Colds vs Allergies

Are You Suffering From A Cold or Allergies?

Trying to determine whether you are suffering from an ordinary cold or allergy can be difficult at times because of the similarity of their symptoms. However, they are two very separate ailments. You can also suffer from colds and allergies at the same time.

Symptoms of Cold and Allergies

Colds are caused by viral infections and are often treated with bed rest and a glass of lemon juice (lots of vitamin C.)

An allergy, on the other hand, is a natural response of your body’s immune system when exposed to allergens. The most common treatment for allergies is the use of antihistamines or nasal sprays.

You can also avoid suffering from allergic reactions by staying away from allergens, whereas it can be harder to avoid colds because you never know where the virus is lurking.

Deciding whether you are suffering from a cold or allergy isn’t too difficult, if you know which tell-tale signs to look out for. For instance, if you notice that you seem to be getting a cold at approximately the same time each year, then it’s quite likely that you may be suffering from a seasonal allergy instead.

In addition to this, there are some other symptoms that you should watch out for in order to determine whether you have a cold or allergy.

• Common colds typically come with coughing, sneezing, runny or stuffy nose and a sore throat. Sometimes, there may also be some fatigue, bodily pain and a slight fever.

• Meanwhile, allergies are usually manifested by itchy eyes, frequent sneezing and a runny nose. Allergies never come with fever or cold symptom aches and pains.

If the only symptoms that you have are a runny nose and sneezing, which are common to both ailments, you can still tell whether you are suffering from a cold or allergy, by the color of the mucus. If the mucus is clear, it is probably an allergy; if the mucus is yellowish, it’s more likely to be a cold.

Finally, another way to determine what you are suffering from, is the duration of the symptoms. A cold usually lasts no more than two weeks at worst, while allergies can span several months. So if your cold doesn’t go away after a couple of weeks despite your regular use of treatment, it might actually be an allergy.

In this case, you would need to use a natural allergy treatment to ease your annoying symptoms. Once you determine what it is that is annoying you, finding the appropriate cold or allergy treatment becomes so much easier.

Natural Allergy Relief