay within the range of,
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  Speaker 4: you know, the expiration date.
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  Speaker 10: Right.
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  Speaker 3: So best practice, you want to take medication that is fresh,
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  Speaker 3: that you know is guaranteed. But if you accidentally take
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  Speaker 3: a Tylenol that's six months out of date, you're probably
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  Speaker 3: going to, you don't have to panic. Right. So let's
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  Speaker 3: get into it. Be it a box, a bag, a shelf,
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  Speaker 3: get your shopping list ready because takeaway two is coming.
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  Speaker 3: prep your sick day supplies before anyone in the house
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  Speaker 3: gets sick.
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  Speaker 5: So the first thing is you want a thermometer, which
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  Speaker 5: is very basic.
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  Speaker 3: For kids three and under, Mona says a rectal thermometer
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  Speaker 3: is your most accurate option. For everybody else, oral or
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  Speaker 3: digital infrared thermometers work just fine, although the latter may
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  Speaker 3: be slightly less accurate.
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  Speaker 5: Having that nasal saline is wonderful. If your child is younger,
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  Speaker 5: a bulb suction or... a suctioning tool, but you don't
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  Speaker 5: need to go suctioning things out if the saline is
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  Speaker 5: allowing everything to drip out.
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  Speaker 4: I have to have a pain reliever, a fever reducer.
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  Speaker 3: Let's note, those are separate standalone meds. So ibuprofen and acetaminophen,
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  Speaker 3: for example, and kids' versions of those too, of course,
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  Speaker 3: if needed.
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  Speaker 4: I also want to make sure I have something for
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  Speaker 4: my stomach. Most often it may be over-the-counter heartburn medication,
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  Speaker 4: something for diarrhea.
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  Speaker 5: And then the other thing that is for stomach bugs
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  Speaker 5: is a vomit bag. And then instead of having to
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  Speaker 5: use your baking bowls, you can have this on the go.
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  Speaker 5: And then along those lines of vomiting is having something
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  Speaker 5: like Pedialyte, which can help with hydration.
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  Speaker 3: Also on the short list, an antihistamine.
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  Speaker 5: The best one is actually Zyrtec, which is cetirizine, or Claritin,
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  Speaker 5: which is loratadine. Benadryl has actually fallen out of favor.
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  Speaker 3: That's because Benadryl's active ingredient, diphenhydramine hydrochloride, can cause some
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  Speaker 3: adverse side effects like hallucinations and potential risks for chronic users.
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  Speaker 3: And other antihistamines are just... as effective if you just
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  Speaker 3: went wait what isn't an antihistamine the medicine i use
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  Speaker 3: for like dust or pollen in the spring yes that's
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  Speaker 3: right colds and allergies have similar symptoms sneezing runny noses
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  Speaker 3: watery eyes and antihistamines can help out with all of
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  Speaker 3: those things Some are more effective than others. And as
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  Speaker 3: Mona alluded to, providers will favor some over others. In
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  Speaker 3: the case of Benadryl, it's been shown to cause more
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  Speaker 3: side effects than other similar products. So always talk to
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  Speaker 3: your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions. Next on
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  Speaker 3: the list, a few other good to haves, like chest rub.
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  Speaker 5: Which is, you know, eucalyptus in it. This is a
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  Speaker 5: homeopathic remedy. There's not a lot of research behind it. However,
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  Speaker 5: I swear by it. A lot of families love it.
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  Speaker 3: Another favorite homeopathic remedy, honey.
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  Speaker 5: What honey does is that it's a anti-inflammatory, which helps
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  Speaker 5: with the inflammation that happens from viruses, but it also
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  Speaker 5: helps with coating the throat. Honey is the goat over
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  Speaker 5: the age of one for cough and cold. It's actually
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  Speaker 5: been shown to be even better than cough and cold syrups.
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  Speaker 5: And the reason we don't give it under one is
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  Speaker 5: a risk of botulism toxin. But over one, you can
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  Speaker 5: either give it in a syringe, it might be a
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  Speaker 5: little thick to pull up, or just in a tablespoon
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  Speaker 5: that they can eat directly, or you can mix it
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  Speaker 5: in warm water or warm milk.
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  Speaker 4: And then a humidifier is something that I definitely make
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  Speaker 4: sure that I've invested in for cold and flu season.
