You are not the only one to feel your nose suddenly start to run at work. Others have also been interrupted speaking by a unexpected sneeze. You all have the same concern in common: Are you suffering from a cold, allergies or something else? And what can you do about it?
Allergies, Cold or Flu: Why Do You Feel Icky in Dallas?
Distinguishing between the possible causes of your malady is important. You need to know how to treat your symptoms, how to recover and whether or not you can infect anyone else.
Take a look at these descriptions of common causes of runny nose and general feelings of illness and figure out why you are feeling sick in Dallas.
Cold Causes, Symptoms and Treatments
The critical thing to know about colds is that they are caused by a virus. While a cold you may make you feel as miserable as many other illnesses with more severe outcomes, you generally have to ride out a cold’s symptoms because there are not effective treatments for most viruses.
The runny nose and cough that you feel with a cold are similar to the symptoms of other maladies. However, the timing of colds is distinct. They generally occur during winter but may occur any time of year. Cold symptoms last anywhere from a few days to two weeks.
The best way to fight a cold is to get plenty of rest and stay hydrated. If symptoms get in the way of this strategy, take over-the-counter medications to control fever or cough and help you get some sleep.
Allergy Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
Allergies can happen any time of year. However, each individual may notice that their symptoms begin at the same time every year. This is due to your body reacting to specific pollens released into the air at that time of year. Your body’s immune system misidentifies those particles in the air as bacteria or viruses and tries to combat them by trapping them mucus, just as it does with a cold or the flu.
When allergies hit, you will feel many symptoms that make you think that it is a cold. Runny nose and cough are a common reaction to allergies. It is unlikely that you will get a fever. This is one clue that will tell you that you are suffering allergies rather than something else.
Also, you never really get over allergies. As long as certain particles are in the air, you will feel lousy. Most other maladies have a limited lifespan and will eventually stop plaguing you. It’s always good to incorporate exercises like yoga trainings, pilates, or even a walk to get your blood flow moving and help strengthen your immune system.
Other Diagnoses
There are other possibilities. You may have flu or your illness may have developed into an inflammation of the sinuses known as sinusitis. These conditions are more serious and merit more concern and specific treatments.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by your symptoms or just cannot shake them, you should contact an ENT in Dallas. This specialist can help you determine just what is causing your symptoms and how you can deal with them better.