Most people will not go through winter without suffering from a cold and many will also suffer from the flu. Cold & flu are different conditions, but they often have the same symptoms. Classic symptoms of these illnesses are a sore throat, a runny nose, and coughing. The treatments for these illnesses are similar as viruses cause them both.

General advice for people who have the cold or flu is to rest well and drink plenty of fluids, as well eat healthily and avoid alcohol while the symptoms are still present. There are many medications on the market that can help ease the symptoms of these illnesses, such as painkillers and decongestants.

It is important to remember that viruses cause these conditions and, therefore, antibiotics are of no use treating them. People who have these illnesses have to wait for their bodies to fight the disease off. If their condition deteriorates significantly, or if they are part of an at-risk group, they should seek advice from a GP.

Cold and flu symptoms are commonly confused, but it is important to know the difference between the two in order to properly treat them. A cold is a milder version of flu, and flu can lead to more serious health problems. Information about the symptoms of flu and colds is discussed below.

Cold Symptoms

When a patient is getting a cold, the first symptom they may notice is a sore throat. Congestion, runny nose, and other nasal symptoms may occur. Cold symptoms can be caused by one of several hundred viruses, and symptoms typically last for about a week. Typically patients that are suffering from a cold are contagious to others during the first three days of their cold.
Flu Symptoms

Flu symptoms come on quite quickly, and they may include fever, headache, sore throat, muscle aches, cough and congestion. These symptoms typically get better within two to five days, but some symptoms may continue to linger for a week. Shortness of breath is a common complication of flu, and this can be especially dangerous for children and the elderly.

Picture courtesy of mcfarlandmo

Sometimes constantly taking drugs for common ailments can seem a bit excessive especially if you worry about all the chemicals in them so here are a few alternative treatments for those common ailments.

The common cold
During the colder months when risk of infection is higher you can take a course of Echinacea, an herbaceous plant in the Asteraceae family. According to a University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy study Echinacea can reduce the odds of developing a cold by 58% and the duration of colds by a day-and-a-half. As well as taking Echinacea in Chinese medicine they suggest eating a whole raw garlic clove when you have a cold coming on.

Sore throat
For centuries honey has been used as a treatment for sore throats, with many people mixing a spoonful with a cup of hot water and a slice of lemon to relieve your symptoms, recent research suggests that it may be as effective as many medicines you can buy as many of them contain honey or similar as a soothing ingredient.

Upset stomach
Tummy trouble can be aided by herbal remedies such as chamomile, which is a calming anti inflammatory that helps to keep the digestive tract healthy, if you suffer from cramps it also reduces them. To keep your tummy healthy it’s also recommended to have a healthy diet by eating plenty of fruit and vegetables and drinking lots of water, as well as cutting down on alcohol and rich food.

Indigestion
Many people suffer from indigestion or heartburn which is a burning sensation felt from your stomach and up your food pipe caused by acids in your stomach. Its recommended that alternative treatments such as swallowing a tablespoon of distilled white vinegar when you feel symptoms approaching can reduce the pain or other remedies include mixing baking soda with water or eating apples, carrots, raw ginger or almonds, all of which are thought to neutralise stomach acid.

Inflammation
If you want to reduce inflammation caused by conditions such as arthritis occurring its recommended supplementing your diet with essential fatty acids commonly found in oily fish, other extracts such as turmeric and ginger also thought to limit the symptoms of inflammation as well as pineapple which contains high levels of bromelain, a compound which is thought to relieve painful symptoms of swelling and arthritis and arnica which is widely used to treat the condition.

Organised Russian gangs are targeting paranoid Brits with counterfeit Tamiflu, the crime gangs can earn between £10,000 and £60,000 every day with continuing concerns about swine flu driving their profits higher. With more people turning to the web with worries they might not be able to get the drug from their GP, computer security firm Sophos has found that criminals are driving shoppers online to fake virtual pharmacies who do not realise what dangers they are putting themselves in, not only with their health but also their personal details including bank and credit card details.

The Russian criminal gangs are receiving a share of profits for promoting the counterfeit Tamiflu and sending the unsuspecting public to unlicensed or fake online pharmacies to purchase the drug.

The main countries who are found to be buying Tamiflu and other drugs online from non reputable stores are US, Germany, UK, Canada and France. A lot of people do not know that there are safe licensed outlets to purchase not only Tamiflu but also other drugs such as Viagra who offer detailed advice, information and up to date news, making sure that no one is at risk.

Swine Flu is a breathing / respiratory disease that infects Pigs and is caused by a Flu virus.

Humans can catch Swine Flu and symptoms will vary from person to person, some people who have caught Swine Flu have described it as similar to the common UK Cold that everyone gets in winter. Whereas some people have suffered badly with it and have been admitted to hospital.

Swine Flu became a global pandemic on 11 June 2009. A Pandemic is classed is as a quick outbreak of an infectious disease that can and will spread quickly across the world hitting most countries.

The best ways to avoid swine flu or even avoid spreading it are to

1. Cover your mouth when coughing and sneezing.

2. Washing your hands regularly with soap and water will also help kill and remove the infection from your hands which will stop it spreading by things you touch.

3. Cleaning hard surfaces and items within your house hold that are commonly picked up, with an antibacterial spray.

4. Throwing tissues into the bin straight away is vital, as it has been proved that germs can live on tissues for up to 7 hours.

Government Swine Flu Leaflet