Cold-Weather Immunity Checklist

Six simple ways to stay well this winter

hough we didn’t need to experience a global pandemic to realize how important it is to keep our immune systems tiptop, it turned out to be a powerful reminder of what we need to do to stay healthy. Happily, there are lots of expertapproved ways to bolster our immunity (beyond just washing our hands), which is particularly important in the winter when common colds and seasonal viruses spread more easily.

“In general, winter is the season when you’re indoors more often and have closer sustained contact with people,” says Joseph Khabbaza, M.D., a pulmonary and critical care physician at Cleveland Clinic. “That’s why it’s important to think about those people in your life with compromised immunities. You may be low-risk yourself, but if you’re [going to] a holiday gathering where vulnerable people are also attending, you want to avoid riskier outings the week before or do a home COVID test before going.”

Here are other ways to keep your immune system strong when the mercury dips.

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