Determining if you have a cold or the flu can prove difficult for most people. Once you begin to spot differences, it is inevitable that the cough; fever and pounding headache will make you wonder if medical attention might be the best idea. Figuring out whether you need to seek the advice of a doctor will require some consideration regarding the severity of the symptoms.
Will I need to seek medical care for either the common cold or winter flu?
It is possible for a doctor to perform tests on you within the first few days of developing the overlapping symptoms of a cold or winter flu to determine whether you are indeed suffering from the flu. That being said, most of us will never need to visit a doctor for either illness, unless symptoms are extremely severe, there is a health condition in need of monitoring, or your symptoms begin to mirror something far more serious.
No matter if you have a common cold or the flu, expect your symptoms to stick for roughly ten days. There is no cure for a cold, but severe cases of the winter flu may result in your physician recommending antivirals to speed your recovery. Any antiviral is considered a second line of defense after the flu vaccination each year!
Antibiotic medicines are not of any use in combatting either the common cold or winter flu, because viruses are not capable of being wiped-out.
The final outcome for anyone with a common cold or the winter flu may sound rather dire, but there are some simple steps you can take to ensure a somewhat speedy recovery. Get rest, do not smoke, try not to drink any alcoholic beverages, stay hydrated and take over the counter medications as needed to help you feel functional over the course of the infection.
The blogging team from http://www.drsmartphonemd.com is unable to offer direct medical advice regarding the identification of the common cold or a case of the winter flu, aside from pointing out the basic symptoms shared by each illness. We believe that readers should use our articles as the starting point to develop their own plan or treatment, moving forward from our site to look at appropriate medical information regarding the common cold and its symptoms. If a reader has questions or concerns, we do we do recommend calling a medical professional as soon as possible!