How to Prevent & Treat Your Cold or Flu

The flu, also known as influenza, is a contagious respiratory illness that commonly occurs in the months between early winter and spring.

If you've ever caught the flu, you know how awful the symptoms can make you feel. The symptoms can include fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, and fatigue.

Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to help protect yourself and your loved ones from cold and flu.

Is it a cold? Or is it the flu?

Sometimes, the symptoms can be very similar. The flu comes on suddenly and your symptoms are more intense. Your fever is higher, your cough is more severe, and you may experience strong aches, pains, and fatigue. Colds are typically milder than the flu and can linger from several days to several weeks.

Cold symptoms:

• Low-grade fever
• Chills
• Headache
• Sneezing and/or a stuffy, runny nose
• Mild, hacking cough
• Scratchy, tickly, or sore throat
• Achy muscles and bones or fatigue

Flu symptoms:

• High fever
• Severe aches and pains
• Headache (more common with flu than cold)
• Sometimes sneezing
• Cough, often becoming severe
• Clear nasal discharge
• Sometimes a sore throat
• Extreme exhaustion
• Several weeks of fatigue

Listen in as Doug Harley, DO, shares the differences between a cold and the flu, as well as the ways you can keep yourself healthy during cold and flu season.