It’s that time of year again, flu season. According to the CDC, flu season typically starts at the beginning of the calendar year and ends a few months later. This year the flu season has visited us twice. The 2014 flu season got an early start, being that it started in October of 2013 and will likely end in January of 2014.
People who are more likely to get the flu include young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with certain medical conditions. There is a common misconception regarding the flu. People tend to assume that the flu and common cold are synonymous, but there are noticeable differences that the population should be educated about. The common cold mostly consists of sneezing and coughing, sometimes accompanied by fever, headaches, or body aches. The flu is a bit more severe. Signs of the flu include, but are not limited to, high fever, body aches, fatigue, extreme exhaustion, or chest discomfort.
The flu can last two to three weeks. It is passed from person to person in the droplets following a cough or sneeze. Schools, offices, and other places where people are in tight quarters are common breeding grounds for the flu. There are no guaranteed cures for the flu or common cold, only medications for quick relief. One sure-fired way to aid in the “feeling better” process is to load up on liquids. When afflicted with the flu or common cold there is no better medicine than mom’s soup.
There are home remedies that people claim cures the flu. The only thing those remedies do is mends the situation for a short amount of time. So long as they make you feel better, if even for an hour, they are worth it.