Cold and flu season, complete with coughing, sneezing, sore throat, body aches and fever, is peaking this month.

But there are ways to fight back, and the primary weapon is as close as the bathroom sink.

The most important thing is that people wash their hands, said Dr. Priya Sadhu, a family medicine specialist with SSM Healthcare in Wentzville. "I think people underestimate how important it is to continually wash their hands to prevent the cold and flu viruses from being spread. So, any time they’re around anyone who is sick, or they’re sick themselves, everyone needs to make sure to keep doing that."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has information about the common cold and proper hand hygiene.

It’s also important to appropriately cover the mouth when coughing or sneezing, whether that is with a tissue, cupped hands, or into a sleeve.

"People forget to do that often, and these things are spread by respiratory droplets," she said.

Talking also spreads the viruses. "So, it’s really important to try and cover their mouths as much as possible," Sadhu said.

When people do get sick, Sadhu said, it’s essential to get plenty of rest and stay hydrated. "If they’re not drinking as much fluids, if they’re not up to it, they can get dehydrated, which can make their recovery period longer," she said.

Prime cold and flu season is November through March, Sadhu said, but people can get vaccinated any time from October through March. It takes about six weeks after vaccination to develop full immunity to the particular virus strain, she added.

There is a lot of overlap with cold and flu symptoms, Sadhu said. Both illnesses present cough, sore throat, runny nose, headaches and body aches in their patients. The difference is the flu is "a stronger version of the common cold," with more severe symptoms.

With the flu, "You have very diffused body aches, and typically higher fevers, into like the 102, 103 range," Sadhu said. "People describe it as feeling like they’ve been hit by a truck, basically. That’s how you differentiate between the two."

Flu patients stand out when they come to the doctor’s office. They look extremely fatigued and complain of body aches above all other symptoms.

"The other thing is, the cough tends to be pretty harsh as well," she said. "It’s a very deep, dry cough. That kind of tips me off."

At some point, patients need to decide whether to ride it out with rest and over-the-counter (OTC) medicine or see a doctor.

"Usually, after about 10 days of persistent symptoms, I encourage people to seek medical care," Sadhu said. "Because generally, if it’s a virus, which is the most common cause of the common cold, it would get better on its own by that time. So if it lingers longer, or there’s a worsening of their symptoms in any way, I usually encourage people to seek medical care, to be evaluated."

When examining a patient, a doctor will typically listen to the lungs and check the back of the throat and the ears.

"You’re concerned about pneumonia, strep throat, ear infections, things like that," she said.

Most people wait five to seven days trying to decide if they are sick enough to see the doctor, Sadhu said. However, people with underlying conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, heart or kidney disease should not wait.

"Those people should be coming to see their doctors sooner, because their immune systems are not that strong anyway," she said.

People trying to get through the cold with rest, fluids and OTC medicine should be careful.

"I caution patients when taking over-the-counter medications," Sadhu said. "Their main purpose is to help the symptoms, but they don’t speed up the viral course."

People with high blood pressure need to be careful because some OTC cold medications contain phenylephrine, which can cause blood pressure to increase, she said. Products such as Motrin or Tylenol for fever and body aches are safe for most people.

People with the flu are considered contagious for seven days after symptoms appear and one day before symptoms start, Sadhu said. Sometimes staying home is the right thing to do.

"People need to take a responsibility to try and protect others, especially if they know they have the flu, because it can be pretty disastrous if everyone else gets the flu, and they’re out for long periods of time," she said.

Returning to work, exercise and a normal lifestyle will vary among individuals.

"It depends on how people feel," she said. "There is no specific time frame."

Once people are feeling better, they are still susceptible to setbacks. Think about where those germs and viruses might still be lurking.

"If you’ve been diagnosed with a cold or strep throat, I always say, ‘Change your toothbrush out,’ because that’s the easiest thing you can do in order to try and prevent yourself from getting re-infected with bacteria and viruses again," Sadhu said.

It is not too late to get vaccinated to prevent the flu, Sadhu said. Flu shots are still available at doctors’ offices and many pharmacies and grocery stores until March. The vaccine is egg-based, so people with egg allergies should be cautious. It is also not recommended for people with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a disorder of the peripheral nervous system.

Those who are strongly urged to get vaccinated include pregnant women, people in nursing homes and anyone with a chronic medical condition such as heart, lung or kidney disease and diabetes. The vaccine is safe for ages 6 months and up.

Sadhu is sometimes asked if last flu season’s vaccination is enough.

"In general, I recommend that everyone get re-vaccinated every year, because the CDC puts out a vaccine targeting the flu virus that is circulating on a year-to-year basis,"she said.

For more information, see the CDC's flu site.