Health knowledge made personal
Hey did you know that in the US we are
experiencing the deadliest flu outbreak in a decade?
Sometimes, the winter influenza can present
like a cold, but unlike the cold, influenza is a dangerous viral infection. For
the safety of you and your family, know the difference and know the symptoms
(available on the CDC website ).
Flu
The flu is caused by a different virus than
a cold and typically comes on rapidly, producing several of the following
symptoms:
Cold
A cold, which is usually a pretty harmless
upper respiratory tract infection, can present with similar symptoms to a flu,
however they are less severe. The virus which causes the cold is usually weaker
and doesn't cause dangerous complications such as pneumonia. A cold in general
takes about a week or two to get over.
For both the flu and colds people tend to
self-medicate with the following over-the-counter medication to treat the
symptoms of the common cold:
Analgesia (pain killers)
Cough, cold and allergy products
Sore throat spray and lozenges
Nasal Sprays and nasal products.
Moms, if you are breastfeeding be careful.
Just because these medications are sold over the counter without a
prescription, does not mean that they are good or 100% safe to use when
breastfeeding.
For more information about what medications
are safe check out my "safety of over-the-counter medications and breast feeding" blog post
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