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I am sure many of you have seen various
articles on swine flu and cold symptoms but I thought this
presentation was very helpful as well the suggestions at the end.
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Symptom
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Cold
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Swine Flu
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Fever
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Fever is rare with a cold.
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Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu
cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is
associated with the flu.
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Coughing
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A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present
with a cold.
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A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present
with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).
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Aches
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Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.
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Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.
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Stuffy Nose
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Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves
spontaneously within a week.
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Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.
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Chills
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Chills are uncommon with a cold.
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60% of people who have the flu experience chills.
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Tiredness
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Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.
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Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.
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Sneezing
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Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.
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Sneezing is not common with the flu.
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Sudden
Symptoms
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Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.
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The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and
includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and
pains.
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Headache
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A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.
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A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu
cases.
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Sore Throat
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Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.
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Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.
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Chest Discomfort
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Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.
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Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.
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The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat.
It’s almost impossible to not come into contact with H1N1
in spite of all precautions.
To prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and
development of secondary infections, do the following:
1.
Wash hands frequently.
2.
Resist all temptations to
touch any part of the face.
3.
Gargle twice a day with warm salt water(or
Listerine if you don’t trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after
initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and
show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents
proliferation. Gargling with salt water has the same effect on a
healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one.
4.
Clean your nostrils at least once every day with
warm salt water. ORblow the nose hard once a
day and swab both nostrils with cotton swabs dipped in warm salt
water this reduces the viral population.*
5.
Consume more Vitamin C. *If you have to supplement with
Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost
absorption.
6.
Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as
you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as
gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating
viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive,
proliferate or do any harm.
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