Cold or Allergies????

Okay this may sound gross, but this is what I have been told by our allergiest. If the snot is green/yellow it is a cold, if it is clear it is allergies! My 2 1/2 year old has allergies really bad in the summer and his little nose will run like a faucet, but it is all clear! If it gets too bad, trouble breathing due to congestion, they tell me to give him a small dose of Zyrtec and that usually helps with the congestion! Hope this helps and good luck!

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We can all get colds in the summer. I'm not sure about the first response, that green/yellow means cold and clear means allergies. Its really not that simple.
Little ones immune systems are still maturing and an easy way to catch cold is to go from somewhere hot to somewhere with strong air conditioning, or to get wet after swimming and not get warm and dry quickly. Try and keep your daughters temperature constant. Sweating too much and then getting cold or taking a bath and then being in a draft can bring on colds.
If it is allergies, foods that she doesn't tolerate well can tip her system into a reaction so avoiding common food allergens may help.

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Hey L.,

As a sufferer of allergies since birth, it sounds like allergies to me, probably a mild hayfever which is super common in the summer and the pollen counts lately have been high. Another common syptom of allergies is hives (red patch of skin, there dosn't have to be bumbs with the hives) and red itchy eyes.

The only reason I would think a common cold is if the girls are in a daycare or early education program, where they are around many different children. Then it could be they are getting exposed to cold virus' and you see the symptoms of their bodies fighting them off. A cold virus can enter your body but your body can fight it off before it goes full blown which is when we see fevers.

I hope that helped a little.

T.
www.hometoowork.com

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Well, people seem to agree it's allergies. Actually, from a Chinese perspective the question is irrelevant because allergies come on like a cold. They are treated just like a cold or, more specifically, like a "wind-cold" or a "wind-heat." Without the itchy eyes this is more "cold," and so if you found an acupuncturist you could get rid of her allergy forever with some moxa heat on the point St 36, on the hairline on the back of her neck, acupressure L-Sp5, L-LI4, R-Lu7, and bilateral Bi Tong or "kitty whiskers" area. With adults where they've had this forever, usually it's "wind-heat" and a week of a heat-clearing herb formula is usually necessary on top of acupuncture to get rid of the problem for good.

Yup. You could dump the claritin, the singulair, and the concerns about possible future asthma and/or eczema episodes. Bye bye.

By the way, black puffiness around the eyes is a indication of wheat allergy/sensitivity. With kids it's nearly impossible to keep them away from wheat at their friends' homes, so symptoms could return. My niece has not been an acu-moxa patient but is fine as long as she keeps away from wheat in addition to dairy. This step is commonly taken, but if you add acu(puncture)-moxa therapy you'll see fewer symptoms when she comes back from Madi's house of wheat, and it will make a lifelong difference in her health.

Oh, and since you work in special education you see lots of kids with wheat allergies. Ausbergers syndrome and autism are somehow connected to celiac sprue. Celiac sprue is the most extreme wheat gluten allergy extending to gluten in all existing grains. These folks do much better if they avoid even the trace amounts of gluten, even that found in oats. There's plenty of info about celiac sprue on the web. My good friend has not had stomach cramps since she stopped gluten 100%. Her younger brother is also sensivive to wheat. Her older brother is institutionalized with Ausbergers but has no control over the gluten in his diet. Yes, there's a genetic component to this.

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It could also be allergies to dairy, which is more common than people realize and often manifests as runny nose, which can lead to coughs because the nasal passages are driping into the lungs. Try taking her off all dairy for a few weeks and see what happens. (I'm a nutrionist by the way.) However, if you do this, you need to make sure she doesn't get ANY dairy ANYWHERE!! Because even a little will bring back the symptoms if this is it.

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Sounds like it could be allergies. (I actually had a "cold" for six months before I admitted I had allergies!)

Does your daughter cough more at night when she's in bed? (That could be asthma. When my son was three he started coughing at night during the summer months. It turned out that he had a mild case of asthma.)

