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Autumn’s guessing game: Is it cold, flu or allergies?

By Michelle Murillo

In the fall, the air is full of ragweed, mold and dust mites — on top of the usual viral infections. So when you start to feel off, it can be tough to know the difference. After all, some symptoms look the same.

“With allergies, you’re going to have sneezing, maybe a runny nose, itchy, watery eyes, scratchy throat, sometimes you can have a cough,” Dr. Brian Yuen with Inova-GoHealth Urgent Care said.

But he added respiratory infections, such as colds or flu, often bring additional symptoms.

“You’ll see fever with that, body aches in addition to the upper respiratory symptoms,” he said.

The timeline is another clue.

“If you’ve got a viral respiratory illness, usually this will last approximately seven to 10 days, and then you’ll be better,” Yuen said. “Allergies, symptoms can persist for longer, several weeks to even months, and they can also fluctuate in intensity based on the pollen or allergy levels in the air.”

And there’s a simple rule of thumb: “Usually with allergies, you’re not going to have fever, probably not going to have body aches with allergies, whereas you may have those symptoms with a respiratory infection,” Yuen said.

Still, allergies can sometimes pave the way for more serious issues such as sinus infections. Yuen cautioned that if you develop worsening symptoms — fever, shortness of breath or wheezing — it’s time to seek medical care.

For allergy season, there are some things you can do to try and lessen the impact.

Avoidance

For ragweed pollen allergies, the peak months are August through October, especially in the mornings. So try to keep windows closed and avoid being out during those peak hours. If you are out, change clothes and shower afterward to try and get the pollen off.

For mold allergies, mold spores are often harbored in fallen leaves, compost or damp homes. Inside, try to use a dehumidifier and other ventilation sources to limit indoor humidity.

If you have a dust allergy, it will likely flare up when you kick on your heating system for the first time this year, but you can lessen the impact by making sure those air filters have been changed, and vacuum with HEPA filters.

Prevention

If you know you have allergies, start taking your allergy medications.

You also may want to have nasal sprays, eye drops and sinus rinse kits on hand to help when symptoms arise.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

By The Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
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