It’s that time of the year when the weather and wardrobes change. Shopping for new clothes to match the weather can be fun, but adjusting to the weather for our health is the biggest challenge when going from hot/warm weather to freezing cold.

Winter is my favorite time of year. I think about the holidays and the end of the fall semester. Snow boots and hot cocoa comes to mind when winter rolls around. One can picture cars with frost on the windows, seeing someone’s breath in the cold air and building snowmen.

Unfortunately, Louisiana’s weather is so confused that some of those things may not happen. The issue that Louisiana has to deal with is the weather going from cold to hot constantly and fighting the cold.

Five years ago, I caught the flu twice in one year. There were medications to take, being quarantined from the rest of the world and drinking an at-home remedy that made me dislike peppermints for two or three years.

My mother made a drink to help kill the flu. She combined whiskey, lemon juice and peppermints together and put it on the stove to cook. The steam from the mixture helps with a stuffy nose, whiskey and lemon juice help with mucus and peppermints help soothe coughing. It can be a rough drink, but it works.

No one wants to get sick, but it can happen and there are ways to prevent it. Take vitamins such as cod liver oil, drink orange juice and have hand sanitizer. Check weather forecasts for appropriate clothing, and get the flu shot.

During the winter, it is also important to keep helpful medicines in stock. NyQuil, DayQuil, Theraflu and Mucinex are successful over-thecounter medications that can help with colds and flu-like symptoms. For hot liquids, make the whiskey concoction or a simple peppermint tea with lemon, honey and peppermint candies.

Being sick is never fun, but with those simple tips, wintertime can be much more enjoyable!