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  Speaker 3: Now, you might have noticed a few exceptions from this list.
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  Speaker 3: For one, combination cold and flu meds. That's because those...
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  Speaker 3: are a little less straightforward, bringing us to takeaway three.
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  Speaker 3: Less is more. Read your labels, opt for simple ingredients,
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  Speaker 3: and only take the medications you actually need.
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  Speaker 4: The number one thing that I tell anyone is when
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  Speaker 4: you are looking at an over-counted medication, make sure that
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  Speaker 4: it has the ingredient that you are looking for.
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  Speaker 3: Alicia says around this time of year, everyone's running to
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  Speaker 3: the drugstore for cough syrup, but few stop to read
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  Speaker 3: the back of the box. And that's a really important
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  Speaker 3: thing to do.
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  Speaker 4: Because nine times out of ten, it's a lot of
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  Speaker 4: things you don't even need.
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  Speaker 3: Right. And there's a hundred different to choose from. I
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  Speaker 3: have no idea where to start.
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  Speaker 1: Right.
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  Speaker 4: So first and foremost, you want to know what you're
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  Speaker 4: looking for and treat the symptom.
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  Speaker 3: For instance, if you have a dry cough and only
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  Speaker 3: a dry cough, you.
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  Speaker 4: Only need a cough suppressant. So you want to look
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  Speaker 4: for something with dextromethorphan in it. That's it. That's basically
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  Speaker 4: the DM, right? So when you see a DM, but
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  Speaker 4: just turn the box over because there's all types of
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  Speaker 4: Cough medications, you know, a lot of people, they end
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  Speaker 4: up buying more things than they need and they end
• 12:45
  Speaker 4: up taking more than they need when, you know, you
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  Speaker 4: really should just pay attention to the ingredients.
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  Speaker 3: If you have a wet cough, meaning you have mucus
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  Speaker 3: in your chest that needs to be broken up.
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  Speaker 4: That's where you get guaifenicin. But one very interesting caveat,
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  Speaker 4: in fact, is water is actually a natural expectorant. Like
• 13:04
  Speaker 4: you can actually help break up mucus by staying hydrated.
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  Speaker 3: And this is why it's so important to actually read
• 13:11
  Speaker 3: the ingredients and understand what they do. Alicia referenced this
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: one popular cough syrup, for example, that has both a
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: cough suppressant and an expectorant.
• 13:21
  Speaker 4: Some people, you know, end up wanting to buy the
• 13:22
  Speaker 4: Glyphenicin and they use that because that's going to break
• 13:25
  Speaker 4: up the mucus. So you're going to cough. And a
• 13:28
  Speaker 4: lot of times people don't realize that if you're taking
• 13:30
  Speaker 4: something to stop the cough and something to break up
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  Speaker 4: the mucus, then it's working against each other.
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  Speaker 3: And the same goes for those combination cold and flu meds.
• 13:38
  Speaker 4: So you may be taking a DayQuil and then taking
• 13:41
  Speaker 4: a daytime allergy sinus something, right? You know, you don't
• 13:45
  Speaker 4: want to take too much of something, whether it be
• 13:48
  Speaker 4: a nasal decongestant or an antihistamine. I rarely have a
• 13:52
  Speaker 4: multi-symptom anything at home because I want to treat the
• 13:56
  Speaker 4: actual symptom and not just a combination of things. It's
• 14:00
  Speaker 4: Most often, you don't need all of that. And you
• 14:02
  Speaker 4: also want to make sure that you're not double dipping
• 14:04
  Speaker 4: in terms of pain relievers. There's a lot of cases
• 14:09
  Speaker 4: where someone may be prescribed a liquid pain medication and
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: then they have Tylenol at home. And then you're telling them,
• 14:16
  Speaker 4: wait a minute, this pain medication already has Tylenol. So
• 14:20
  Speaker 4: you may end up doubling on ingredients.
• 14:22
  Speaker 3: Remember, just because a medicine is available over the counter,
• 14:26
  Speaker 3: that doesn't mean it's risk free. OTC meds have different
• 14:31
  Speaker 3: dosage and usage restrictions for good reason.
