ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Is it a Cold or is it an Allergy?

Updated on January 18, 2012

When the holidays come to an end there is a audible sigh of relief. Unfortunately, when we take that first deep breath we find it is accompanied by a stuffed head and runny nose, headache, scratchy throat and unremitting feeling of tiredness. Or so it was for me. I woke up one morning three weeks ago to prepare for work and felt like I had been hit by a Mack truck. I called in sick to work and slept to late afternoon when I was finally able to rise and stumble to the market for an ample supply of my local market’s off-brand version of Dayquil. I took a slug and reclined for the remainder of the day. Fortunately, I did was not scheduled to work the following day so I was able to keep my germs primarily to myself until I was no longer capable of spreading the nasty virus known as the Common Cold.

When I returned to work I continued to take my ‘Dayquil’ for another week. I knew that the symptoms would wane a little bit more each day but I could still reasonably expect to feel under the weather for at least two weeks. And so I was. After I had knocked off that second bottle of cold medicine, I was reluctant to purchase another. Why take acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, and phenylephrine if you don’t really have to? I began to notice that my symptoms had another quality. My throat and ears were itchy, my sneezing rather uncontrollable in the mornings, and my eyes irritated. Furthermore, the cold medication was no longer working. I began to investigate.

Acetaminophen An analgesic (pain reliever) commonly known as Tylenol. It is frequently found in cold medications, allergy medications that claim to relieve sinus pain, menstrual pain relief medications, and prescribed medications like Oxycodone. Acetaminophen should never be taken in amounts exceeding the recommended dosage as it can lead to liver and kidney damage or failure. If you are taking more than one product containing acetaminophen you should add the milligrams up per medication to make sure that you are not exceeding the recommended dosage.

Dextromethorphan An antitussive which helps to control or decrease cough by decreasing activity in the portion of the brain that controls coughing. Does not help speed recovery. Always check to make sure that it is compatible with other medications that you may be taking.

Phenylephrine HCI Nasal decongestant which works by vasoconstricting the nasal blood vessels which in turn reduces the swelling of the sinuses.

What I discovered is that there are winter allergies which are in full bloom so to speak. The most common are from dust mites and mold spores which are sent in a flurry around your house and in your workplace by the air blasting out of the furnace. Just like pollen that is carried by the breeze of sweet spring day, these dust mites and spores settle in your nostril and can trigger an allergic reaction. The symptoms are just the same as those suffered by people allergic to pollen: watery eyes, runny nose, itchy ears and sneezing. Your pets, which may be indoors more often in the cold weather also may be a culprit if you are allergic to the protein in their dander. Without taking any medications, what can you do to help prevent winter allergies?

1. Clean heating ducts and filters where dust and dust mites thrive

2. Vacuum at least twice a week, preferably using a vacuum with a HEPA-FILTER

3. Wash curtains, clean shades, and wash bedding on a regular basis

4. Clean your refrigerator, especially the door seal where mold loves to grow

5. Dust shelves and items that collect whatever’s circulating in the air in your home.

If you don't know how to change a furnace filter, the easy to follow video below can help you.

In all likelihood, following some of these easy steps to rid your home of irritants like dust and mold will decrease allergy symptoms dramatically. If they persist, the same antihistamines and decongestants that work with spring and summer pollen allergies, will work with these. If either your cold or allergy are accompanied by more serious symptoms, it's probably time to visit your medical or naturopathic practicioner.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)