Saturday, March 27, 2010

The Main Difference Between a Cold or Allergy

The main difference is the length of time the symptoms last.  Most colds run their course in about a week.  Allergies will last much longer.  Proper diagnosis and getting a recommendation from a pharmacist  for an over-the-counter product that will assist in relief.

The best way to treat a cold is prevention.  Use hand sanitizer to kill germs.  Keep hydrated and boost your immune system with vitamins.

The new thinking is to cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow.  This helps to keep germs away from hands and the surfaces they come into contact with.

You don't catch a cold from exposure to cold weather.  They result from a virus, which spreads from one person to another through close contact;  which happens more in the winter months.

Sinusitis is more difficult to distinguish from a cold.  A cold that lasts more than a week or is accompanied by a fever warrants a call to your doc.

An allergy is an over-reaction of your body's immune system.  It's caused when the immune system reacts to things that are usually harmless.  It produces antibodies that cause the body's cells to produce histamine, which creates the allergic reaction.

Allergies can severely weaken your immune system, which makes you more susceptible to colds and flu.

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