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You know I got to thinking about your request and got to thinking when I woke up to Rain yesterday morning. With the drastic weather changes - it could be just a cold. It goes from hot to cold and then rain in just a week. I didn't see where you are from ,but I'm here in Eugene and we have had a really weird summer. So, I don't know just my thought. If you are worried - I would consult a doctor and see finally what is going on.

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It is very hard sometimes to tell the difference between allergies and colds, because allergy symptoms can clear up for a couple of days or weeks and then be right back and you just aren't sure what's going on. My daughter tried claritin and zertec with only minor results this year, so I finally took her back to the dr. She had pretty much been stuffed up and coughing for 2mths. This time they prescribed Singular for the stuffy nose and cough and she was so much better in 2 wks.(it takes a few weeks for the meds to kick in) I wish we had gotten it in the spring. Seemed like my dr. could just look at my kids face and know whether it's allergies or not. Puffy eyes with dark circles under them, seem to be a dead give away for allergies.

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My kids have been going through the same thing. I'm assuming it's normal and that it is just a cold. It does seem odd for them to be sick in the summer, but I've also caught a couple colds from them so I'm sure that is what it is. I've also seen several other kids around this summer with colds. It could be the odd weather we have been having with the temperatures going up and down. Hopefully the fall will bring less illness.

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Yup, clear boogies can be allergies. But you also want to be careful about that, all that post nasal drip is going to her belly, so that might upset her. It can also be what is causing the cough. My son also has allergies, and he is almost 3, the poor thing had clear mucos (sp?) running down his face for almost a month before I took him to a doctor. I really don't like to give medicine to my kids, but the doctor perscribed claritin, and it was a life saver. I felt so bad!! I have horrible allergies, and have been on zyrtec because this summer my allergies have been the worst that I can remember. I would, of course, take your daughter to the doctor if you were really concerned. My pediatrician told me that we wanted to stop the watery snot (ew) from sitting in the back of his throat and in his nose because that can turn into a sinus infection.
Good luck mama! Hopefully her allergies will calm down soon, I know mine have! L.

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I would definitely take her to the pediatrician to have it checked. If it's a cold, she'll have to wait it out. But if it's allergies or something more (like a sinus infection) then they can help with that. I will say that I have seen more summer colds this year than ever. Also, we (or friends) have had horrible flues, bronchitis, pneumonia, colds, etc. all this spring and summer. Our little girl is very prone to sinus infections and we've had to go to the doctor many times for simple cold-like symptoms and turned into horrible SI's within a few days. I hope she feels better soon! Summer colds are the worst.

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You should take her to the doctor. You wouldn't want allergies or a cold to get out of hand. If it's allergies her mucus will be clear. Another thing is, a cold virus lasts 7 days. If it's more than a cold like flu, sinus infection or lung problem it will last longer but the mucus will have some color to it. My son had such bad allergies they had to stop the patch test as he was reacting so bad to so much so quickly! His worst was grass and he was an avid soccer player from 4 on and still is at 23! We got him on shots and it helped a lot but we always carried a shot with us incase he needed immediate help which he never did. That many colds or allergie...you should take her to the doctor to be sure as both can be more serious.

Hi, It might be allergies from dairy or enivorment of weather. If dairy, try soy milk or rice milk. If it isnt success then try to take allergy medicine for infant/toddler before you ask your child's doctor. Try to vicks plug in bedroom.

K.

Hello,
I have Asthma and allergies and what you are describing sounds more like allergies to me. Triaminic has a cold plus allergy liquid. You should try that and see if it helps. Also I would ask your doctor what he/she thinks so that you could get an allergy medicine if needed. Good luck!

Sounds like allergies to me! I know a few friends whose kids have alleries this year, and my doc says they are worse than ever.

I get allergies quite often during the spring and summer seasons. My son does as well. I noticed that when I was sick with a cold, my mucus would appear green and slimy. If it was allergies, it would appear clear or yellow, because of the pollen. The cough is usually due to drainage from the nose. Don't know if this helps...hope it does. :D