What is the difference between a cold and a flu?!
Question: What is the difference between a cold and a flu and how should you treat both ?
Answers:
A cold is a mild form of the flu. It can contain stuffy nose, sore throat, or a cough. The flu contains all these elements, as well as a fever. You'll be hot and then cold the next second, and you might feel dizzy and disoriented. A cold can make you feel uncomfortable, but with a flu you will not be able to go to school or work.
With a cold-drink lots of fluids, take tylenol if it's really bad, drink hot tea, maybe do a steam to clean out your sinuses.With a flu--STAY IN BED! also, drink a lot a lot a lot of fluids, it'll flush out the bad germs. Also, do all the things I said with the cold..Hope this helps a lot!
Other Answers:
cold you get a bit of a runny nose and maybe a cough and sore throught. Flu you can't lift you head off ure pillow without hurling, you get sweats or you can't get warm, and you feel so so bad! Its like a cold + a hangover + a stomach bug + a chill!
A cold you get a runny nose, maybe sore throat, and its over within a week or two. The flu is a virus that you can get a fever, body aches and it runs your whole system down. If you get a cold over the counter meds work fine, Nyquil, Dayquil. The flu you need to see a doctor right away. You know you have the flu when you have body aches, fever, and you feel like you just cant get out of bed. If people around you are sick you might also try Airborn, its a tablet you put in water, its suppost to help prevent colds. Taste nasty.
Source(s):
Personal experience. I had the flu last year, and God knows I should have gone to the doctor, I'm lucky to be sitting here typing this for you ;)
According to Web Md, here's the answer.
Although the flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses, they are caused by different viruses. Because they have similar symptoms, it can be difficult to tell them apart. But generally cold symptoms are much milder than flu.
Common cold symptoms include:
Sore throat
Stuffy nose
Runny nose
Cough
Mild fever
The flu, on the other hand, often causes higher fever, chills, body ache, and fatigue.
Source(s):
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/114/111312.htm
The only difference is that you develop a fever with a flu.
A cold is primarily a very mild infection of the sinus or throat, a flu is a more serious infection of the respiratory system.
With a cold you'll generally experience runny nose, sneezing, coughing, and sore throat. The symptoms of a flu are more severe. you'll experience the same symptoms of a cold plus fevers, chills, joints and muscle aches.
Colds usually run their course between 3 and 5 days. Flus take longer, about 2 weeks.
Best way to treat each? Best rest and plenty of fluids. Treat the fever with normal over the counter drugs like advil or tylenol or bayer. Coughs with cough syrup etc.
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