Cold and Flu Season is Here: Practical Tips To Prevent & Limit Viral Upper Respiratory Illnesses

The air across Canada is starting to get cooler and the geese are beginning to gather for their migration south. Yes, Fall is approaching and, with the kids having gone back to school, we can expect the imminent onset of ‘Cold and Flu Season.’

Earlier this week, Dr. Peter A. McCullough posted a very good, brief article detailing what the “common cold” actually is and whether antibiotics really work to treat the unpleasant symptoms of these all too common infections.

He writes:

“The common cold” is a clinical catch-all for upper respiratory infections caused by a rotating cast of viruses. Its very name invites dismissal — but the fact that modern medicine still cannot cure it after centuries speaks to a biological cleverness that humbles pharmaceutical hubris.

The Top Five Culprits

1. Rhinovirus — The heavyweight champion, responsible for 30–50% of all colds. Over 160 serotypes ensure perpetual reinfection; immunity to one means nothing against the others.
2. Coronavirus (endemic strains, not SARS-CoV-2) — Four seasonal human coronaviruses (229E, NL63, OC43, HKU1) account for roughly 15% of colds, peaking in winter.
3. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) — A major player in adult colds but notorious for hitting infants and the elderly with bronchiolitis.
4. Parainfluenza Virus — Types 1–4 produce the classic “cold” picture in adults while driving croup in children.
5. Adenovirus — The versatile offender capable of pharyngitis, conjunctivitis, and gastrointestinal symptoms alongside standard cold presentation.

Transmission: What You’re Actually Dealing With

These viruses spread through three primary routes:

1. Droplet — Coughing and sneezing launch virus-laden particles that land on mucosal surfaces. A single sneeze produces ~40,000 droplets traveling at ~100 mph.
2. Fomite — Rhinovirus survives hours on doorknobs, phones, keyboards. You touch, you transfer to eyes/nose/mouth, you’re infected. This is arguably the dominant route for rhinovirus specifically.
3. Direct contact — Handshakes, hugs, close-quarters conversations. Skin-to-skin then skin-to-face.

Incubation is typically 24–72 hours. Peak contagiousness occurs during the first 2–3 days of symptoms. Even though there may be more congestion on days 5-7, there is less spread. The average adult logs 2–4 colds annually; children in daycare can hit 6–8.

Antibiotics: When to Actually Pull the Trigger

Antibiotics do nothing against viruses. Full stop. Yet they’re prescribed for colds at alarming rates — a practice driven more by patient expectation and physician convenience than evidence.

Legitimate indications for antibiotics:

• Suspected bacterial sinusitis — Consider antibiotics when symptoms persist beyond 10 days without improvement, or when there’s a “double-worsening” pattern (improvement then sudden deterioration). Purulent discharge alone is not sufficient — it occurs in viral sinusitis too. High fever, unilateral facial pain, and dental pain strengthen the case.
• Suspected bacterial bronchitis — True bacterial bronchitis in previously healthy adults is rare. Consider antibiotics only when cough persists beyond 2–3 weeks with purulent sputum, fever, and systemic symptoms, after ruling out pertussis. COPD patients warrant a lower threshold.

The CDC’s own data suggests roughly 30% of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary. The collateral damage — gut microbiome disruption, selection pressure for resistant organisms — is real and cumulative.

A cold is miserable; C. difficile colitis is life-threatening. The calculus should be obvious!”

So What Does The CHA Board of Director’s Recommend For Colds and Flu?

With these risks and the likelihood of negative side-effects especially to your gut, it is worth considering other more natural ways of dealing with seasonal colds and flu.

We asked the Canada Health Alliance Board of Director’s what they personally recommend and they had a lot of varied recommendations which are well worth considering:

CHA President Dr. Dorle Kneifel: My go-to in northern latitudes is three days of high dose Vitamin D (50-100K daily), increasing my rest, opening my thought matrix to invite connection to Source’s higher frequency input. I also cultivate curiosity and ask myself, why this now?

Dr. Barry Breger has been studying the whole phenomenon of “the common cold” for decades. As detailed in his excellent ‘How to Prepare For Flu Season’ training course which he presented about a year ago now, he recommends taking high doses of Vitamin C and Vitamin D as soon as the first symptoms appear which will usually stop the onset of symptoms in their tracks. However, his approach to so-called viral illness is much more than high dose Vitamins C and D. His quick overview is “Rest, relax and make room for yourself.” He goes on to explain:

• Food: stop eating. Liquid fasting is good or a light liquid diet, low in refined sugars of course as well as protein, fats and otherwise hard to digest foods. Digesting fats and proteins is energy intensive, energy that we need to heal. There is nothing like home-made chicken soup – or a vegetable soup – if desired.
• If you have sinus or lung issues – inhalation therapy is good. We used to put a 3/4 medium pot of just boiled water on the kitchen table, add a dash of Vick’s Vapo Rub (or equivalent essential oils like eucalyptus and peppermint), cover our head with a towel at the table, lean over the pot and carefully do inhalations as tolerated. Be careful though as it is hot, but really good for unblocking sinuses. You can also sit in the bathroom on the closed toilet seat with the door closed, run a super hot shower and breath the steam generated for 10-15 minutes. Humidity is better than the too dry air of our winter in heated houses. I would suggest a wet towel draped over the back of a chair in the bedroom to increase humidity levels overnight if you don’t have a humidifier available.

