Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Winter tips: Colds and FLU

It is going to be winter in the northern hemisphere; and the winter chill not only cheers, but brings about snotty noses, colds and coughs too!
New York-Presbyterian Hospital offers some information to help you sort through the facts and fictions of colds and flu.
To begin, colds and flu are different. A cold is usually an upper respiratory tract infection. Symptoms include a sore throat, head congestion, sinus pain, and low-grade fever. Flu symptoms usually include a higher fever, a sore throat, cough and body aches.
A cold usually lasts two to three days while a flu can last as long as a week. Flu can lead to more serious health complications, especially in the elderly and people with asthma.
Here are some facts about colds and flu
The best way to prevent a cold is to wash your hands and to avoid people with colds.
You can't catch a cold by staying outside in the cold too long. You catch a cold by touching something that's been touched by someone infected with a cold or by breathing in moisture that's been coughed out by someone with a cold.
People get colds more often in the winter because they spend more time indoors in contact with one another.
Antibiotics cannot cure a cold or flu, which are caused by viruses.
The best way to defend against the flu is to get a flu shot.
There is no vaccine against the common cold.
If you have the flu, don't go to work. If you go to work, you'll expose your colleagues to flu infection. Stay home where you can rest and recover.
Flu shots cannot give you the flu. They may cause mild flu-like symptoms, but this is rare.
If you are not sure whether you needit read this article on FLU vaccine

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi!
my doctor told me, my cold in winter doesnt get to others infamily cos it allergy

Anonymous said...

Hi uhhhhhhhhh well what does this have to do with treating by baby sister?? She's sick! Oh well, well anyway u shuld have fluids, warm bath / shower {showers will do better when the water hits them} Mosit air, nose blowing

Dr. Gaurav Gupta M.D. said...

Hi,
Thanks for the comments, they are much appreciated,
I would like to respond, to the above, but since no email IDs have been left, I am writing back in the blog.
First of all, allergic rhinitis (medical term for allergic cold) has nothing to do with FLU, so the above advise will not really work, what you can do however is avoid extreme of temperatures (coming from an extremely hot air conditioned room/ car to the outside).. try and ensure that the AC is on low before you leave a room. Also try to avoid strong smells especially the ones that irritate you...
I agree with the points discussed for cold management:
Warm baths, steam inhalation, extra fluids, warm drinks, cleaning nose regularly (with saline drops) and maybe using a little bit of Tylenol (Acetaminophen) for a cranky child can make the life far more comfortable for the whole family :)