Once the weather turns colder, it feels like everyone is sneezing, sniffling, coughing, shivering, and potentially getting you sick. 

While it might seem inevitable that you will fall prey to that most common of colds, there are some very natural, effective ways to keep illness at bay.

First, try discerning whether you have a simple (yet, still irritating) cold, or the much more serious influenza virus. 

Colds rarely cause fevers, and the symptoms come on slowly, usually starting with a sore throat and leading to a stuffy, runny nose that lingers for a few days. The flu, by contrast, tends to hit people like a truck, with a fever, sore throat, headache, congestion and cough coming on quickly, and often all at once.

Click here to read more cold and flu stories.

Americans catch nearly 1 billion colds each year, and between five and 20 percent of people in this country will contract the flu, but there are steps you can take to keep your immune system up to snuff:

• Wash hands frequently with a non-toxic soap that is free of ammonia, dyes, phenols, phosphates, sulfates and artificial fragrances. Also keep hand sanitizers within reach at all times, but make sure to buy one without Triclosan, an additive that has been shown to alter hormone regulation in animals.

• Feel a sneeze coming on? Wrap your arm around your face, and sneeze into your elbow. This way the germs don’t wind up on your hand, where they’re much more likely to come in contact with other people.

• Get your Vitamin D3 levels checked! Around three-quarters of Americans—from the elderly to newborns—are deficient in Vitamin D3, which has been linked to the health of nearly every organ in the body, as well as the immune system. once you determine your levels, figure out how much supplement you need to achieve the optimal amount of Vitamin D3 in your body.

• Eat plenty of fresh, organic leafy greens (like kale, chard, and broccoli) and cruciferous vegetables (like cauliflower, radishes, and cabbage). They’re good for you every day of the year, but their high vitamin C content comes in especially handy during cold and flu season.

• Increase your intake of fermented foods like sauerkraut, miso, and sugar-free strained Greek yogurt, which boost your overall wellness by promoting intestinal health. Acting as probiotics (which can also be taken as supplements to keep the stomach flu away), fermented foods aid digestion, improve immune function, and up vitamin B levels, all key in warding off sickness.

• Exercise! Keeping your heart rate up has been shown to help the body fight simple infections like colds and flu.

• Sleep well and as often as possible. Studies indicate that people who get less than seven hours of sleep per night are three times more likely than their well-rested counterparts to contract the common cold.if you’ve already succumbed to a bug, there are many homeopathic, common sense remedies that’ll get you back on your feet quicker than you can say, “Achoo!” some of my favorite tonics include:

• use a Neti pot, which irrigates stuffed nasal passages with water.

• Making a nutritious vegetable broth with shitake mushrooms, miso paste, onions, garlic, turmeric, cayenne pepper and olive oil.

• Diffusing therapeutic-grade, 100 percent essential oils—like clove, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus, or rosemary—throughout the home can make breathing easier. Also, using the oils during a steamy shower can provide relief to clogged sinuses.

• Finally, drink copious amounts of pure, filtered water all winter long. People tend to under-hydrate when the weather turns cold, leaving them more vulnerable to infection and less capable of fighting something off once they’ve got it.

The dark, snowy days of winter will come and go, but your health is forever—make it a priority in all seasons.

Deirdre Imus is the founder and president of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center™ at Hackensack University Medical Center and Co-Founder/Director of the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer. She is a new York Times best-selling author and a frequent contributor to FoxNewsHealth.com, Fox Business Channel and Fox News Channel. Check out her website at dienviro.com. ‘Like’ her Facebook page here.

For the past 3 weeks I have had a sore throat,stomach pain,headche, and fever. what are tjose symptoms for?and what should I do? thank you!

I have a soar throat enexpectedly, but i have no runny nose coughing sneezing or anything but a sore throat. I have checked to see if i have signs for strep but all of them didnt fit my throat…

I didnt see any symptoms of strep but i do have a really bad throatache and no coughing of any cold symptoms…. should i visit a doctor? or could it just be sinus drainage?

I've had strep throat more than once ( it was a horrible experience ) and each time I had it , it was different. like one time I couldn't even talk and just last month when i had it, I would have never thought it would be strep throat. Sore throats usually last a 4 days at maximum but strep throats usually are more severe and long and hurt more. Look at the inside of your mouth to see if its swollen and red, if it is it's probably strep. Strep throats usually have a fever with it too. Antibiotics the doctor gives you works.

I started getting allergy shots a couple months ago and I just switched to a new vial. The next day I started having more sinus drainage, a sore throat, and itchy eyes. could this be caused by the allergy shot?

