Flu, COVID, RSV, and Common Cold—Here’s Your Real-World Immunity Strategy
Virus Season Is Coming: How to Actually Prepare
The only upside to being sick? Permission to do absolutely nothing. But the coughing, congestion, headaches, and general misery? Hard pass. No amount of canceled meetings or couch time is worth the viral rollercoaster.
With flu, COVID, RSV, the common cold, and other bugs making their seasonal comeback, it’s time to get strategic. Your immune system isn’t just one thing—it’s a layered defense system. And to truly protect yourself, you need to support both the innate and adaptive branches.
Let’s break it down.
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Innate Immunity: Your Built-In Defense
This is your body’s first line of defense—fast, broad, and always on. It includes physical barriers (like mucus, sweat, and tears), gut flora, and immune cells like mast cells and phagocytes. These systems don’t need to “learn” a virus—they’re already primed to respond.
How to Support It:
Rest: Prioritize sleep (7+ hours) to boost natural killer cell activity. Check out this blog post for sleep tips.
Manage stress: Do the best you can to proactively manage how your body responds to stress. While we can’t eliminate stress, there’s a lot you can do to decrease the havoc it can wreak!
Hydration: Stay hydrated to maintain mucosal barriers.
Move your body: Exercise regularly to stimulate circulation and immune signaling.
Herbs: Use medicinal plants like elderberry, ginger, and turmeric in teas, tinctures, and in your cooking.
Probiotic foods: Eat fermented foods (kimchi, kraut, oat kefir) to support gut flora. Focus especially on fermented vegetables, which are rich in lactobacillus plantarum-based probiotics, which support mucosal barrier health.
Take supplements: Supplement with vitamin C, zinc, and a high-quality multivitamin to help all those natural barriers, mast cells, and phagocytes stay strong.
Filter the air: Use air purifiers and HEPA filters to reduce airborne exposure.
Hygiene: Wash hands thoroughly and consistently. Use a nature-friendly medical-grade hand sanitizer when you aren’t able to wash your hands.
Adaptive Immunity: Your Personalized Response
This system learns from exposure—whether through vaccination or natural contact—and builds targeted defenses like antibodies and T cells. It’s slower to activate but crucial for long-term protection.
How to Support It:
Stay up to date on vaccinations if possible (especially flu & COVID).
Limit viral load by masking in high-risk environments (KF94 or N95 masks are the highest rated).
Supplement with vitamin D3/K2 and Omega-3s to modulate immune response.
Take quercetin phytosome to support cellular uptake of zinc.
Take a daily probiotic like Thorne FloraMend to support your gut health and tamp down chronic inflammation.
Manage stress to prevent immune suppression.
Eat a nutrient-dense diet to fuel antibody production.
Your Immune-Ready Action Plan
Set your HVAC fan to “on” during gatherings to keep air circulating.
Install a MERV 13-16 rated air filter in your HVAC system to filter out airborne pathogens (be sure to choose the right size before you order).
Keep a care kit stocked with medicines, tests, and additional immune-boosting essentials in case you get sick.
Limit sugar and alcohol, which both impair immune function.
Layer good habits gradually—start small and build momentum (here are a few tips).
You don’t have to be perfect. But every intentional choice adds up. Support both sides of your immune system, and you’ll be better equipped to handle whatever this season throws your way.
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information, nor any product mentioned, is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.