Cold And Flu

Are you full of a cold?

Howsme are a team of experts from a variety of professional backgrounds who can give you confidential online information and support.  Whether you have a quick question or need to resolve complex issues howsme has the answers you need.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Sore throat, coughing, headaches or feeling tired and generally run down?

Sore Throat

Usually a sore throat is associated with a cold or flu virus and will clear up on its own in 2 or 3 days.  However, having a sore throat can also be a symptom of a number of other illnesses or can be a bacterial infection commonly Streptococcal known as ‘Strep throat’. 

A severe sore throat or one that either lasts longer than a couple of days or isn’t associated with a cold or flu needs to be checked out by a doctor to exclude a more serious cause.

If you have a cold or flu and a sore throat any of these common remedies may help

Resting the throat, common sense but often forgotten.  Go to bed, don’t speak and stay away from everyone else (in an ideal world!)

Ice Lollies, this is my favourite remedy.  They sooth the throat temporarily so you may need a few!

Blow your nose!  If your nose is blocked you will breathe through your mouth and so your throat will become dry (especially at night).  Using a decongestant will clear your ‘tubes’ and keep you breathing through your nose.

Steam.  This can help as a decongestant to clear your nose and loosen any phlegm on your chest.  Get the bath run!

Gargle with Raspberry or Sage tea.  Crush fresh sage and make it into tea, strain it and let it cool, then gargle.

Drink.  Especially if you have a cold or the flu you should keep taking fluids to stay hydrated.  Remember that caffeine and alcohol can cause dehydration.

Lemons! Mix lemon juice with honey, ginger and garlic with warm water…nice!

Sweets.  Sucking sweets such as hard-boiled sugar-free sweets can help to stop a tickly throat…good for long meetings.

Liquorice.  Either as sweets or made onto tea can help sooth a sore throat.

Cider vinegar.  Some say drinking cider vinegar is good for sore throats.  I have never tried it…maybe next time.

Throat sprays.  Available from the pharmacy so check with your doctor or pharmacist.  Echinacea is available from the health food shop, ask if it is ok for you to use.
 

Pain Relief.  Allsorts of over the counter medicines are available from the chemist but you need to ask your doctor or pharmacist which one is right for you as some have side effects or contraindications.

Vitamin C is said to help sore throats.

Toothbrush.  Remember to change your toothbrush regularly.

Cough and phlegm

Why am I coughing?

We cough for a variety of reasons; usually it is to remove something from the back of the throat.  This could be phlegm or dust or just an itchy feeling!  A cough can be chesty this is when phlegm is coughed up as a result of the cough. A dry cough when there is no or not much phlegm but usually a tickly throat.

What is causing me to cough?

We tend to cough if we get a cold, flu or a sore throat due to inflammation in the throat.  This type of cough usually clears up quickly and without treatment.  As well as a cold, asthma, emphysema and bronchitis are common problems that can give rise to a cough, this cough can be a cough that never goes away and you have to learn how to manage it. 
Smoking can also cause coughing.

As with any new symptom coughing needs to be checked out by a doctor to identify the cause, as prolonged coughing could be a sign of a more serious underlying disease.
A cough associated with a cold or the flu should clear up quickly, however a cough associated with bronchitis or emphysema may persist and become chronic.  Howsme has the experts to help you manage the problems associated with your cough.
Do you have physical problems caused by coughing?

Prolonged coughing can be very tiring and if you are feeling weak, it can really wear you out.  Coughing during the night can mean that you are woken up numerous times during the night.  If you are suffering with a cough ask howsme to help you manage this troublesome symptom.
Do you have excess Phlegm? (Sometimes known as Sputum)
What is phlegm?

Phlegm is the sticky stuff produced by mucus membranes and is usually coughed up from the back of the throat and lungs. It is different to mucus (or snot) that is produced by the nose and different to the clear saliva or spit produced in the mouth. In healthy people phlegm it is clear or white but if you get an infection such as flu it can turn yellow as the immune system works against the infection. If the phlegm turns green infection is almost certainly present.  Rusty spots or blood in the phlegm can mean there is bleeding somewhere and must always be checked out.  Smoking will affect the colour and consistency of phlegm and commonly the phlegm becomes brown.
 
What causes phlegm to change?

Smoking can causes changes to amount, colour and consistency of phlegm.
The presence of infection in the body can also affect the phlegm, as can external factors such as the climate! 
Allergies can cause an increase in the amounts of phlegm your body produces.  Wheat and dairy products tend to be the main culprits but there are others.

Physical problems caused by phlegm and coughing

Prolonged coughing can be very tiring and if you are feeling weak, it can really wear you out. Coughing during the night can mean that you are woken up numerous times. Coughing can also make your chest muscles ache. Breathlessness is a common associated problem because many of the causes of increased amounts of phlegm can also cause breathlessness. it is important to cough and attempt to clear the phlegm as this may help to reduce the breathlessness.
Unfortunately though coughing can cause you to be breathlessness and you may even start to feel panicky if you feel you are struggling to get your breath.  Howsme has experts who can teach you techniques to help you to clear your chest and manage your cough.
 
Psychological problems caused by phlegm and coughing

Psychological problems are more likely to be associated with severe long-term symptoms than with phlegm produced by a bout of the flu. The physical effects of coughing during the night can lead to tiredness and therefore irritability the next day. Feelings of anxiety or panicking can accompany breathlessness or choking episodes. Embarrassment or frustration can be experienced especially when out in public and may even start to limit how often you go out or where you choose to go.  Ask the team at howsme to help you; we are online now waiting to help.

Managing your Phlegm

As with all medical conditions knowing what is causing phlegm to be a problem is essential to managing it. Depending on the cause of the phlegm production there are a variety of ways to assist in the coughing up and clearance of phlegm. It is important to drink plenty of water to keep phlegm from becoming sticky and even more difficult to cough up and clear.

Updated: 1st October 2009