Shop NowFlu season has hit early and hit hard this year. You can’t turn on the TV without hearing the latest update on the number of reported flu cases. We have over 600 in our small state of ND already. The problem is we’ve had two years of low flu numbers—despite all the lingering fear over “swine flu” or “bird flu.” So this year (according to the experts) will probably seem worse than it really is.
Read: 7 Easy Ways to Give Your Immune System a Boost
But it’s not just flu season... it’s “cold and flu season,” and determining which ailment you’re dealing with can be tricky, as they share a few similar symptoms. Fever may be the main distinguishing factor between the flu and a cold, but the severity of your symptoms is another clue...
Both colds and flu are caused by viruses. The flu is a respiratory disease caused by some form of the influenza virus. Flu symptoms include fever, headache, dry cough and fatigue. Rhinoviruses are the culprits behind most cases of colds, but there are actually more than 200 known viruses that cause “the common cold.”
Read: 7 Homegrown Cold and Flu Home Remedies
If you’re suffering from a cough, stuffy nose, sinus headache and slight fatigue, chances are you just have a cold. But these can also be signs that you’ve caught the flu. Again, it’s the severity of the symptoms that is the key to knowing which bug you’ve got.
iHealthTube.com Video - The Difference Between a Cold and Flu:
While there are some antiviral drugs that can be used to treat the flu, antibiotics won’t work. They won’t work against colds either. Treating the two means treating the symptoms—plenty of rest, lots of water or other liquids and in some cases taking a pain reliever/fever reducer (note: children with the flu should not be treated with aspirin).
Read: What is Oscillococcinum & Does It Really Cure the Flu?
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This post was written by Ben Hanson, a color-blind copywriter and natural health insider.
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