cold and flu

Time for a pop quiz. Which of the following plant pollens is unlikely to trigger an allergy attack.

Though my grandmother was better than I will ever be at telling someone's temperature from the back of her hand on a forehead, there were some things about the common cold that she didn't get right. She was certain, for example, that you got a cold from being out in cold weather. We now know that this is not true.

The common cold is actually a syndrome caused by hundreds of viruses, though the most common type is called the rhinovirus. A cold generally begins with a mild sore throat, followed by nasal stuffiness and drainage over the next couple of days, and eventually a mild cough. Symptoms frequently last more than a week; it is uncommon to have any significant fever with a cold. The average adult gets two or more colds per year, with kids getting even more.

Unfortunately, we haven't made much progress fighting the common cold, but we do know how to minimize our chances of getting it.

How Colds Spread
Most commonly, a cold virus is passed from person to person on the hands. A patient with a cold might shake hands with a friend, and that friend then transfers the virus to his nose or eyes by scratching. Colds also pass when we sneeze large droplets on others. Less commonly, they pass via smaller droplets suspended in the air.

Good hand hygiene is crucial to escaping the common cold. Wash your hands with soap and water frequently, particularly after contact with others. Alcohol hand gels are good substitutes for soap and water if a sink is not available. If you can't clean your hands after exposure, try to avoid touching your hands to your face, particularly the eyes and nose until you can wash them.

If you're sick, do others a favor and cover your coughs and sneezes and avoid contact.

Got a Cold ... Now what?
Treat your symptoms. Drink plenty of fluids, including Grandma's chicken soup. And take decongestants such as pseudoephedrine. Rest may also soothe some of the symptoms. That's one good reason to stay at home when you're sick--another is you won't infect anyone else.

It should be pointed out that vitamins have not been shown to decrease or prevent colds in normal circumstances. A few studies have shown zinc lozenges can benefit cold symptoms, but these results are controversial. The FDA has warned against the use of some of these preparations due to associated loss of sense of smell.

Avoid taking antibiotics for a simple cold. They won't help against the viruses that cause colds, and antibiotics can have important side effects and medication interactions. Remember, statistics show we can sometimes talk our doctors into giving antibiotics if we ask. These medicines can lose their effectiveness when used too frequently over time--so save them for bacterial infections.

A Cold Is Not the Flu.
Influenza is usually a much more severe illness characterized by sudden onset of fevers, headache, cough and sometimes severe muscle aches. The flu is responsible for thousands of deaths every year, which is why you should get a flu shot annually (last year's won't protect you against this year's flu bug).

Unlike the common cold, there are several medications that treat the flu effectively. If you have the sudden onset of an illness consistent with the flu, consult your doctor immediately. Antiviral medication must be given within 48 hours of symptom onset to be effective.

Nearly every year I ask my mother the same question: "Are you getting your flu shot?"

Inevitably, she has the same answer: "Not if I can help it."

My mother isn't some vaccination skeptic. She isn't lazy or afraid of needles. In fact, she knows how valuable flu vaccines are for public health: She's been a nurse for more than 30 years.

But the vaccination sometimes makes her sick, and, in the years she hasn't been required by her employer to get the vaccine, she's never contracted the flu.

Neither have I. Ever. But I get my flu shot anyway. You should, too. Here's why:

Vaccination is the most effective protection against the flu. Unfortunately, not everyone believes this. In a recent survey conducted by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, 71 percent of respondents said there are other effective ways to prevent the flu.

According to a recent study, many older people—among the most vulnerable to the illness—don't get the flu vaccine because they believe that traditional methods such as hand washing and alternative medicine can protect as well as or better than the vaccine.

But this isn't true. While washing your hands can help keep you from getting infected, nothing is as effective as the vaccine in protecting against the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and numerous studies.

It probably won't make you sick (despite what my mother says). Only a small percentage of people who get the flu vaccine will have some kind of side effect, most frequently soreness at the site of the shot. Some people experience mild cold symptoms and fever for one or two days. Rarely, someone experiences an allergic reaction to the flu vaccine.

Someone around you may not be able to get it. This is why I've become a flu vaccine convert. Until a few years ago, I eschewed the shot. But my son is allergic to eggs, one of the reasons a person might not get the vaccination, which is grown in chicken eggs. In order to protect him from the flu—he also has asthma, which puts him in a high-risk category for flu—we try to cocoon him, surrounding him with people who've had the shot. Because you never know when you'll be around someone vulnerable like him or any infant under the age of six months, it pays to get the vaccine.

