Flu or cold???

So you are felling lousy, is it a cold or is it the flu? They are similar, but there differences that make it easy to distinguish.

Most colds do not cause a fever, and headaches are very rare. The general body weakness and lethargy is not usually present. What can be very common is a stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat with mild to heavy coughing. You may also experience sinus blockage or congestion, and ear aches are also very common.

With the flu, a fever of up to 104 degrees is characteristic and can last for days at a time. Body aches and headaches are often quite harsh and overall weakness and exhaustion are extreme and make you want to do nothing. Some of the other differences between the two are sneezing, stuffy nose and sore throats only occur sometimes with the flu, where tightness of the chest and congestion can becomes severe as infection sets in. As the flu progresses, bronchitis and pneumonia can be life threatening, especially in young children and the elderly.

Although a common cold can seem to be a tragedy at the time we have it, a cold is much milder and you can generally function with your daily routine, where the flu can keep you down for the count for days and weeks and a month to recover.

Both are best prevented by keeping the immune system as strong as possible. We know we can not live in a bubble and that germs are everywhere, and you have them coming at you at the speed of light, so as much prevention as possible is the best way to proceed.

I wrote a five day prevention blog a month or so back on flu prevention, you might want to jump into the archives for a refresher course. Basically these few steps can make the difference between an upright winter, and one where you are flat on you back more than once fighting the bug crud.

Take a strong timed released multiple vitamin every day, add in some extra timed released Vitamin C, 2000 mg to 3000 mg daily. Pick up a quality Colloidal silver, I like the Graces brand, take a half a teaspoon daily as a preventive antibiotic, and get the nasal spray to use if you are always in smoke or heavy germ filled environments. Did you know that by using Colloidal silver, both ways, you prevent most germs from being able to penetrate your body. Most of us get sick from touching germs and touching our mouths, or breathing in the germs through our nose or mouth, so keeping a slow steady preventive layer helps to bounce off the germs.

Next, pick up an herbal internal formula called Body Well, it has all of the natural herbal antibiotic formula herbs, and most people that have been on it for the last fifteen years, would never ever be without it. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, and get as much quality sleep as possible.

That's it, a few simple things to keep you healthy during the weather change. The rest is up to you, do not stress, dress warm, and eat the best that you can. We need to remember that many people are in the same rooms with the same sick people and they never get sick and you always do, the difference may be that they always do the prevention routine, and you do not, so no time better than the present.