the Irish Mirror<\/a>.<\/p>\n“Preparation really is half the battle,” said Pharmacist Frederick Apenteng from Roseway Labs. “Once you’re unwell, you don’t want to be searching for paracetamol or trying to find a thermometer. That’s when people end up feeling worse.”<\/p>\n
What you need<\/p>\n
According to Frederick, you should start with the basics. Paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain relief, fever reduction and muscle aches.<\/p>\n
Add throat lozenges or sprays for sore throats and purchase two types of cough syrup. One expectorant for chesty coughs and one suppressant for dry, tickly varieties.<\/p>\n
Make sure you’ve got a decongestant to hand for those irritating stuffy noses, but bear in mind you shouldn’t use it for more than five days, while a saline nasal spray provides a milder, ongoing remedy for relieving congestion. Your winter health should also include rehydration sachets, loads of tissues, hand sanitiser, alongside the soothing duo of honey and lemon.<\/p>\n
Have a digital thermometer close by to keep tabs on any temperature spikes, and think about vapour rub or a humidifier to assist with easier breathing when congestion hits. Frederick stresses that a balanced diet is fundamental to maintaining strong immunity.<\/p>\n
“People often get run down because of nutrient gaps,” he said. “Iron, B vitamins and vitamin C all play vital roles in keeping your immune defences strong.”<\/p>\n
Filling up on nutrient-rich foods like leafy greens, citrus fruits and whole grains can truly strengthen your body’s natural defences. “The real immunity boosters are sleep, good nutrition and hydration,” added Frederick.<\/p>\n
Getting prepared now means reduced stress later on. “Having your winter kit ready means you can act fast at the first sneeze,” Frederick explained.<\/p>\n
“This helps prevent symptoms from worsening, and keeps you away from the GP waiting room.”<\/p>\n
Simply put, if you’re feeling poorly, it’s sensible to stock up early and make rest a priority to navigate the season without hassle.<\/p>\n
Don’t overdo it<\/p>\n
That said, if you’re wrestling with a cold or the flu, it’s vital to grasp that going overboard with certain treatments can spell trouble. Overdoing it with cold and flu remedies can spark serious health complications, from accidental overdoses to potential liver or kidney harm, whilst also risking rebound congestion that only worsens your predicament.<\/p>\n
It’s absolutely critical to stick to the dosage instructions and time limits stated on the packaging, and don’t hesitate to seek advice from a healthcare professional if there’s anything you’re not certain about. For those dealing with colds, you should know that relying on decongestant nasal sprays for more than a couple of days can set off a “rebound effect”.<\/p>\n
This phenomenon can actually leave your nasal passages more inflamed and blocked than they were initially. This condition goes by the medical term rhinitis medicamentosa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A pharmacist has shared the essential medicines everyone should keep in their cabinets to combat winter colds and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":222573,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[103,397,396,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-222572","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-health-care","10":"tag-healthcare","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=222572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222572\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/222573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Male](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_Male-hands-pouring-liquid-medicine-into-spoon.jpg\")
Male hands carefully pouring syrup-like medicine into a metal spoon. Concepts: home treatment, accurate dosage, family care, child and adult healthcare.(Image: Tatiana Cheremukhina via Getty Images)<\/p>\n