Autumn in Michigan brings mild temperatures and changing leaves along with more time spent inside.
As such, it can also come with more illness – like coughing, sore throat and congestion.
Many times, these are signs of the common cold, which can be prevalent in the fall. And though most times colds can be treated at home, it is key to recognize the signs and symptoms and know when you may need a visit to urgent care.
Read on below for more.
A cold or something more?
A cold is a viral infection that usually impacts the throat and nose. However, symptoms may vary.
Signs of a cold can include stuffy or runny nose, cough, fatigue, headache and sneezing. A slight fever may also be present.
The common cold is caused by viruses – and antibiotics cannot treat them. Treatment usually includes managing the symptoms to help recover quicker.
For mild symptoms, you can take the following steps to help feel better and help your immune system recover faster:
- Getting extra rest to help your body recover
- Soothe throat with warm beverages, honey and lozenges
- Drink plenty of liquids to keep your body hydrated
- Use a humidifier to help ease nasal congestion and dry throat
- Consider pain relieving medication and fever reducers that are available over the counter
- Use a saline spray to help soothe and moisturize nasal passages
However, it’s important to know that there are other illnesses that may mimic symptoms of a cold, including:
- Influenza, also known as the flu, which can cause fever, aches and fatigue
- COVID-19 which can also have similar symptoms as a cold
- Strep throat, which causes throat pain and fever
- Sinus infection, ear infection and respiratory infection
Specialty Urgent Care is always here for you if you have questions regarding your or your child’s symptoms or when treating at home is not enough.
If symptoms continue to worsen or last longer than normal, it is wise to head to Specialty Urgent Care for a thorough evaluation. If symptoms include difficulty breathing, severe weakness or continual high fever, you should get care right away.
Feeling your best this fall season
As kids head back to school and families gather inside more, keeping healthy before a cold hits is often the best bet to ward off germs.
You can do this by encouraging regular hand washing, cleaning surfaces that are touched often, staying home if you are sick, not sharing water bottles or utensils and eating a healthy, balanced diet.
However, even with all of the proper precautions, you may still fall ill.
Fortunately, Specialty Urgent Care has convenient locations in Dearborn and Pontiac and a team of skilled medical professionals that are here for you when you need us.
We pride ourselves on offering efficient and accurate care along with compassion and convenience. We know families are busy – and we want to make getting back to optimum health more attainable.
If you or your family members are feeling under the weather, we invite you to come in to be seen. An appointment is not necessary as we welcome walk ins.
We take your health seriously and we want you to do the same! If your symptoms point to more than a cold, we offer flu testing in Dearborn and strep throat testing in Pontiac, with walk-ins welcome Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m..