Yes, this is why you have to wait 30 min or an hour before leaving the office.

If the symptoms above are not your usual symptoms, you might just be getting a cold, but I would suggest checking with your doctor.

Updated: Wed Aug. 17 2011 12:33:51 ctvedmonton.ca

Alberta Health Services is warning visitors and residents near Lake Isle that blue-green algae have been found in the waters of the lake located north-west of Edmonton.

Anyone living or planning to visit the lake is asked to take the following precautions:

• Not drink water, or allow pets to drink water from the lake, boiling the water does not make it safe for consumption.
• Not swim or wade, or allow pets do the same in the lake.
• Not eat fish from the lake.
• Avoid any contact with algae washed up on the shore.

AHS said most blue-green algae blooms last only a few days, however due to temperature changes and the weather forecast the advisory will remain in effect until further notice.

The algae produce a toxin that when touched or ingested can cause serious illness in humans, and has been blamed for the death of some domestic animals.

Symptoms of blue-green algae poisoning in humans may include fever, headaches, dizziness, stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea, skin and eye irritation, sore throat and swollen lips.

AHS said symptoms most often clear up within two or three days.

Several lakes in Alberta have been put under blue-green algae advisories this summer, including Pigeon Lake, Wizard Lake and Calling Lake.

EPIDEMIC: 160 is the estimated number of patients that visit ENToutpatient departmentsof each of the three alliedhospitals.

ISLAMABAD: 

A slight change in the weather, and a large number of patients suffering from seasonal flu have started pouring in the allied hospitals of Rawalpindi.

Officials of the three allied hospitals – District Headquarter Hospital (DHQ), Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) and Holy Family Hospital (HFH) – said that the hospitals are receiving 150-160 patients daily on average in their Ear Nose Throat (ENT) outpatient departments.

Even the emergency departments of the hospitals are unusually busy, receiving around 40-60 patients every day. on normal days, the emergency departments receive around 15 to 20 patients daily, the officials added.

Talking to The Express Tribune, DHQ hospital’s ENT specialist Dr Umair Kaleem attributed the rising number of flu patients in the city to absence of necessary preventive measures.

“If one family member is suffering from the disease and does not take any precautionary measures, then most likely all other family members will also get infected.”

Dr Kaleem said that flu is a highly-contagious infection that affects the respiratory tract and people with weaker immune systems are even more vulnerable to it.

The symptoms of the infection include runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, sore throat, temperature, cough, head and body ache, he said, adding that as flu is a viral infection, antibiotics remain ineffective and the only to treat it is by improving the patient’s immunity.

He advised people to avoid having eatables from outside during Ramazan because the food might be infected if the person preparing it is suffering from flu.

He urged people to take all precautionary measure, like properly washing hands before eating and advised infected people to use separate towels and remaining indoors.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 7th, 2011.

What are they and do they have any discharge?? or abdominal pain for women???

Symptoms of Chlamydia:

If you have chlamydia, chances are that you may exhibit few symptoms. Chlamydia symptoms may be mild and can easily go undetected. Women are more likely to experience few symptoms associated with the infection although chlamydia in men can also result in few or no symptoms. Signs of chlamydia usually appear between 1 and 3 weeks after infection, though sometimes they can take longer to manifest.

Early chlamydia signs and symptoms tend to be mild and include pain during urination, frequent urination, and low fever. later symptoms can be more intense and include nausea, fatigue, and abnormal discharge from the vagina or penis. Oral chlamydia, usually passed through oral sex, can result in a sore throat and throat infection. In anal infections, swelling of the rectum can occur. though rare, males suffering from the disease may experience swelling of the testicles. other symptoms in women include abdominal pain, lower back pain, irregular menstrual bleeding or spotting, and pain during sex.

If you think you may be infected, or are exhibiting any symptoms of chlamydia, get tested. It is important to treat the disease as soon as possible, as prolonged exposure can cause serious damage to the reproductive organs.

Symptoms of Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea can be difficult to diagnose, especially in women. this is because women often exhibit few or no symptoms, or mistake gonorrhea for a mild bladder infection; in fact, as many as 50% of female gonorrhea sufferers experience no symptoms. Men are much more likely to develop symptoms. Gonorrhea can infect the cervix, urethra, anus, and throat. Depending upon how you contracted the disease and how long you've had it for, you may experience symptoms affecting a number of these areas.

