4 Summer Cold Prevention Tricks That Really Work—Including One a Pharmacist Swears By
See the tip that an expert says is so good that his patients come back and thank him!
Key Takeaways
- Summer colds are often caused by enteroviruses, not the viruses behind most winter colds.
- Elderberry, fiber, gardening and vitamin D may help lower your risk of summer illness.
- Simple daily habits can strengthen immunity and help reduce bothersome cold symptoms.
With summer in full swing, who has time to be sidelined by sickness? Unfortunately, a type of virus called enterovirus circulates freely in the warmer months, causing summer cold symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat and headache. Luckily, there are simple steps you can take to boost your immune system. Keep scrolling for the science-backed strategies that work.
How to prevent a summer cold
Though summer and winter colds are often caused by different viruses, they can trigger similar symptoms such as congestion, cough, sore throat or even a runny nose. To reduce your risk of warm weather viral infections, give these immunity-boosting tips a try:
Savor elderberry syrup
Drizzled over ice cream, stirred into sparkling water or slurped straight from the spoon, elderberry syrup is a deliciously potent immune booster. Australian scientists say elderberry syrup helps kickstart the production of infection-fighting proteins called cytokines. “I’ve recommended elderberry syrup to countless patients,” says pharmacist Richard Kilmer, RPh. “They always come back and thank me!”
Woman's World Answers
He suggests 1 Tbs. of elderberry syrup daily for illness prevention. Prefer a supplement? Consider Pure Synergy Rapid Rescue, which contains elderberry fruit extract as well as immune-boosting echinacea extract and Manuka honey.
Enjoy blackberry pie
Sweet, juicy blackberries brim with dietary fiber, which helps stimulate infection-fighting immune cells to fend off summer colds. For every 10 grams of fiber added to your diet every day, your risk of the common cold and other respiratory infections drops by up to 59 percent, according to research in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Just one cup of blackberries contains 8 grams of fiber.
Dig in the garden
You can add illness prevention to the long list of benefits gardening provides! Digging in the dirt introduces our bodies to friendly microorganisms that help strengthen the immune system and reduce the risk of developing a summer cold, according to University of Missouri experts.
Consider a vitamin D supplement
The sunscreen we judiciously apply before heading outdoors—which is much-needed for reducing the risk of skin cancer—may prevent us from getting enough immune-boosting vitamin D, aka “the sunshine vitamin” because our bodies need the sun’s rays to synthesize it. Vitamin D boosts immunity against enteroviruses and other infectious agents, according to a multi-study review in Experimental and Molecular Pathology.
To boost your levels, consider a supplement. “There’s some controversy about the appropriate daily dosage,” Kilmer says. “The maximum recommended dose is 4,000 IU per day, but I personally take 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily.” He suggests people considering taking higher doses for long periods have their vitamin D blood levels checked by a doctor first.
A version of this story appears in the August 17, 2026 issue of Woman’s World.
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