To be ready for them, there are some essentials no home medicine cabinet should be without.
Cheryl MacDonald is a nurse-practitioner who oversees the CVS Minute Clinics - and she's a mom.
So we asked what she considers MUST-have products from the family medicine cabinet.
Her first pick is saline nasal spray, to relieve stuffy noses and even prevent respiratory infections.
MacDonald says, "It cleans out the sinuses, which is a location a lot of bacteria like to live and grow, because it's a closed space."
MacDonald says sinus washes, or neti pots do similar jobs, but the spray is easier to use.
And she says if being in closed buildings is kicking up dust or mold allergies, loratidine - sold under brands like Claritin - can shrink swelling in the nasal passages.
When stomach viruses make the rounds, MacDonald uses a couple of weapons -
"Everybody knows the pink stuff - this is bismuth salicylate. This helps not only the nausea, but the feeling of fullness you have," MacDonald says.
If the "pink stuff" doesn't work, MacDonald goes to lopramide. It's sold under names like Imodium or Lopex, and slows down the digestive tract.
Also - with all the ice and snow on sidewalks, streets, and parking lots, she says you need a good supply of elastic bandages for sprains, as well as standard bandages for scrapes.
Finally, MacDonald makes
a 2-pronged attack on bacteria in her home - with strategically-placed hand sanitizer, and ample use of disinfectant wipes."You need to wipe down your remote, you need to wipe down your phone, your door handles going into the house, and the refrigerator door," she told us.
MacDonald says if you minimize bacteria in areas where people are the most, you have a better chance of staying healthy through the winter.
