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Cold and Flu Center

General Overview

Both the cold and the flu (influenza) are viral upper respiratory infections. There are over 200 different viruses known to be responsible for the common cold, whereas there are two main types of influenza virus. Click here to read up on the basics of cold and flu:

InDepth

Diagnostic and Surgical Procedures

Influenza vaccine

Living With Cold and Flu

Is it a cold? Or is it the flu? And what do you do?

Before you attempt to treat your condition, step back, consider your symptoms, and figure out if you have a cold, a flu, or both.

Preventing Cold and Flu

Echinacea: nature's cold fighter

Many people who become interested in herbs and natural remedies began with an introduction to echinacea, an herbal remedy commonly used for treating colds. Does it really work?

Preventing Cold and Flu (Continued)

How to wash your hands properly

Believe it or not, one of the best, not to mention easiest, ways to avoid a cold is to wash your hands frequently, especially after time spent in highly-trafficked public spaces.

Special Topics

Alternative ways to fight the flu

Aside from receiving the vaccine, there are several other steps you can take to reduce your risk of contracting the flu. For example, learn how antiviral medications can both prevent and treat the flu.

Vaccines: weighing supply against demand

Flu season is beginning, and any news of a vaccine shortage sends public health officials and healthcare workers scrambling. How do these shortages happen and what steps we can take to prevent them? Read here to find out.

Related Conditions

Natural and Alternative Treatments (By Condition)

Colds and flu

Resources

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/
Flu.gov http://www.flu.gov/
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease http://www.niaid.nih.gov

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This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.