Dr_Erika

While Everyone is worrying about Swine Flu, let’s make sure you know the difference between Common Cold or Fall Allergies? Learn the Difference to Feel Better Faster

It’s that time of year again when ragweed pollen and mold spores fill the air leaving millions of Americans suffering from fall allergies. Allergy symptoms present in a similar fashion to the common cold: runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing, wheezing, sore throat, coughing and nasal congestion. Similarly to a cold, often only 1 or 2 of these symptoms appear, making it even more difficult to decipher between the two. And not to mention the fact that this year, every time you get a sore throat or feel a little bit under the weather, the media hype makes you think you have the swine flu. In fact, most people don’t have the swine flu but rather suffer with either the common cold or fall allergies or a combination of the two.

To protect yourself best is to understand how to differentiate between colds and allergies and then treat them without delay.

Keep in mind the main points of differentiation are that the common cold lasts about 1 week while seasonal allergies linger for several weeks to months and that most allergies symptoms are not associated with muscle aches, pains and fever while colds can be without being diagnosed as flu.

If you think your symptoms are fall allergies here are several tips to keep allergies at bay as much as possible.

* Keep your windows closed and use air conditioning.

* Don’t mow your lawn or rake the leaves in the yard.

* Keep outdoor activity to a minimum; especially during morning hours when allergens peak.

* Take a shower after spending time outside.

* Drink lots of water and green tea

* Exercise regularly

* Avoid food allergens

* See an allergist to determine what you are most allergic to and follow the recommendations of staying away from allergy causing foods

* Change detergents and soaps if allergies commence or are worsened by introduction of new products

* Do not leave clothes you used outside in the closets or laying around your home. Shake them out outside first.

* Make sure ventilation in your house is good

* Eliminate dust from your home. Keep it clean with natural cleaning products

* Change air conditioning and heating filters regularly at least twice a year.

Should your allergies continue to be a nuisance try using a mild decongestant or Benadryl at night. And don’t forget fall allergy season ends with the first frost or by the end of November/December.

Stay away from decongestant nasal sprays as they can often aggravate your other symptoms, leaving you feeling worse and even increasing the chance of respiratory infections. Decongestants decrease your immune system’s ability to fight infections so avoid them. Your body actually does get rid of allergens by giving you a runny nose and runny eyes. Stopping that reaction stops your body from fighting the allergen and you may not want that.

A cold is usually associated with sore throat, feeling sick (malaise), runny nose, headaches, muscle aches and even a low grade fever.

If you think your symptoms are caused by a cold here are some tips for nipping the cold in the bud:

· Start taking Lactoferrin 3 capsules twice a day for five days at the first sign of the cold. Lactoferrin is a natural immune booster that supports and enhances your body’s own immune function. ( for more information go to www.drerika.com)

· Take EmergenC- 1 packet in a glass of water 5 times a day for the first three days of the cold (You can always buy EmergenC at the drugstore, gas station, deli, etc.)

· Vitamin C 5000-10,000 mg a day for five days)

· If you have a sore throat take a tip of a teaspoonful of cayenne pepper and mix it with a tablespoon of water and drink it fast.

· Take a tip of a teaspoonful of powdered ginger and mix it with a tablespoon of water and swallow it in one gulp.

· Soak your feet in hot water for 15 minutes the first evening you feel crummy. Put on a pair of socks and go to bed early. Do not watch TV.

· Increase your intake of protein (chicken soup, Detoxification Powder, tofu)

· Drink 5 cups of green tea or Throat soothing teas

· 4 Glasses of room temperature water ( avoid iced drinks)

· Spend 10 minutes in the shower in the morning and breathe in that great healing steam!

· Stay away from junk food, alcohol, soda or caffeine. They will only delay your body’s healing power

· Stay home from work or school so you do not infect your colleagues.

· Unless you have a fever, do not take medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

There is no such thing as medication without side-effects.

Give your body a chance to heal itself, it usually does a really good job with minimal support from us in the health care system.

