How to Prevent and Treat Colds and Flu
Diagnostic Tools and Treatments to Help You Feel Better Fast
Oct 9, 2009
Feeling a bit under the weather but not quite sure if it's the beginning of a cold or something more serious? The cold virus and the flu virus are alike in many ways, but certain symptoms can help you distinguish which one you have.
What's the Difference between a Cold and the Flu?
A cold usually lasts 7-10 days. Adults don't usually have a fever with a cold but young children and babies often do. It's also characterized by mild muscle aches and a general feeling of malaise, a runny nose and sometimes sneezing, coughing or a sore throat.
The flu can last much longer and lead to pneumonia or bronchitis. It brings with it a fever (up to 104 degrees F) that can last up to four days, a headache, severe muscle aches, extreme exhaustion, a cough and sometimes a runny nose, sneezing or a sore throat.
Prevention
Your best line of defense is to take a proactive approach.
- Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands often and for at least 15 seconds with soap and warm water. If soap and warm water isn't available, an antibacterial hand gel will do the trick.
- Avoid touching your face. Cold and flu viruses enter the body through the eyes, nose or mouth.
- Embrace your inner Martha Stewart and keep a clean home. It's especially important to frequently disinfect your bathroom, kitchen and all doorknobs with a product specifically formulated to kill viruses and bacteria. Those containing bleach are ideal.
- To keep your immune system at peak performance, stay nourished. Eat a well-balanced diet and take a daily multivitamin as added insurance. Also, get your sleep. Most adults need at around eight hours of sleep nightly and children need more.
- Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water. A dehydrated body makes you more vulnerable to cold and flu viruses.
- Don't light up. Smoking temporarily paralyzes the cilia so they can't sweep cold and flu viruses out of your nasal passages.
- Get a flu shot, particularly if you're at high-risk. This includes health care workers, teachers, the elderly, those with chronic diseases, those living with a lot of other people and those with a weakened immune system.
Treatment
If you do catch a cold or the flu, a few simple steps can bring symptom relief and shorten the duration of your illness.
- If you come down with the flu, see your doctor immediately. If diagnosed within the first 48 hours your doctor may prescribe Tamiflu which can shorten the duration and severity of your symptoms
- To combat a stuffy nose, blow often and properly. Use a tissue and press one nostril shut while you gently blow air out of the other nostril. Don't blow too vigorously or you could risk injuring your ears.
- Get extra rest. Since your body is using its energy to fight the virus, get as much rest as possible so your immune system can do its job.
- Drink hot liquids like tea and clear soups to relieve congestion, soothe nasal passages and and prevent dehydration.
- Sleep with your head slightly raised to help drain your nasal passages as you rest.
- Only use over-the-counter medicines to treat the symptoms you have. Don't use something that also alleviates a cough if you don't have one or you can over-medicate.
Should a cold or the flu strike, you're now armed with the information you need to follow a smart course of action on your road to recovery.