• 14:35
  Speaker 4: A lot of people aren't aware that excessive amounts of
• 14:38
  Speaker 4: Tylenol can lead to liver toxicity. The NSAIDs, which are
• 14:41
  Speaker 4: like the ibuprofens, you can have ulcers. You know, it
• 14:44
  Speaker 4: can affect your kidney function. So that's more of the
• 14:46
  Speaker 4: focus there, just trying to make sure that, you know,
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: if you reach for something, you genuinely, you know, you
• 14:51
  Speaker 4: really need it.
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: And this is extra important to be aware of if
• 14:54
  Speaker 3: you have any chronic health conditions like diabetes or high
• 14:58
  Speaker 3: blood pressure. Not all meds will be safe for all people.
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: After the break, we'll talk about those immunity-boosting supplements in
• 15:06
  Speaker 3: the cold and flu aisle.
• 15:11
  Speaker 7: Midlife brings a lot of changes. Your Turn with Alison
• 15:14
  Speaker 7: Aubrey is a new podcast to help you navigate the
• 15:17
  Speaker 7: twists and turns. From health and relationships to creativity and purpose,
• 15:22
  Speaker 7: we can help steer your next chapter. With Your Turn
• 15:25
  Speaker 7: with Alison Aubrey. Find it on the NPR app or
• 15:27
  Speaker 7: wherever you get your podcasts.
• 15:30
  Speaker 8: Support comes from NPR sponsor AARP.
• 15:33
  Speaker 10: This week on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, we talk
• 15:35
  Speaker 10: with David Byrne about the early fashion advice he got
• 15:39
  Speaker 10: from Lou Reed.
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  Speaker 5: I had really.
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  Speaker 2: Hairy arms at that point.
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  Speaker 4: He said, you should never wear short sleeves.
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  Speaker 10: Body shamed you. Don't miss our full conversation and the
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  Speaker 10: get your podcasts.
• 15:59
  Speaker 3: You're listening to Life Kit. Next up, those supplemental cold
• 16:03
  Speaker 3: and flu remedies people love. I'd love to hear your
• 16:06
  Speaker 3: thoughts on things like airborne emergencies, ICAMS, Inc. I know
• 16:08
  Speaker 3: that people swear by them, but I know they're not
• 16:11
  Speaker 3: regulated in the same way as OTC meds.
• 16:14
  Speaker 5: So you said it already that many of them, mostly
• 16:16
  Speaker 5: all of them, are not FDA approved. What that means
• 16:19
  Speaker 5: is they can enter the market as a supplement and
• 16:21
  Speaker 5: they have not had to do official testing. Now, that
• 16:24
  Speaker 5: doesn't mean that they're completely unsafe. It just means that
• 16:27
  Speaker 5: the company... does their own testing and has deemed it
• 16:31
  Speaker 5: appropriate to put on market.
• 16:33
  Speaker 4: Like zinc actually does have some evidence that it can
• 16:36
  Speaker 4: shorten the duration of a cold, but you have to
• 16:38
  Speaker 4: start it like almost immediately, right? But some people actually
• 16:41
  Speaker 4: take zinc year round, right? As a part of their
• 16:44
  Speaker 4: vitamin supplements, right? In addition to vitamin C.
• 16:47
  Speaker 3: But the answer isn't just taking more vitamins.
• 16:50
  Speaker 4: Your body can only absorb what it can absorb. And
• 16:52
  Speaker 4: it's very expensive. You have very expensive urine. So I
• 16:55
  Speaker 4: think that's a takeaway that I have for a lot
• 16:57
  Speaker 4: of people is You know, make sure you're not overdoing it. Like,
• 17:00
  Speaker 4: you just want to make sure that you are doing
• 17:02
  Speaker 4: your best to stay healthy.
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: So let's say it again for good measure. Prevention is
• 17:07
  Speaker 3: the very best medicine. But if or when that pesky
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: seasonal bug catches you, let's move on to takeaway four.
• 17:18
  Speaker 3: Learn when it's time to wait it out and stop.
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: when it's time to worry.
• 17:23
  Speaker 5: It's really kind of important to know, is this a
• 17:26
  Speaker 5: virus that I can manage at home or is this
• 17:28
  Speaker 5: something that I need to go in for?
• 17:30
  Speaker 3: According to the CDC, a common cold usually lasts less
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: than a week. Though it's not unusual for some symptoms
• 17:38
  Speaker 3: like a runny nose or wet cough to stick around
• 17:41
  Speaker 3: for 10 to 14 days. A flu, if uncomplicated, can
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: pass through your system in as little as a few
• 17:48
  Speaker 3: days or as long as a few weeks.