It's cheap. The flu shot typically costs between $10 and $50 a dose. But many employers offer them for free as do many community groups. Even at the high end, the vaccine is a bargain compared to getting the flu, according to cost-benefit studies. Getting the vaccine reduces lost work days and physician co-pays.

There's still time. Although peak flu season varies each year, February is typically the most active month. But the pesky bug begins showing up in October and hangs out until mid-May, which means it's never too early or too late to get the vaccination. Ask your doctor's office if they have the vaccination or use this handy tool to locate a dose near you.

For more flu vaccine basics, visit http://www.flu.gov/.

Related Links:

Just because your sick, doesn't mean you need antibiotics.

Seven flu-fighting mistakes.

Until recently, you wouldn't have known it was fall in much of the country. Sure, the calendar had changed, but the temperatures were still hovering in the 90s along the East Coast and in the Midwest. The only signs of the season: Football and sneezing. That's right, the ragweed wrath is upon us.

Although many people associate spring with allergies, fall wreaks havoc in many households. Ragweed, a yellow-flowering weed that begins blooming in August, in particular is a major nasal offender. A single plant, which grows in the East and Midwest, can produce up to one billion pollen grains. And three-fourths of Americans are allergic to those grains, according to the Allergy and Asthma Foundation of American.

Mold spores from decaying leaves and grasses are another common fall allergy trigger. (Find out how to spot and remove mold in your house.)

And for people firing up dormant heaters, dust mites can be a real bear. (Learn how to improve your indoor air quality.)

But just because mold spores, ragweed pollen and dust mites cause you to sniffle, doesn't mean you have to suffer. Here are six things you can do to make managing your allergies easier:

• Cut down on your exposure. If ragweed pollen is really wafting in the outdoor air, stay inside and limit your outdoor activities to times of the day when the pollen count is at its lowest. Sites like Pollen.com can help you determine how much pollen is floating in your air and when to go outside.

• When you have to go outside, take off your shoes before you come back in. That way you won't track pollen all over the house. You may want to change the outer layer of your clothes and take a shower, too.

• Leave the pets outside in their fur. If you let them inside, keep them off the furniture to cut down on allergies.

• Use your heating and air conditioning system instead of opening windows. That breeze may feel good, but an open window is an avenue into your home for mold spores and pollen.

• Change your filters. Any dust or pollen left in your heating ducts will just get stirred up when you crank up your furnace. A new set of filters should help cut down on recirculated allergens.

• Develop an allergy management plan. See your doctor and plan for the season. Your physician should be able to direct you to the right prescription or over-the-counter drugs to manage your allergies.

Since penicillin became available to the public in the mid-20th century, antibiotics have changed the face of health care. Infections that routinely were fatal 60 years ago are today little more than inconveniences.

Despite these amazing advances, we face critical problems: Bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to available antibiotics. One cause is the unnecessary use of antibiotics in minor respiratory infections. Next time you see your doctor for a cold or other minor respiratory infection, remember three things:

You may not need antibiotics.
Most upper respiratory tract infections—the common cold, minor sinus infections, and sore throats—are viral and do not respond to antibiotics. (The exception is strep throat, for which there are specific tests available.)

Studies show that we expect antibiotics and a quick fix when we go to the doctor's office for these problems. Unfortunately, physicians sometimes feel obliged to meet those expectations, even though these viral infections usually resolve in a few days without antibiotics.

Antibiotics can be associated with allergic reactions.
Sometimes those reactions can even be life-threatening. Even appropriate use of antibiotics can be associated with Clostridium difficile colitis, a secondary bacterial infection of the colon accompanied by severe diarrhea and fever, occasionally requiring hospitalization.

Antibiotics can also have important interactions with other medications, especially drugs like blood thinners and heart medications.

Taking unnecessary antibiotics can make you more susceptible to resistant bacteria.
Resistant bacteria can be more difficult and expensive to treat. Plus, patients can remain sick longer because of the delay in effective treatment. Children's ear infections, for example, can be hard to clear up, and we even encounter infections in hospitals for which there are no viable antibiotic options.

The next time you or your child goes to the doctor for a cold, remember that medicines to fight symptoms may be all you need. Don't be upset if your doctor doesn't write a prescription for an antibiotic. He or she may be doing you—and the rest of us—a favor.

For more information on antibiotic resistance, see the Centers for Disease Control's website.

Brian Frazer's friend is afraid to shake his hand. Hear Brian's side of the story.

Can you catch a cold from going outside with a wet head? For how many days is a cold contagious? Test your knowledge of the common cold with our Everwell Challenge.

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