With the onset of the cold season, reduced sunlight, fatigue, back-to-school stress, and more time spent indoors, where pathogens circulate easily, our bodies are more vulnerable. Even if we maintain a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet, the body becomes less able to resist external aggression. Among the “recurrent” viruses, comes influenza or flu. This is why, every year, widespread outbreaks of influenza occur during late fall. Discover how to recognize a flu and our tips to relieve its symptoms.
Influenza, what is it? (1)
Influenza (flu) is a viral infection of the lungs and airways with one of the influenza viruses. Symptoms of the flu can include fever, feverish feelings or chills, cough, sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, muscle aches, headaches and fatigue, and a general malaise. The virus is spread by inhaling droplets coughed or sneezed out by an infected person or by having direct contact with an infected person’s nasal secretions. Symptoms can begin suddenly and generally start 1 to 4 days after infection.Common Cold or flu: How can you tell the difference?
Common cold and flu have many symptoms in common, so it can be difficult to tell the difference. Both can cause coughing, nasal congestion and muscle aches. So, you may wonder: is it just a cold or do I have the flu? Although both are respiratory infectious diseases, they are caused by different viruses. Influenza produces symptoms that are more severe than common colds. Also, influenza affects cells much deeper down in the respiratory tract. Cold symptoms are usually milder than flu symptoms. In addition, a cold does not usually lead to serious complications, unlike the flu, whose most common complication is pneumonia and bacterial superinfection.What are the flu symptoms?
- Fatigue, general weakness
- Chills, and chilly sensations
- Fever and headache
- Aches and pains throughout the body
- Respiratory symptoms
What should you do in case of flu? Our tips.
- Rest
- Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids
- Try homeopathy to help you to relieve some of your symptoms.