• 17:51
  Speaker 5: I know.
• 17:51
  Speaker 3: It's a pretty big window. So when should you worry?
• 17:55
  Speaker 4: You always want to make sure that your symptoms are improving.
• 17:59
  Speaker 4: If your symptoms are worsening, that's when you call the doctor.
• 18:02
  Speaker 5: If you're finding that you're having to give medication around
• 18:05
  Speaker 5: the clock, that is when it becomes, let me go
• 18:08
  Speaker 5: see a doctor.
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: Generally speaking, us grownups know when something is really off, right?
• 18:14
  Speaker 3: When we have new or severe symptoms, especially in localized
• 18:18
  Speaker 3: parts of the body, like sudden fever and a sore
• 18:21
  Speaker 3: throat difficulty swallowing it's not hard to make the call
• 18:24
  Speaker 3: that it's probably time to call your doctor but when
• 18:28
  Speaker 3: the source of your sickness isn't so obvious like that
• 18:32
  Speaker 3: or for the littlest members of your family finding that
• 18:35
  Speaker 3: line can be harder more anxiety inducing especially when it
• 18:40
  Speaker 3: comes to fevers monu says she's seen a lot of
• 18:45
  Speaker 3: worried parents come into the er unnecessarily Because.
• 18:49
  Speaker 5: Many fevers can be managed at home. When you need
• 18:52
  Speaker 5: to go take a kid for a fever would be
• 18:54
  Speaker 5: if they're under three months of age. And if your
• 18:56
  Speaker 5: child's over three months, you are watching the following. Breathing, hydration,
• 19:01
  Speaker 5: and behavior.
• 19:02
  Speaker 3: First up, breathing.
• 19:03
  Speaker 5: If they are breathing comfortably, you don't have to be
• 19:06
  Speaker 5: concerned about that fever.
• 19:07
  Speaker 3: Next, hydration.
• 19:09
  Speaker 5: If they are drinking their breast milk formula, the liquids
• 19:11
  Speaker 5: they're normally drinking, making pee, you don't have to be
• 19:14
  Speaker 5: concerned about that fever.
• 19:16
  Speaker 3: Finally, behavior.
• 19:18
  Speaker 5: If you give them a medicine, super cranky, the fever's
• 19:21
  Speaker 5: not budging, you can't get them comfortable, that's a sign
• 19:24
  Speaker 5: that maybe we should see them.
• 19:26
  Speaker 3: Now, for older kids and adults, guidance from the National
• 19:29
  Speaker 3: Library of Medicine recommends to seek treatment if you've had
• 19:32
  Speaker 3: a fever continuously for two to three days, or if
• 19:35
  Speaker 3: you've had fevers come and go for up to a
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: week or more, even if they're low grade.
• 19:41
  Speaker 5: In that timeframe of the fever persistence, you are dealing
• 19:44
  Speaker 5: with anything I mentioned, dehydration, difficulty breathing, or you are
• 19:48
  Speaker 5: so uncomfortable and Motrin or Tylenol are not helping.
• 19:51
  Speaker 3: Also note, if you're really starting to burn up, like
• 19:54
  Speaker 3: according to Harvard Health, if your temperature reaches 104 degrees
• 19:57
  Speaker 3: Fahrenheit or more, it's time to call it in. And remember,
• 20:02
  Speaker 3: that behavior standard can be a really big bucket for adults.
• 20:06
  Speaker 3: Think loss of consciousness or confusion. So if you're experiencing
• 20:10
  Speaker 3: discomfort or you're just unsure about what's going on in
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: your body, it's never a bad idea to talk to
• 20:17
  Speaker 3: your care provider. So, as ever, use your best judgment.
• 20:21
  Speaker 5: Like if you have a cold and you're having really
• 20:24
  Speaker 5: thick green mucus and a fever for three days, worth
• 20:28
  Speaker 5: getting checked out. If it's just green mucus but no fever... needed, right?
