Home Remedies for Cold and Flu Symptoms



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Do I Have Allergies Or Is It The Common Cold? Allergist Explains DifferencesFOX Weather Philly

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    Dr. Jeffrey Kopin: The Differences Between Allergies And The Common Cold

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    How To Spot The Difference Between Hay Fever, A Cold And Covid - Full List Of Symptoms

    Expert explains when hay fever is worst

    Although we might finally have left winter behind in the UK, it doesn't mean we are out of the woods when it comes to some seasonal illnesses. In fact, during the spring we have the additional worry of hay fever to contend with.

    For this reason it could be easy to assume that symptoms such as a sniffly nose are linked to a pollen allergy.

    However, this might not always be the case with other common illnesses such as a cold or even Covid-19, also causing issues such as a stuffy, blocked or runny nose.

    Without knowing the difference you could be choosing the wrong course of treatments, meaning your symptoms get no better.

    So how can we tell them apart? Luckily experts at the NHS have shared the telltale symptoms of each ailment to help you distinguish between them.

    Woman sneezing

    It can be hard to know if your illness is hay fever, a cold or Covid (Image: Getty Images) Hay fever

    Like a cold or Covid, hay fever can lead to a runny or blocked nose as well as a cough.

    However, you are unlikely to experience itchy or red eyes with the other two.

    According to the NHS, symptoms of hay fever include:

  • Sneezing and coughing
  • A runny or blocked nose
  • Itchy, red or watery eyes
  • Itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
  • Loss of smell
  • Pain around the sides of your head and your forehead
  • Headache
  • Feeling tired.

    • Hay fever is most likely to occur between late March and September, especially if conditions are warm, humid and windy.

    Woman with red eyes

    Itchy eyes could be a telltale sign of hay fever (Image: Getty)

    "This is when the pollen count is at its highest," the NHS says.

    If you're suffering from hay fever, you can try the following tricks to ease symptoms:

  • Put petroleum jelly (such as Vaseline) around your nostrils to trap pollen
  • Wear wraparound sunglasses, a mask or a wide-brimmed hat to stop pollen from getting into your nose and eyes
  • Shower and change your clothes after you have been outside to wash pollen off
  • Keep windows and doors shut as much as possible
  • Vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth
  • Try to use a pollen filter in the air vents of your car, if you have one, and a HEPA filter in your vacuum cleaner.
    • A spring cold

    Although colds are more common in the winter, they can strike at any time of year.

    Symptoms include:

  • A blocked or runny nose
  • Sneezing
  • A sore throat
  • A hoarse voice
  • A cough
  • Feeling tired and unwell.

    • Covid symptoms

    Covid symptoms compared to hay fever (Image: Express.Co.Uk)

    It can also cause a high temperature, aching muscles, a loss of taste and smell and a feeling of pressure in your ears and face.

    If you do feel as though you have a cold, the NHS recommends you should:

  • Get plenty of rest
  • Drink lots of fluid, such as water, to avoid dehydration
  • Eat healthy food (it's common for small children to lose their appetite for a few days)
  • Gargle salt water to soothe a sore throat (not suitable for children)
  • Drink a hot lemon and honey drink to soothe a sore throat
  • Breathe in steam to ease a blocked nose – try sitting in the bathroom with a hot shower running.
    • Covid

    Although cases of Covid are nowhere near as high as they once were in the UK, the disease is still doing the rounds.

    Currently the variant known as JN.1 is among the most common types of the virus.

    The NHS acknowledges that Covid symptoms can be really similar to a cold, but there are subtle differences.

    Symptoms include:

  • A high temperature or shivering (chills) – a high temperature means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
  • A new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more Coughing episodes in 24 hours
  • A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
  • Shortness of breath
  • Feeling tired or exhausted
  • An aching body
  • A headache
  • A sore throat
  • A blocked or runny nose
  • Loss of appetite
  • Diarrhoea
  • Feeling sick or being sick.

    • You are no longer required to do a lateral flow test if you think you have Covid, but you may want to check whether you have it as you may prefer to stay at home while you're testing positive.

    The NHS recommends people "try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for five days after the day you took your test".





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