Sun A Powerful Ally In Fight Against Flu Season

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — This year's flu season is hitting people hard, leading some to look for ways to avoid getting the disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admits this year's vaccine misses the mark in some cases. Reports have pegged the vaccine's effectiveness at 30 percent after a mutation in the virus. It's still recommended to get the vaccine, as some protection is better than no protection.

Dr. Daniel McCrimons says one way to help your immune system is soaking in something commonly found outside—Vitamin D.

"Once the sun goes below the equator we just don't have enough Vitamin D we receive naturally from the sun and so you don't want to not have enough a sufficient level of vitamin d to help protect you as an antiviral agent," he said.

Together with Vitamin C supplements, taking extra Vitamin D between September and April can have a huge impact on your health.

As for the crud a lot of people are coming down with right now that features an upper respiratory cough that seems to never go away, McCrimons says it's this winter's common illness. It's a subgroup of the influenza virus not protected by this season's flu shot.

As for why the virus seems to be lasting longer than normal, he says it's most likely our bodies getting slammed twice by something going around when our immune system is right smack in the middle of taking a hit.

"It's not really new, it's just you're vulnerable during the time you're sick with both of them then you can have a recurrence of a variation on the theme of either one," he said.