Cough, Cold & Allergy

Colds and allergies have different causes. You get a cold when a tiny living thing called a virus gets into your body, and once it does, your immune system launches a counter-attack, which in turn brings on the classic symptoms like a cough or stuffed up nose. As for allergies, they are caused when your body mistakes harmless things, such as dust or pollen, for germs and mounts an attack on them. When that happens, your body releases chemicals such as histamine, just as it does when fighting a cold. This can cause a swelling in the passageways of your nose, and you'll start sneezing and coughing. Unlike colds, allergies aren't contagious, though some people may inherit a tendency to get them. Thankfully, though, there are medications that reduce the effects of natural chemical histamine in the body, or ones that treat symptoms of the common cold or seasonal allergies, including sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, and itchy, watery eyes.