Grandma still knows best about flu

You got your flu shot. You use antibacterial lotion religiously. You avoid, as much as you can without seeming rude, people who sneeze, cough or wheeze.

But the flu virus found you anyway. So now what?

It’s a question that might be particularly relevant this year, given that the flu vaccine we have this season isn’t quite as effective against the flu as we might have hoped.

Dr. Ronald Hedger, assistant dean of clinical skills training at Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine, says each year’s vaccine is designed to combat “the best guess, essentially, of what (flu strains) will hit.”

Last year’s vaccine was a pretty solid match. This year’s, not so much.

Hedger says it’s worth getting a shot if you haven’t already done so, because the vaccine will create an immunity response that will help the body react more quickly and more effectively to cold and flu viruses when they do arrive.

And if that does happen, remember Grandma’s prescription: Rest, lots of fluids, and aspirin or acetaminophen as needed.

Then, Hedger says, that classic trio can be augmented with a few other remedies. For instance, both the flu and colds are viral infections, and Hedger says that, lack of conclusive evidence notwithstanding, he for years has taken vitamin C for colds.

According to Hedger, the theory behind vitamin C is that heavy doses of it prevents the virus from attaching to red blood cells and multiplying. However, this also would require taking daily doses well above the current recommended dietary allowance of 90 milligrams for adult men and 75 milligrams for adult women.

Ideally, the vitamin C would be taken even before you’re exposed to the virus. But, Hedger says, taking at least 2,000 milligrams of vitamin C a day if you do get the flu could help, and “it’s not going to hurt you. If you get too much, it’s urinated out.”

Then, some people use zinc lozenges and nasal sprays to prevent and treat colds and flu. As with vitamin C, evidence of zinc’s effectiveness remains inconclusive, Hedger says, “and it remains an open question.”

In the meantime, prescription antiviral medications can help to shorten the typical five- to seven-day-long course of the flu. But, Hedger says, “the key to those is getting it in your system within the first day or two of getting the symptoms.”

And while your flu does run its course, remember to keep washing your hands, stay home from work and try not to pass your flu on to others. And consider, Hedger says, that “Grandma was a smart lady.”

Speaking of which: Chicken soup? It couldn’t hurt, Hedger says.