Fighting the sniffles with the changing seasons

Yikes, winter won’t give up and the constant changing weather has got everyone sneezing, coughing and blowing their nose.

A cold often starts with feeling tired, sneezing, coughing and a runny nose. You may not have a fever or you may run a low fever – just a degree or two higher than usual.

You may also have muscle aches, a scratchy or sore throat, watery eyes and a headache. As the cold worsens, your nasal mucus may turn from thin and watery to yellow and thick. Your symptoms may vary with each cold.

A cold usually lasts three or four days but can last up to 10 days. Many adults will have at least one or two colds a year, and most children will have five to eight. Colds are most common during months when people tend to gather indoors, such as in the winter.

There’s no cure for a cold or the flu. All you can do to feel better is treat your symptoms while your body fights off the virus.

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• Stay home and rest in bed, especially while you have a fever.
• Stop smoking and avoid second-hand smoke, which can make cold symptoms worse.
• Drink plenty of fluids like water and fruit juices.
• Try frozen flavored ice (Popsicles). Fluids will help loosen mucus. Fluids are also important if you have a fever because fever can dry up your body’s fluids, which can lead to dehydration.
• Drink hot tea with lemon and honey to soothe a sore throat and help loosen the mucus in your nose. Eating chicken soup can also help loosen the mucus.
• Don’t drink alcohol.
• Gargle with warm salt water a few times a day to relieve a sore throat (1 tsp. of salt in 1 cup of water). Throat spray or lozenges may also help relieve the pain.
• Suck on cough lozenges or hard candy to quiet a cough. Try to use ones low in sugar.

Although Canadians spend more than $300- million a year on over-the-counter cold remedies, none of these products can cure a cold or make it end sooner.

Medicine can, however, help relieve some of your cold or flu symptoms. Antibiotics don’t work against viruses. So they can’t cure a cold or the flu.

But antibiotics can be helpful if you get an infection from bacteria, such as a sinus infection, an ear infection or pneumonia (an infection in the lungs). Viruses are transmitted mainly be the hands, or by touching an item recently infected by another person.

It is by rubbing your eyes with your hands or touching your face that the viruses can contaminate you.

So mom was right, drink plenty of fluids, stay in bed and get plenty of rest. Feel better soon!