Symptoms of gonorrhea generally appear between 2 and 10 days after infection, although it could take as long as 30 days for your symptoms to appear. if you are a woman and are suffering from gonorrhea, you may experience bleeding after sex and frequent, painful urination. These symptoms are especially common in the early stages of an infection of the cervix. later symptoms include nausea, fever, vomiting, bleeding between periods, and a yellow or bloody vaginal discharge.

If you are a man infected with gonorrhea, you may experience pain while urinating, frequent urination, and swollen testicles. this indicates an infection of the urethra. You may also notice a white, green, or yellow discharge from the tip of your penis. Your penis will probably look tender and redder than usual and you may notice a swelling of the glands in the groin area.

The gonorrhea bacteria can also infect the anus and throat. Symptoms of an infection in the anus include painful bowel movements, itching, discharge, and bloody stool. An oral infection often causes a sore throat, and a pus-like material on the tonsils or on the back of the throat. Infections in these areas can easily spread to other parts of the body so it is important to get treated as soon as possible.

They both are sexually transmitted diseases.
If left untreated for both, you can get an infection.

Chlamydia and gonorrhea are two of the most common types of sexually transmitted diseases. both diseases have similar symptoms. while they are common, both need to be treated by a medical doctor and safe sex practices should be used to keep from acquiring these diseases.

Discharge

Abnormal vaginal discharge and penile discharge is a common symptom for both Chlamydia and gonorrhea. Women may notice a change in color, texture or smell of discharge and men may see a yellow or light brown discharge.

Bleeding

Women may notice irregular bleeding or light spotting between periods.

Pain and Burning

Men may experience testicular pain associated with both diseases. Women may have vaginal pain or discomfort. Pain while urinating is common for both sexes. Burning while urinating is a common occurrence for either disease and is almost always present with gonorrhea.

Throat

Gonococcal infections in the throat can lead to swollen tonsils and sometimes white spots on the tonsils.

Ano-rectal

Anal symptoms of Chlamydia and gonorrhea include redness, pain and bleeding.

Chlamydia symptoms for men:

* Burning sensation during urination
* Discharge from the penis or rectum
* Testicular tenderness or pain
* Rectal discharge or pain

Chlamydia symptoms for women:

* Burning sensation during urination
* Painful sexual intercourse
* Rectal pain or discharge
* Vaginal discharge

Gonorrhea symptoms for men:

* Burning and pain while urinating
* Increased urinary frequency or urgency
* Discharge from the penis (white, yellow, or green in color)
* Red or swollen opening of penis
* Tender or swollen testicles
* Sore throat

Gonorrhea symptoms for women:

* Vaginal discharge
* Burning and pain while urinating
* Increased urination
* Sore throat
* Painful sexual intercourse
* Severe pain in lower abdomen (if the infection spreads to the fallopian tubes and stomach area)
* Fever (if the infection spreads to the fallopian tubes and stomach area)

I had to walk home in rain and now i am worried i have strep cause i woke up with sore throat constantly having to clear it and its only been about 9 hours since the walk… is this possibly strep or just a cold? i can't afford the hospital.

