With change in weather and drop in temperature, cases of cough and cold have increased. Although some of these people may have a regular cold, in others the symptoms may be severe. However, it is important that you take the necessary steps that can help prevent the situation from getting worse.

It is important that you talk to your doctor before taking any medicines. This is because they will be the best people who can understand your condition and prescribe the necessary medicine. However, GP Dr Shirin shared one thing she advises people to do as soon as they notice cold symptoms. This helps reduce the duration and severity of the disease and is also not expensive.

In a post, Dr Shireen said, “I’m an NHS GP, and I’m going to give you guys a little advice that will reduce the duration and severity of any cold you have this winter.”

She added, “As soon as you notice an itchy throat, runny nose, itchy eyes, irritation, anything that suggests you have a cough or a cold, I want you to take two things: vitamin C and Zinc.

“You can actually get these Baroka-style tablets that you put in water. Just start it. You can’t prevent a cough or cold, but research shows that taking zinc and vitamin C reduces their duration and severity. I’ve personally been doing this for the past few years, and I can tell you that it really works.

According to a report in Mirror.co.uk, Dr. Shireen also advises adults to take vitamin D supplements during winter. In another of his videos, he said, “People don’t come to the doctor and say, ‘I have Vitamin D deficiency.’ They come to the doctor and say, ‘I am feeling very tired, I have joint pain, bone pain.

“I am feeling sad. I am feeling uneasy. I am really at risk of getting an infection. It seems that my immune system is weakened, and what do we do as GPs? We do blood tests, and all the blood tests are coming back with low vitamin D.

“Now, a lot of people don’t know this, but from October to March everyone needs to take a vitamin D supplement, and it could be 800 units or 1000 units, but all adults should take a vitamin D supplement.”

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