Supplements that are helpful include:

• Vitamin C, 1-2 gms (1,000-2,000 mgm) or more each 1-2 hours while awake (There is well over 1/2 century of research and use of high dose Vitamin C). Excess Vitamin C causes loose stools. This is called “bowel tolerance.” It is best to increase the dose to just below bowel tolerance. Take enough to cause loose stools, then decrease. Bowel tolerance increases with the severity of a disease. More severe disease results in a higher tolerated dosage before loose stools appear. Decrease the dose and/or the frequency if loose stools appear. High dose Vitamin C poses no danger. Vitamin C experts talk of a 20 gm cold, a 40 gm flu, a 50 or more gm pneumonia and a 100 gm cancer. Too much will lead to loose stools. Decrease gradually according to how you feel and stool quality as you improve.
• Vitamin D 50,000 IU twice a day for five days.
• Vitamin A drops 50,000 IU (5 drops) twice a day for 3-5 days.
• Zinc gluconate lozenges (13-23 mg of elemental zinc/lozenge) four to six times a day, for a few days (apparently this does not work for children).
• Echinacea and Goldenseal – follow instructions on the bottle.

Dr. Stephen Malthouse: Homeopathy has numerous remedies for colds and flus in all its various manifestations, e.g. Aconite, Belladonna, Pulsatilla, Gelsemium, Allium cepa, Rhus toxicodendron, Hepar sulph, etc.

Oscillococcinum might work for you if the symptom picture fits (although this particular remedy is really based on theory) or as a prophylactic (many take on airplanes).

Autopathy allows you to spit into a glass beaker and potentize your saliva (as a representation of the body’s response). Acupuncture diagnoses and treats the disturbance in Chi circulation. These are generally not suppressive approaches.

There is plenty about homeopathy and colds on the internet. Or consider taking my upcoming “Hands-On Homeopathy” course which starts on September 14th and runs for three weeks. To find out more about this course and how to enrol, email me at: smalthouse@protonmail.com and include ‘Hands-On Homeopathy course’ in the subject line.

Patricia Rust: My cold and flu advice is simple: when you feel that first little “uh-oh”, a runny nose, scratchy throat or sinus headache, give your body a break and keep things light. An overnight or a 24-30 hour fast, or simply choosing light foods such as oranges and salad, can be a nice way to avoid overburdening the body while it gets on with the important job of looking after you!

Lynda McLeod: As a result of the education l have participated in at CHA, when my body tells me I’m very tired—much like Patricia’s advice—I stop.  I have adopted the following steps:

• I take Oscillococcinum – Stephen’s Homeopathy course
• I take 1000mg of vitamin C til bowel tolerance- Barry’s course on colds
• I take high doses of vitamin D – Dorle’s presentation
• I’ve also adopted a remedy from my daughter, who is an herbalist: a cup of tea with garlic and honey.
• Then l take my own advice: slip into an Epsom salt bath and put myself to bed.

Myriam Bohémier: I use what we call a “living embalming,” made with a blend of essential oils, to stop a cold as soon as it starts. I rub it all over my body, especially on the soles of my feet, which are reflexology points.

• For sore throats and coughs, I dilute a few drops of Tei-Fu, a Chinese herbal remedy, in honey and take it orally.
• I also use peppermint essential oil for headaches.
• When I’m sick, I also increase my vitamin A intake for a few days.

Alan Brough: When it comes to protecting young children who are busy sharing viruses at school, I recommend the Vital Health ‘Einstein Kids Range’ which are natural supplements specially designed for kids. The top two products I recommend for kids are ‘Smart Biotics’ which is a mango-flavoured blend of probiotics, digestive enzymes and Lion’s Mane mushroom, and ‘D-FENZ’ which is a refreshing lime-flavoured immune and energy support drink packed with Vitamins C and D (as recommended above), zinc, niacin, magnesium and turmeric extract.

I believe in these products because of the positive feed-back from parents who buy these products at our wellness centre here in Edmonton.

If you would like to access the recording of Dr. Breger’s ‘How to Prepare For Flu Season’ training session, or if you would like more information on either the Chinese herbal remedy Tei-Fu, or the Vital Health natural supplement range mentioned above, contact Alan at alan.brough@canadahealthalliance.org

We would like to credit Dr. Peter McCullough and his excellent Focal Points Courageous Discourse substack for the initial part of this article. You can read his original full article at: https://www.thefocalpoints.com/p/cold-and-flu-season-is-here