Pharyngitis (fromthe Greek. Pharynx – throat) is called a common inflammation of the pharynx (orthroat). because of the structure of the pharynx and throat mucous membrane ismuch more common than the localized inflammation, sore throat or otherwise. Throatfunctionally designed to protect against the penetration of the body along withthe air of foreign particles, dust and germs. a structure of pharyngeal mucosais such that ensures and immune defense. Pathogenic microbes adhering to themucosa, rich in blood vessels and lymphoid tissue, immediately attacked by theimmune system cells.Pharyngitis can take two forms of clinical development – an acute or chronic.For acute disease characterized by the following symptoms: dryness, burning ortingling sensation in the throat, cough, pain on swallowing, difficultybreathing, worsening of general well-being with the advent of pain in the backof the head, possibly a slight increase in body temperature. in addition, thereis a cluster of hard detachable mucus with an unpleasant odor. Children havealways pharyngitis occurs at high temperature and is complicated byinflammation of the nose, throat and acute catarrhal rhinitis.Often the sore throat may occur independently owing to the direct effects ofaggressive stimuli on the mucosa, or an allergic reaction to their impact – thecold air or hot steam, liquids, alcohol, tobacco smoke, gases, dust and otherchemicals.Cause of acute pharyngitis may be bacterial (staphylococci, pneumococci,streptococci, Chlamydia, Neisseria) or viral infections (influenza, measles,scarlet fever, herpes and cytomegalovirus) and fungal infections (candida). Itshould be noted that the most common cause of acute pharyngitis are viruses.the vast majority of SARS necessarily accompanied by symptoms of pharyngitis.in addition, the development of inflammation of the mucous throat may be causedby the spread of inflammation of the nasal cavity with sinusitis or rhinitis,from the mouth – with caries.the cause of chronic pharyngitis may serve as long-term irritation of thethroat due to smoking, alcohol abuse and exposure to chemicals, gases, dust,and hypothermia. Recurrent acute inflammation of the pharynx, as well aschronic inflammation of the nose, tonsils and nasal breathing for a long trip,too, can lead to chronic inflammation.in some cases, the cause of chronic pharyngitis may be endocrine systemdiseases (hypothyroidism, menopause), or metabolic disease (diabetes,diathesis, etc.), kidney disease, cardiovascular disease. Immunologicaltolerance and immunodeficiency, when the immune system allows the small amountof micro-organisms to multiply freely in the tissues of the tonsils to acertain level, can also lead to chronic pharyngitis. As a result of chronicpharyngitis may have exacerbation and remission?Typical symptoms of chronic pharyngitis form are less pronounced. There is adry, sore throat, persistent cough without fever. Chronic pharyngitis differsnot for reasons of appearance, and clinical manifestations. Depending on thecondition of the mucous membrane (thickening, thinning, congestion and otherchanges) it can be simple, hypertrophic or atrophic.Any form of pharyngitis requires first determining the type of infection andthe source of its origin. For this purpose it is necessary to see a specialist,which will produce an inspection of the pharynx, and if necessary appointadditional research. if strep throat is not treated or treated properly, theinfection can spread into the cavity of the larynx, nose, or middle ear,thereby causing laryngitis, sinusitis, otitis media, or other seriousillnesses. Or go to the chronic form.Accurate diagnosis – the main key to success in healing. if a pronounceddeterioration of general condition is not observed, it is enough to symptomatictreatment. Typically, it includes a diet without irritating foods with abundantwarm drink, other than smoking, hot foot bath and warming compresses on theneck. the doctor may prescribe anti-microbial agents in the form of drops andinhaled or topical antibacterial. when bacterial pharyngitis may be prescribedsystemic antibiotics. Remember that any medication should be carried out underthe supervision of a physician.

only thing that prevents people, because most of the commission of a sugar-free diet than any other cause is no fear of sugar withdrawal symptoms. – They did not leave stop withdrawal symptoms of sugar addiction, compared to many other medicines are pretty mild, so the task of an addiction to sugar and other refined carbs is fairly easy. E 'to stay "clean" after it hard.

Other drugs, such as tobacco (and caffeine) have far moreunpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

may occur in the early days without sugar, headaches, fatigue, depression, drowsiness, rash, sore throat or mucus.

withdrawal symptoms from sugar do not let stop you from kicking the sugar level Habit

Fatigue and drowsiness can occur every day when you eat a diet rich in sugar, blood sugar rises and falls like – but usually not the fault of these symptoms, especially the mood swings so you can eat a few . when weaning the sugar They are veryaware that these symptoms must be changed in the past from your diet, and we look forward to the day that will then be completely free of them.

Headaches could be caffeine withdrawal is very painful and can last for 2 days or more, while sugar withdrawal symptoms are generally milder in, but can last for a week or two. Some people may be little or no discomfort to the whole experience and is easy to enjoy all the benefits of sugar-free diet almost immediately.

EThe benefits are enormous – better health, better mood, a feeling of vitality and think more clearly.

Sorry, the thought of sugar withdrawal symptoms are an effective barrier to change in good health. People often think that they were much worse than they really are, or think I'm very happy to be a lot more. part of this argument is really about the "stinking thinking" causes created by the addiction.

Know how long your symptoms will give you the lastthe force is moving through the withdrawal phase to commit health. you do not want to be well taken, the annoying symptoms please ring that only a few hours before symptoms would be gone.

For this reason, it is important to emphasize that knowing when you will not feel better. Think of it as a case of voluntary flu, and commit to working with them. In a few days will be over.

this means that you are freesugar cravings for good? No

As already mentioned, not the hard part to give up sugar. E 'to remain free of sugar, if they have passed through the first few weeks. Your mild symptoms at first withdrawal actually stay focused and remind you of your goal to start a healthy diet.

It 's later, when you feel healthy and seem full of energy, when the lure of possible "only" treat it like a harmless indulgence. To be sure to stay on the new, healthy diet, you need aPlan, which prevents you from falling back into old, unhealthy food.

withdrawal symptoms from sugar do not let stop you from kicking the sugar level Habit

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