How to Identify the Symptoms of a Cold

Your husband or child comes home from work or school early, complaining that they don't feel well. Could it be just a Cold or something worse like the Flu?

Do you know the difference?
How do you know for sure that you are dealing with just a cold, and what do you do to make your loved one feel better?

We have all heard that old adge "feed a cold, starve a fever" but what does it really mean? And what does it really have to do with a cold?

Step 1: Know what the typical symptoms are of a cold?

Symptoms of a cold tend to come on gradually. Here are some of the most commonly reported symptoms seen in cold sufferers:

*body aches are reported as mild if at all
*Mild tiredness or fatigue
*Chest discomfort is often considered as mild to moderate
*Fever is rarely associated with a cold but when it occurs it is typically considered low grade as in below *99.6 degrees
*Cough is described as hacking and productive, meaning that you bring up phlegm with the coughing
*There is sneezing
*A stuffy or runny nose is a given
*The sore throat is often due to all the gunk that is running down the back of your throat or being *coughed up from the lungs.
*headache's if they occur are usually the result of dehydration instead of the cold itself.
*Appetite is normal in cold sufferers, which is where the old adge comes in... "feed a cold, starve a fever"

Step 2: Know how to properly treat a cold

Treatment is often directed at symptom management;

*Aspirin or Tylenol for the mild body aches
*decongestants for the stuffy or runny nose
*expectorant for liquefying secretions and clearing the upper airways
*Drinking plenty of water and other liquids will help keep you hydrated and feeling better.
*Get plenty of rest to help your body fight the virus more easily

Step 3: Understand how we "catch" a cold and how to prevent one

*Colds are caused by a Rhinovirus (Rhino means nose)
*The best way to prevent a cold is proper hand washing.During our daily routines we often touch surfaces that someone may have sneezed on. Then if we touch our nose or mucus membranes, we have just given ourselves the cold.

When someone with a cold sneezes they send out millions of tiny water droplets, these droplets contain the cold virus.

There are more than 100 different rhinoviruses which can infiltrate the protective lining of the nose and throat. Once this happens it triggers an immune system response that can cause a throat sore cough and stuffy or runny nose which then make it difficult to breathe through the nose.

Step 4: Understand just how contagious a cold really is:

*Colds are most contagious during the first 2 to 4 days after symptoms appear.
*You may continue to be contagious for up to 3 weeks after you catch the cold, even if you are feeling fine.
*Your can catch a cold from person-to-person contact or by breathing in virus particles spread through the air by someone who has been sneezing or coughing and has a cold. Touching the mouth or nose after touching skin or another surface that has been contaminated with a rhinovirus is how a cold is spread from person to person.

Tips & Warnings:

*If you suspect the flu, call your doctor. This year it is especially important with the H1N1 Swine Flu Virus Outbreak. Make sure you are dealing with the flu and not just a cold before making that call.

*Drinking plenty of fluids is just as important with cold sufferers as it is when dealing with the flu. The more fluids you drink the more liquid your secretions are and the more comfortable you will feel.

*Children can catch a cold as many as 8 or more times each year!

*Colds are caused by a virus. Viruses are not treated with antibiotics so please do not push your doctor into prescribing antibiotics if you have a cold, they will not speed up recovery anyway. Antibiotic overuse is the #1 cause of bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics and becoming a serious health problem due to their being prescribed on a parent's insistence.

*Dry air can lower your resistance to infection by the viruses that cause colds by causing mucous membranes to crack making them more susceptable to infection.

*People who smoke are more likely to catch a cold than those who don't due to decresed activity of the bodies natural lung defense mechanisms.

*Being cold or catching a chill does not give you a cold! Colds are caused by a virus, these factors may however lower your immune system making you less resistant to catching a cold.

*Proper hand washing is your first and best defense against contracting a cold or the flu.

*Studies are inconclusive as to whether or not you can reduce your chances, reduce the duration or severity of the symptoms by using home remedies, extra Vitamin C or zinc.

Comments (2)

Carl Benjamin said:

	... This is a well written and outstanding article.
	report abuse vote down vote up

August 08, 2009
Votes: +0

ggriffin said:

	... Useful info I will definitely print this article out..also, I will share this article with other people as well..
	report abuse vote down vote up

April 10, 2011
Votes: +0