Travel Language Culture Network

Symptom Differences between Colds, Flu and H1N1 Flu

Fever
Fever is rare with a cold.
Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases.
A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the H1N1 flu.

Coughing
A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold.
A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the H1N1 flu
(sometimes referred to as dry cough).

Aches
Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.
Severe aches and pains are common with the H1N1 flu.

Stuffy Nose
Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically clears within a week.
Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the H1N1 flu.

Chills
Chills are uncommon with a cold.
60% of people who have the H1N1 flu experience chills.

Tiredness
Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.
Tiredness is moderate to severe with the H1N1 flu.

Sneezing
Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.
Sneezing is not common with the H1N1 flu.

Sudden Symptoms
Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.
The H1N1 flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours.
The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.

Headache
A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.
A headache is very common with the H1N1 flu, present in 80% of flu cases.

Sore Throat
Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.
The latest Toronto teen death started with a sore throat.

Chest Discomfort
Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.
Chest discomfort is often severe with the H1N1 flu.


One way to stop the spread of the H1N1 epidemic is to spread prevention awareness .

Dr. Goyal, an Intensivist and Thyroid specialist tells that the most common portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat.

In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to not come into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions.

Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

Dr Goyal recommends that while you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent H1N1 proliferation some very simple steps can be practiced:

1. Frequent hand-washing.

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face.

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt) (adults only). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at using a Neti pot, but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton swabs dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C. *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

7. Take Vitamin C with Zinc, B Complex and Vitamin D when you travel before and after flights for a few days.

Our thanks to Michell Moore for this contribution

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Blog URL http://tlc-network-club.blogspot.com/

Labels: Differences between Colds Flu and H1N1 Flu

Use the G R O W Model to organize Yourself

I do not actually set New Years resolutions. I believe in continuous goal-setting as opposed to creating a `wish-list' on December 31st.

However this year I was happy to discuss the coaching model that I use for goal identification and planning for my clients. It is called the G.R.O.W. model.

This is not just mine. Many coaches use it, or some variant of it. Here is what I use this acronym for and what I explained on CBC Newsworld national TV a couple days ago. I hope you enjoy it and find it useful for self-coaching and also for helping others around you take the next steps on the path to more success.

G – Goals.
What are your new goals and how do they mesh with your current goals already in place? This is where you establish your vision of where you want to be in life. Are those goals SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-based) or as I mentioned in last year's interview, are they BEST (believable, enthusiastic, specific and time-limited)?

R – Reality.
What is your current reality? What is your environment like at work and at home? Where are you now, at the starting point, and why do you want or need to achieve these identified goals?

O – Opportunities.
Some people use this letter for `obstacles', but I prefer the more positive word `opportunities' . What have you tried before that helped or hurt your goal achievement? What opportunities can you take advantage of now, around you, to achieve your goals? Are there courses, books, workshops, seminars, coaches or mentors? Will work subsidize professional development training for you? If you do not ask you will not know what their policy or budget is.

W – Willingness.
Again some other coaches use this letter to refer to the `wrap-up' stage, which is fine, but I prefer to be a little more specific and call it `willingness' . This is the very important stage of figuring out your current motivation for each of your goals. Write them down, from all different areas (financial, health, professional, communicative, etc.) and then assign a number to each one, based on your motivation to achieve it, on a scale of 1-10. Anything less than a 7 will be difficult to achieve at this point. Use your momentum and focus on the top 2 or 3 goals that have an 8 or above answer.

With your new priority list organize an action plan and get to work!

P.S. – There is a giveaway Ebooklet called "How to Achieve Goals" that you can check out here to get advice and understanding on goals: http://stores. lulu.com/ commcoach1 .

Author: Ric Phillips

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Toronto ESL English Tutors and Coaches

• Ric Phillips - Communication Coach
• Ross McBride - Business and Professional ESL English Tutor

Labels: Use the G R O W Model to organize Yourself