Health Insight
From vaccination and everyday prevention to sleep, nutrition and stress management, Dr. Brown shares practical, evidence-based advice to help Canadians protect their health and reduce the risk of serious respiratory illness.
As we approach cold and flu season, what are the most important prevention strategies Canadians should focus on to reduce the spread of respiratory illness in both households and workplaces?
As we learned during COVID, immunization is paramount to decreasing risk of severe disease. But we also know that public health measures, such as handwashing, masking and social distancing have a significant positive impact. Stay away if you are ill and support the workplace by keeping it safe.
From a clinical perspective, how does vaccination help reduce not only the risk of infection but also the severity of illness and complications across flu, COVID, and RSV?
All of these diseases affect the lungs as a primary focus but go on to destabilize previously stable disease…what does that mean? Well diabetes for example becomes out of control with a severe case of pneumonia. And there is an increases risk for both stroke and heart attack after a serious case of influenza
Beyond vaccination, what evidence based lifestyle factors, such as sleep, nutrition, hydration, and stress management, play a meaningful role in supporting immune resilience?
Our immune system is complex and with aging becomes weaker with time. This is called immunosenescence. By focusing on healthy choices, we support the immune system so that those cells can act efficiently. We have seen stress for example as a major cause for an outbreak of Shingles, and we know with poor sleep, stress and poor nutrition we are more likely to succumb to any circulating viral infection.
When Canadians begin to experience early symptoms of a cold or flu, what should they consider when choosing between self-care, OTC treatments, and seeking professional or pharmacy guidance?
A very important symptom is fever. If you are drinking fluids, resting for a day or two and being meticulous about hygiene, often viral infections will begin to subside. But if you have fever, productive cough and some chest discomfort or shortness of breath, time to get medical help.
What role do pharmacists, public health organizations, and healthcare providers play in improving access to prevention tools and education during respiratory illness season, and where are the biggest opportunities for improvement?
It is all about education and we all have a role to amplify the message. No need for antibiotics for viral infections such as RSV or influenza. But there are antivirals to be used in some cases and we all need reminding abut prevention, both immunization and public health measures. We don’t want a given viral infection to infect the whole family and prevention is what keeps us all healthy or if infected, dealing with a minor episode, not a major one.
