Are you battling a summertime cold?

See the article here that was posted on Keloland.com.  Are you battling a summertime cold?  I know there have been a few of us here at the clinic that have suffered from the summertime cold season.  One of the best things you can do to help avoid that cold is to get your regular adjustments to keep your immune system running at its top speed.  Keeping your immune system healthy will help fight the bugs!

By Nicole Winters
Published: July 8, 2011, 6:03 PMHARTFORD, SD - A runny nose, sore throat, a nagging cough: all signs we've come to expect with a cold, but, in the middle of summer? It turns out summer colds make their rounds just as easily in the warm months as they do in the cold.

It was a trip to the doctor Joan Nichols wasn't expecting to make in July.

"Nasal drip, congestion, headache, fever and chills, feeling very warm," Nichols said.

Fed up with feeling rundown with symptoms of a cold for a few days, she wanted to get checked out to see whether that's what was getting her down.

"It doesn't seem to be getting any better," Nichols said.

Nichols is far from being the only patient Certified Nurse Practitioner Julie Bostic has seen come through Sanford's doors this summer with those symptoms.

"I see several summer colds every day. Summer colds are related to viruses so as people contact people, they can get it," Sanford CNP Julie Bostic said.

Just like a winter cold, the virus can stick around for quite sometime, putting a kink in summer plans. However, the recommended treatment can slow you down even more.

"Good healthy behaviors, we want people to eat lots of veggies, some fruit, exercise and sleep," Bostic said.

Determining whether what you have is a cold can be a little trickier in the summer months, because what seems like a pesky illness could, in fact, be allergies.

"Allergies are a little different than a summer cold because it's the real runny, drippy nose, itchy, watery eyes, but usually people will notice them about the same time of the year," Bostic said.

Telling the two a part can be difficult. But, Bostic says checking with your doctor and into your family history can help answer the question.

"If mom and dad have allergies, chances are you might have them too,' Bostic said.

In Nichols case, she doesn't believe allergies are boethering her, but she still wants her nagging cough and headache to go away so she can get back to enjoying the warm weather.

"Let’s get it over with and get to feeling better," Nichols said.

Bostic says colds can be treated with decongestant, but she recommends talking with a pharmacist first to determine which medication is best for you. She also says nasal rinses, while not the most comfortable, can help as well.




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