How do you know if you have a cold?
It’s easy to mistake a bad cold for a flu, but there are differences between them. Colds are generally less severe and don’t come on as suddenly as the flu. Also, certain symptoms are likely to be more prominent.
Is a cold serious?
Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea can happen too; but these symptoms tend to happen to children more than adults.
Is the flu serious?
Though a cold can make you feel miserable, it usually goes away on its own after about a week or 2.1 For the most part, colds are annoying but you can usually go about your normal daily routine. Of course, be considerate to others and wash your hands often so you don’t spread germs.
What you can do to ease the symptoms
There is no cure for a cold, but here are a few things you can do to lessen symptoms and make yourself more comfortable.3
- Rest: take it easy and stay home if you can
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Gargle with warm salt water to soothe a sore throat
- Use a clean humidifier or cool mist vaporizer for sore throats and sinus congestion
- If you smoke, stop or cut back
- Use Theraflu® to ease a variety of symptoms

*Use only as directed.
SOURCES
1. Mayo Clinic (2016, April 09). Common Cold. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/home/ovc-20199807
2. Mayo Clinic (2016, April 09). Common Cold: Symptoms and Causes. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/symptoms-causes/dxc-20199808
3. Mayo Clinic (2016, April 09). Common Cold: Self-management. Retrieved April 24, 2017, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/manage/ptc-20199811