Our Definitive Guide to Cold and Flu

Our Definitive Guide to Cold and Flu
So you’ve come down with a nasty bug that’s been making the rounds. The good news? You probably don’t need to go into the doctor’s office. The bad news? You still feel awful.

If you think you have an upper respiratory infection (URI) — which includes the common cold, sinus infections, chest colds (bronchitis), and the flu (caused by the influenza virus) — there’s a lot you can do at home to feel better faster. You’ll have infections like these many times throughout your life, so learning what helps the most (and the least) is worth your time.

What to Expect with an Upper Respiratory Infection
More than 90 percent of upper respiratory infections are caused by viruses. These infections create different symptoms at each stage. Most colds and flus go away in about a week, although some symptoms (like coughing) can take two or three weeks to go away completely.

Helen (Eleni) Xenos, a One Medical doctor in Chicago, describes the typical progression of the common cold:

Day 1: Fatigue, headache, sore or scratchy throat.
Day 2: Sore throat worsens, low fever, mild nasal congestion.
Day 3: Congestion worsens, sinus and ear pressure become very uncomfortable. It may be difficult to sleep.
Day 4: Mucus may turn yellow or green (this is normal). Sore throat improves, but coughing begins.
Days 5-7: Energy and congestion improve.
1 week+: Cough usually tapers off after a week, but can take up to 3 weeks to fully resolve.
If your symptoms are much worse than these, such as coughing so hard you throw up, or coughing up bloody mucus, or if you have a fever over 102°F, you might have something more serious going on, like pertussis (whooping cough) or pneumonia.

If a cold drags on, it can turn into a sinus infection that causes pain around the eyes, nose and/or sinus headaches. Chest colds (bronchitis) cause chest congestion and a hacking cough that drag on for a few weeks.

The flu comes with similar symptoms but features a prominent fever, chills, headache, and body aches that usually last several days.

What Helps You Feel Better
Treating the symptoms and supporting your immune system is the best first course of action to get you feeling better faster. Everyone’s experience of a cold is slightly different from the next person’s, and there are so many options in the cold and flu aisle at the drugstore. How do you know which symptom remedies are right for you?

The key is to find what works best for you personally, for your symptoms, whether it’s over-the-counter cold and flu remedies or soothing herbal tea. If, for example, you experience bad sinus pressure when you have an upper respiratory infection, a decongestant like pseudoephedrine or a nasal sinus rinse might be good to have on hand. If it’s coughing that usually makes your life miserable during a head or chest cold, you could try inhaling hot steam from the sink or shower a few times a day to help break things up.

Your immune system’s job is to eradicate viral and bacterial infections from your body. It’s very effective as long as you provide it with the proper support. The best way to do that is to rest. Being stressed out or not getting enough sleep releases hormones that suppress your immune system.

In addition, taking one to two grams a day of vitamin C during cold season may lessen the severity and duration of your colds, although it won’t prevent you from catching them in the first place. Taking zinc lozenges during a cold also supports your immune system, but you have to start within 24 hours of symptom onset for them to work. Take one lozenge or melt-away every two hours on a full stomach to avoid nausea.