Most people know that a stuffy nose, cough, or headache can be caused by a cold.
But did you know that a stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, headache and burning of the nose can be caused by allergy?
Other Symptoms that May be Allergies
Seasonal allergies and other allergies can cause symptoms elsewhere in your body like joint pain, stomach pain, diarrhea, fatigue, depression, and difficulty with concentration.
Allergy can affect any area of your body and is especially uncomfortable if it affects several areas at once.
How Do You Tell a Cold from an Allergy?
The symptoms are much the same. But here are some characteristics of each:
With a cold – the mucous discharge may be thicker, more yellow in appearance due to an increase in white blood cells needed to fight infection. Colds are caused by viruses and symptoms usually subside within 1-2 weeks. Colds symptoms can come on suddenly, and may be accompanied by fever or body aches.
With an allergy – the nasal discharge may be more profuse or runnier, in order to attempt to wash the pollen or other allergen from the nasal mucous membranes or throat. The eyes or throat may be itchy, or there may be drainage from the sinuses causing itchiness or cough. Allergy symptoms tend to last longer. Both allergies and colds can cause fatigue, but allergy fatigue may linger.
Allergies cause inflammation that can locate in any area of the body. Pollens may enter the nose, or through post nasal drainage be swallowed and go into the intestine or into the body’s many crevices, and thereby create inflammation in the most unusual places thought to be inaccessible to the outside of the body.
There are pain free methods of allergy testing and treatment that are non-invasive and effective. Patients are so pleased to find the root cause of their problems and have their allergy symptoms reduced or eliminated.
National Integrated Health Associates, NIHA, an integrative medicine and dental center serving the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia areas provides allergy testing and treatment for seasonal allergies, food allergies and sensitivities and chemical sensitivities.
Author Barbara Solomon MD