• 20:34
  Speaker 5: Cause then we're not worried about a sinusitis, which is
• 20:36
  Speaker 5: an infection of the sinuses vomiting. If you're not able
• 20:39
  Speaker 5: to keep anything down, right? Like you are vomiting and
• 20:42
  Speaker 5: you vomit 15 minutes later, you take a sip of
• 20:44
  Speaker 5: a liquid, like a little sip. You're not able to
• 20:46
  Speaker 5: keep that down for your child or yourself. That is
• 20:49
  Speaker 5: a sign that we want to know because we need
• 20:52
  Speaker 5: to make sure that you're not getting dehydrated to the
• 20:54
  Speaker 5: point that you need IV fluids or maybe a medication
• 20:57
  Speaker 5: like Zofran that can help with nausea.
• 21:00
  Speaker 3: Final thoughts, anything you wish I asked you? Any other
• 21:02
  Speaker 3: advice for us as we head into cold and flu season?
• 21:04
  Speaker 5: One thing I'd like to leave your listeners with is
• 21:06
  Speaker 5: that in life, we want to control everything, but we can't.
• 21:11
  Speaker 5: So when your child gets sick, don't blame yourself.
• 21:14
  Speaker 4: And don't be afraid to call your doctor or talk
• 21:17
  Speaker 4: to a pharmacist about what's going on. I think that
• 21:20
  Speaker 4: we'll all make it through cold and flu season if
• 21:23
  Speaker 4: we just ask the right questions, take care of ourselves,
• 21:27
  Speaker 4: and just listen to our body.
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: All right.
• 21:29
  Speaker 3: Let's recap. Takeaway one. Cold and flu season is coming
• 21:33
  Speaker 3: for you. Prevention is the best medicine, so don't skip
• 21:37
  Speaker 3: the basics. Takeaway two. You want to build that sick
• 21:40
  Speaker 3: box before you need it. We all know just how
• 21:44
  Speaker 3: little fun it is to drag yourself to the pharmacy
• 21:46
  Speaker 3: at 10 p.m. when you've been hit by the flu.
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: Takeaway three. Only take the medications you actually need. Keep
• 21:53
  Speaker 3: them simple whenever you can to avoid unnecessarily over-medicating yourself.
• 21:57
  Speaker 3: And that will require... Reading your labels. Finally, takeaway four.
• 22:03
  Speaker 3: Many viruses, many fevers can be treated at home. But
• 22:07
  Speaker 3: it's important to know when it's time to consult your
• 22:09
  Speaker 3: care provider. So remember MONUS 3 rules as a starting point. Breathing, behavior, hydration.
• 22:16
  Speaker 3: When in doubt, just ask.
• 22:20
  Speaker 2: All right, that's our show.
• 22:22
  Speaker 5: One more thing before we go.
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: Do you follow LifeKit in your podcast app? Would you
• 22:27
  Speaker 2: do it now? Tap follow so you never miss an episode.
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: This episode of Life Kit was reported by Andy Tegel
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: and produced by Lennon Sherburn and Claire Marie Schneider. It
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: was edited by Sylvie Douglas. Our digital editor is Malika
• 22:41
  Speaker 2: Garib and our visuals editor is CJ Ricalan. Megan Cain
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: is our senior supervising editor and Lauren Gonzalez is our
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: executive producer. Our production team also includes Margaret Serino. Fact-checking
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: by Andrea Lopez Cruzado. I'm Mariel Segarra. Thanks for listening.
• 23:09
  Speaker 7: Midlife brings a lot of changes. Your Turn with Alison
• 23:12
  Speaker 7: Aubrey is a new podcast to help you navigate the
• 23:15
  Speaker 7: twists and turns. From health and relationships to creativity and purpose,
• 23:19
  Speaker 7: we can help steer your next chapter with Your Turn
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• 23:31
  Speaker 3: Hi, it's Terry Gross.
• 23:32
  Speaker 9: Ladies and gentlemen, I can say that now because this
• 23:36
  Speaker 9: administration thinks there's only two genders, and I'm both of them.
• 23:40
  Speaker 5: That's actor and drag king Murray Hill.
• 23:43
  Speaker 7: In the series Somebody Somewhere, he played the host of
• 23:45
  Speaker 7: a queer cabaret, which is something he's done plenty of
• 23:48
  Speaker 7: in real life, too.
• 23:50
  Speaker 5: Listen on the NPR app or wherever
• 23:52
  Speaker 4: You listen to fresh air.