The cold is known by a lot of different names including “the sniffles”, “the flu”, and “the common cold”. This illness will affect nearly everybody one to two a times year. Most people will have this disease in the winter, as we are typically inside and in close quarters giving the virus easy access to multiple people. The cold is caused by a virus, with Rhinovirus being the biggest culprit, but others exist as well. There is no cure or medicine for the common cold, so individuals are left treating their symptoms with over the counter medications. Symptoms are usually runny nose, scratchy throat, cough, red eyes, and sometimes a low grade fever. If you are the unlucky person who is sick, expect the illness to last 10 to 14 days before you are back to full strength. If your cold lasts more than 2 weeks, you are feeling short of breath, fevers are present for more than 3-4 days, or it just doesn’t seem like a cold, that is when you need to see your doctor. If you want to avoid the common cold this winter, make sure you wash your hands frequently, don’t rub your eyes or nose, and make sure you get plenty of fresh air. With these simple maneuvers, you have a good chance of avoiding the doctor’s office this winter
Nicholas Lewis, MD
Pediatrics, Internal Medicine
(208) 468-5959