Health

How to get rid of a cold, what treatments are there for cold symptoms and how’s it different to the flu?


COMMON colds blight us all – seemingly at the worst possible time.

Here is all you need to know about the bunged up bummer that is the bane of our lives and what you can do to help stop a cold in its tracks.

 A microscopic view of the common cold virus

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A microscopic view of the common cold virusCredit: Science Photo Library

Is there a cure for the common cold?

Even though humankind has made amazing advances in almost every other area of medicine, the cure for the common cold remains strangely elusive.

If anything, cold viruses seem more worse than ever.

But scientists now believe a cure is possible within five years.

Researchers at Imperial College London say they’ve identified the protein that’s key in spreading the illness through the body.

This could pave the way for an inhaler to be used at the first sign of sniffles.

What treatments are there for cold symptoms?

We spend, on average, 2.5 years of our lives battling colds.

Symptoms come on gradually and can include a blocked or runny nose, sore throat, headaches, muscle aches, coughs, sneezing.

You can also have a raised temperature, pressure in your ears and face as well as a loss of taste and smell.

First off, doctors recommend you get rest and sleep and keep warm while drinking lots of water.

Gargling salt water can help with a sore throats.

At the chemist or supermarket you can buy decongestant sprays or tablets.

Painkiller like paracetamol and ibuprofen help reduce fever and aches.

How is it different to the flu?

Flu symptoms often mimic ones of a cold – but they are caused by different viruses. 

With flu symptoms, you will probably have a fever initially and feel miserable.

Body and muscle aches are also more common.

Colds are usually much milder than the flu and don’t tend to result into serious health problems like pneumonia. You rarely have symptoms of fever above 101 degrees.


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