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Cold and Flu Season: How to Stay Protected

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Cold and flu season is here again—and if you’ve already heard the first cough echoing through your office, you know what’s coming. Seasonal flu and other respiratory viruses thrive as temperatures drop, making cold and flu season a yearly health challenge. The good news? With the right strategy—vaccines, supplements, and everyday habits—you can protect yourself from flu symptoms, complications, and contagious respiratory illnesses that circulate during the colder months.

Why Cold and Flu Season Hits Hard Every Year

A young woman sitting on a couch wrapped in a blanket, holding a tissue to her nose. A laptop and a box of tissues are next to her on the couch.
Image from Tally Health

The seasonal flu is caused by influenza viruses that change from year to year. These flu viruses spread mainly through droplets from the nose and mouth when people cough, sneeze, or talk. Touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your eyes, nose, and mouth also spreads germs.


Other respiratory viruses like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and even COVID-19 often overlap with flu season, creating a “triple threat” that increases the risk of serious illness—especially for:


  • Older adults

  • Pregnant women

  • Young children

  • People with chronic lung disease, chronic medical conditions, or a weakened immune system

Because flu varies in severity every year, experts track influenza activity closely in both the northern and southern hemispheres to predict flu strains and recommend prevention strategies.

1. Get Your Annual Flu Shot (Don’t Wait!)

A close-up shot of a doctor holding a syringe filled with a yellow liquid. A stethoscope is draped around the doctor
Image from Tally Health

The single best protection against the seasonal influenza virus infection is the annual flu vaccination. For the 2025 flu season, the CDC recommends getting vaccinated by the end of October to ensure your body has time to build immunity before flu activity peaks.


You have options:


  • Standard flu shot (inactivated vaccine) for most healthy adults and children

  • Nasal spray flu vaccine for eligible healthy children and some adults

  • Recombinant flu vaccine for those with an egg allergy

  • High-dose flu vaccine for adults 65+ at higher risk of severe complications

Annual vaccination reduces your risk of flu infection, severe symptoms, hospitalizations, and life-threatening complications like acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).


👉 Action Step: Schedule your flu shot early with your doctor, pharmacy, or local health departments.

2. Build a Stronger Immune System with Supplements

A close-up of a hand holding two green capsules. An overlay lists the five ingredients inside each capsule: Beta-Glucan, Quercetin, Zinc, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D3. Text on the image also says the ingredients are for "longevity ingredients + immune support."
Image from Tally Health

Even with a vaccine, your immune system needs daily support to fight off cold symptoms and influenza complications. That’s where science-backed supplements come in.


Defend by Tally Health


💊 Defend is a pro-longevity immune supplement designed to strengthen defenses during cold and flu season. Collectively, its ingredients are clinically studied to support both immunity combat inflammaging:


  • Beta-glucan: Helps prime your immune defenses against respiratory viruses

  • Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, and Zinc: Three essentials for immune resilience and defense against germs and pathogens

  • Quercetin: A flavonoid that protects against oxidative stress and supports immune health

👉 Action Step: Add Defend to your daily routine to support your immune system all season long.

3. Practice Everyday Prevention

A photo of a person washing their hands under a faucet, with the water and soap creating suds. An overlay to the left lists "Everyday habits to slow the spread of germs" with bullet points for washing hands, staying home when sick, getting adequate sleep, and keeping your environment clean.
Image from Tally Health

Simple habits go a long way in stopping how germs spread:


  • Wash your hands often with soap and water (especially after being in public places)

  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth

  • Stay home when sick and cover coughs/sneezes to protect healthy children and healthy adults around you

  • Keep your environment clean—especially during times of high influenza activity

  • Support recovery with adequate sleep, hydration, and a nutrient-rich diet

Bottom Line: Protect Yourself This Cold and Flu Season

The current flu season is already shaping up to be active. The best protection is a layered approach:


  1. Get your flu shot by October.

  2. Strengthen your immune system with daily support from supplements like Defend by Tally Health.

  3. Practice everyday prevention like handwashing and staying home when sick.

  4. Seek medical care quickly if you’re at risk for serious illness or severe complications.


Staying healthy this season isn’t luck—it’s preparation. And the best investment you can make is in your future self.

Your immune system called—time to stock up

A large, computer-generated green capsule with the word "DEFEND" on it is shown on a black background. It is surrounded by a ring of glowing green light and several microbe-like shapes, suggesting it is protecting against germs.
Image from Tally Health

Cold and flu season doesn’t stand a chance. Defend is our science-backed supplement designed to:


  • Strengthen your immune system

  • Support a healthy immune response

  • Help fight back against seasonal germs

References

  1. van Gorkom et al. Influence of Vitamin C on Lymphocytes: An Overview. Antioxidants (Basel) 2018; https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox7030041

  2. Aranow. Vitamin D and the immune system. J Investig Med 2011;  https://doi.org/10.2310/jim.0b013e31821b8755

  3. Jolliffe et al. Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis of aggregate data from randomised controlled trials. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2021;  https://doi.org/10.1016/s2213-8587(21)00051-6

  4. Li et al. Quercetin, Inflammation and Immunity. Nutrients 2016;  https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8030167

  5. Stier and Gruenwald. Immune-modulatory effects of dietary Yeast Beta-1,3/1,6-D-glucan. Nutr J 2014;  https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-13-38

  6. Haase and Rink. The immune system and the impact of zinc during aging. Immun Ageing 2009;  https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4933-6-9

  7. Nault et al. Zinc for prevention and treatment of the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2024; https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd014914.pub2

Why does cold and flu season happen every year?

Cold and flu season hits hard because influenza viruses change yearly and spread through droplets when people cough, sneeze, or talk. Germs can also spread by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Other respiratory viruses like RSV and COVID-19 often overlap with flu season, creating a “triple threat.”

What’s the best protection against the flu?

The single best protection against seasonal influenza virus infection is the annual flu vaccination. The CDC recommends getting vaccinated by the end of October to build immunity before flu activity peaks.

How can I strengthen my immune system during cold and flu season?

Daily immune support can come from science-backed supplements. Defend by Tally Health contains beta-glucan, vitamin C, vitamin D3, zinc, and quercetin—ingredients clinically studied to support immune defenses and help combat inflammaging.

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