Overview
- Dr Suraj Kukadia, known as Dr Sooj, posted a short video outlining practical steps to cut the risk of winter respiratory infections.
- He notes infections rise as cold, dry conditions help germs persist and people spend more time indoors in close contact.
- Recommended prevention includes regular handwashing, avoiding face‑touching, ventilating gatherings, using tissues or the elbow when coughing or sneezing, and not sharing personal items.
- For symptoms, he suggests staying well hydrated, using honey and lemon for sore throats, and acknowledges mixed evidence for vitamin C and zinc.
- He advises saline nasal rinses only with boiled‑and‑cooled, sterile or distilled water, cautions against decongestant sprays with oxymetazoline, pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine, notes steroid sprays may help prolonged rhinitis or sinusitis, and recommends salt‑water gargles, OTC pain relief, and clean, daily‑maintained cool‑mist humidifiers.