A recent study in the American Journal of Epidemiology looked at data on 1,355 men and women who had their weight and stress levels measured in 1995 and again in 2004.

The findings showed that those who were overweight and obese packed on the pounds even more as time went by and stressors continued and increased.

Those who were thin stayed thin and according to the lead author Jason Block on faculty at Harvard, “The stress effect didn’t appear to impact normal-weight people, just those who were overweight and obese from the beginning of the study.”

The results of this study may be true but as Americans are getting fatter and sicker, we are faced with more problems than ever before.

We are suffering ever-growing rates of obesity and worsening health caused by weight problems.

Stress is a leading cause of this modern-day epidemic – brought about by our frenetic lifestyles or by financial worries from the economic recession.

Stress comes in two varieties:

Acute stress is when you are running to catch a plane, your work is past deadline, the kids are calling for help and you feel like the world is crashing down on your little shoulders.

Chronic stress is what we live with every day without any hope of it loosening its grip on us.

Doctors and scientists analyze the metabolic and hormonal basis for our stress reactions. Nutritionists, exercise experts and other clinicians help us deal with its undesirable effects.

One thing that doesn’t work is being told that the problem is in our head and that if we watch our diet we will lose weight. And, the second is when doctors discard the problem and recommend a blood test at some point in our downward spiral.

The best way to deal with problems from my perspective of 30+years of practicing medicine and experiencing stress first hand is to understand the causes of the problem. So here is a primer on what stress does to our body and soul:

1. Metabolism - Stress stimulates the production of the hormone cortisol which slows down metabolic function. Normal, healthy metabolism helps us digest process and detoxify our system from foods while absorbing the nutrients we need.

2. Blood sugar levels and Insulin - Stress causes insulin levels to fluctuate wildly and the blood sugar levels follow. When insulin levels are high and sugar levels are low we crave foods - fatty, salty and sugary ones in particular.

3. Cravings regardless– Our desire to eat junk is directly connected to hormone levels and chronic stress worsens the problem. When stress is the core issue, people do not run for vegetables and fruit, they hit the chips, fast food and junk.

4. Fat storage especially around the belly and hips – When you are stressed, you eat junk which accumulates in fatty deposits around the waist and abdomen. As women age the middle section of the body becomes heavier - an esthetically displeasing sight with dangerous health consequences: higher risk for heart attacks, strokes and diabetes.

5. Emotional Eating – Stress and increased levels of cortisol plunge us into a cycle of eating badly, drinking too much caffeine and alcohol, not exercising and being unable to sleep. But there is always a way to take control of our lives. If you let stress make get you down, you won’t be able to enjoy the upside of life.

Here are a few ways to NOT let stress make you fat:

1. Don’t isolate yourself. Reach out to friends, family and others who are truly doing well and who have positive recommendations and are a positive example.

2. Stay away from critical and negative people. Pay attention and you will figure out who is good for your health and who isn’t. Sarcasm is always a negative.

3. Exercise. Unless you find that you feel worse after exercising, which is usually a sign of illness, start a serious daily little-at-first, build as you go, program. You will feel better and crave more exercise not junk food.

4. Relax. When I hear someone say relax, I immediately tighten up. The best way to relax is to focus on beautiful times and places. Imagine a place and time when things worked well for you. Stay with that thought for a while and see how quickly you really relax.

5. Sleep is the key ingredient to feeling better and losing weight. During sleep, hormones are made that help your entire system renew and strengthen. Get 8 hours of sleep a night and watch the weight drop.

6. Balance your hormones. If you are over 40, male or female, your hormones need help. Menopause and low thyroid are major contributing factors to our inability to deal with stress. Find an experienced doctor who knows about hormones and listens to you. Take bioidentical hormones if you need them, get your thyroid treated, take the right supplements to support your immune system and hormones and watch how quickly you shed stress and lose weight.

7. Do not focus on diet alone. When trying to loose weight incorporate all the above into a healthy diet, exercise and stress management program.