Watch out for the flu!

It is the spring time and watch out for the flu that’s going around! I got sick over the weekend and I have been taking alot of coldfx. It really works, I recommand everyone to try it!

How can I tell if I have a cold or the flu?

A cold and the flu have many of the same symptoms. But a cold is generally mild, while the flu tends to be more severe.

A cold often starts with feeling tired, sneezing, coughing and a runny nose. You may not have a fever or you may run a low fever - just a degree or two higher than usual. You may also have muscle aches, a scratchy or sore throat, watery eyes and a headache. As the cold worsens, your nasal mucus may turn from thin and watery to yellow and thick. Your symptoms may vary with each cold.
A cold usually lasts three or four days but can last up to 10 days. Many adults will have a least one or two colds a year, and most children will have five to eight. Colds are most common during months when people tend to gather indoors, such as in the winter.

The flu, which is a nickname for the influenza virus, starts suddenly and hits hard. Your fever may go as high as 40C (105F). You’ll probably feel weak and tired, and have a dry cough, a runny nose, chills, muscle aches, severe headache and a sore throat. The fever may last for three to five days. After the flu goes away, you may still feel weak and tired or keep coughing for up to three weeks.
The flu is most common in winter and early spring. It often occurs in outbreaks. The flu virus changes often. About every 10 years it undergoes major changes, so that more severe outbreaks occur.

What can I do to feel better?

There’s no cure for a cold or the flu. To feel better you can treat your symptoms while your body fights off the virus.

- Stay home and rest in bed, especially while you have a fever.
- Stop smoking and avoid second-hand smoke, which can make cold symptoms worse.
- Drink plenty of fluids like water and fruit juices. Try frozen flavored ice (Example: Popsicles). Fluids will help loosen mucus. Fluids are also important if you have a fever because fever can dry up your body’s fluids, which can lead to dehydration.
- Drink hot tea with lemon and honey to soothe a sore throat and help loosen the mucus in your nose. Eating chicken soup can also help loosen the mucus.
- Don’t drink alcohol.
- Gargle with warm salt water a few times a day to relieve a sore throat (1 tsp. of salt in 1 cup of water). Throat spray or lozenges may also help relieve the pain.
- Suck on cough lozenges or hard candy to quiet a cough. Try to use ones low in sugar.
- If a child is too young to blow his or her own nose, you may try a suction bulb to remove the mucus. (A cold mist vaporizer may also help.)
- Use saline nose drops to help loosen mucus. These nose drops don’t contain medicine, like decongestant nose drops do. Saline nose drops are like salt water and simply help moisten the tender skin in your nose (1/4 tsp. salt in 1 cup of water-cooled).

The 2008 Vancouver Sun Run: Ready, set, go!

Are you ready for the Sun Run on April 20?

This year’s Vancouver Sun Run will take place on April 20. The training program is just getting started and continues for 13 weeks, culminating with run day. More than 50,000 people showed up last year for the 10K run. This could a great motivator, not just to eliminate the holiday excess but to jump-start a new, active way of living.

This event will be a great cause and I like to recommond people to check out the “Uncover the Cure” Run happening on July 12th.

“Hit the streets of Vancouver on July 12, 2008 for BC Cancer Foundation’s 3rd annual Underwear Affair®! Join runners and walkers of all ages and athletic abilities, dressed in everything from briefs and boy-shorts to t-shirts and tracksuits, and help fund life-saving research for cancers like prostate, colorectal, cervical, ovarian, and others that occur below the waist. After you cross the finish line, enjoy dancing, a few well-deserved drinks and an outrageous costume contest at the EXPOsed Afterparty!”

For details click on Link