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Get the Facts to Fight Flu Symptoms |
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Written by ara content
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Friday, 06 April 2007 |
 As the temperature drops and flu season arrives, people like you are starting to
worry about getting sick -- with good reason! With this year’s major flu vaccine
shortage more people may come down with the flu and it is important to get the
facts about fighting flu symptoms.
If you do get the flu this year, you won’t be alone. Experts say the flu, which
is caused by a contagious respiratory virus, afflicts millions of people each
year and it has already begun to take its toll this season. In an average year,
5 to 20 percent of the population gets the flu, and this season 28 states have
already reported flu activity.
As luck would have it, the holidays fall
right in the middle of flu season, which can begin as early as October and end
as late as May. If you get sick over the holidays, knowing how to treat your
symptoms early can prevent the spread of illness to friends and
family.
The first step to effectively treating symptoms is to distinguish
between flu and cold symptoms since they can easily be confused. According to
the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) with the flu, symptoms such as fever, body
aches, extreme tiredness, and coughing are more common and severe. Colds,
however, are milder and more likely to cause a runny or stuffy nose. Those who
do come down with the flu may suffer from a range of symptoms, including high
fever, headache, extreme tiredness, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose,
muscle aches and even nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Now that you know
what the flu symptoms are, the second step is to be aware of how and when the
virus can be spread. Droplets from coughing and sneezing spread the flu by
person-to-person contact or by touching your nose or mouth after coming in
contact with a surface that had the virus on it.
People can pass the flu
along even before they realize they’re sick. “Once symptoms start, it is
important to treat them with over-the-counter medications -- they make you feel
better and can help to prevent the spread of the flu," says Dr. Holly Atkinson.
Advil Flu and Body Ache, for example, relieves body aches and pains, fever,
headache and nasal congestion associated with the flu. To help prevent the
spread of the flu, Robitussin DM helps people with coughs that are more frequent
and non-productive stop coughing. If you have a cough plus other flu symptoms,
Robitussin Flu treats the cough and symptoms like headache, fever and body
aches.
In addition to over-the-counter medications, the following tips
may help you fight the flu this year:
* Get lots of rest and avoid
physical exertion
* Drink plenty of liquids
* Avoid using alcohol
and tobacco
* Rub ointment on and around a nose that is red and raw from
sniffling
* Use a humidifier in your bedroom and take hot showers to
clear a stuffy nose * Have some chicken soup -- it has been proved to have a
clinical benefit
* Dress in layers; when you feel warm remove a layer or
two, and when you feel chilly, layers can be easily added
* Stay home
and treat your symptoms to prevent spreading the flu to others
To find
out when cough, cold and flu are in your area, sign up for Cough, Cold & Flu
Alerts at www.robitussin.com and get $1 off any Robitussin product.
For
more information on Advil and Robitussin or the flu, talk to a doctor or
pharmacist, or visit www.advil.com and www.robitussin.com.
Courtesy of ARA
Content
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 20 January 2008 )
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