How You Can Stay Healthy: Cold vs. Flu
Cold and flu have similar symptoms, and neither one is pleasant. Dr. Ryan Planer, family medicine physician, discusses the difference between the two, how to prevent and treat each condition.
Featuring:
Ryan Planer, MD, MPH
Dr. Ryan Planer is a family medicine physician at the new St. Joseph's Health Medical Center in Camillus (former BonTon Building)...and at St. Joseph's Health Hospital. He specializes in treating patients of all ages from newborns...to the elderly. Planer joined St. Joseph’s Physicians Primary Care in Baldwinsville in 2018 and moved to Camillus in October 2019. Planer earned his doctor of medicine from Drexel University College of Medicine, and a master’s degree in public health from the State University of New York Upstate Medical University. Transcription:
Introduction: St Joseph's Health presents another edition of its podcast. St Joseph's Health MedCast.
Bill Klaproth: The cold and flu are both respiratory illnesses with similar symptoms such as congestion and headaches, and both are infections caused by viruses. So how do you tell the difference between the two and how can you stay healthy? Let's find out what Dr. Ryan Planer, a family medicine physician at St. Joseph's Health. Doctor Planer, thanks for your time. So are you seeing many sick people this year?
Dr. Ryan Planer: Yes, Bill. Thanks for having me on the show. We are seeing sick people at multiple locations. So at the hospital and in the clinics as well, through St. Joe's Hospital and St. Joe's Health Center. So we're seeing people with the common colds, with RSV, and with flu and pneumonia.
Host: So you just mentioned RSV. What's the difference between RSV and the flu?
Dr. Planer: So the difference is RSV can be more common in children and some adults will have it. Most of the time it is less severe. It may bother people with asthma or COPD or young children a little bit more, but it's not quite as bad as the flu as far as high fevers, body illness, body aches and pains and shaking. But they are very, they can be similar.
Host: Okay. And then who is most susceptible to the flu? Who is most at risk?
Dr. Planer: So the patients that I often watch out for and really recommend the flu shot, although I recommend the flu shot for everybody, I recommend that people, children ages six months and older, get the flu shot. So any young children and adults, the elderly population and anybody that's pregnant as well.
Host: Okay, so that's good to know on who should get the flu shot. So then how do you test for the flu? How do you diagnose that it is the flu?
Dr. Planer: So the best way to test for the flu is through a nasal swab. So the tiny little cotton tip type applicator, actually smaller than the typical Q tip that we have to place in the nose, but maybe a little bit uncomfortable for some people. But it is not painful just to kind of a tickle and that's the best way to test in the hospital or the office setting for flu.
Host: Okay. So that's good to know. And let me ask you this. You know sometimes there's confusion between cold and flu, the tell tale sign basically in general for fluids that comes with a high fever, is that correct?
Dr. Planer: Correct. Fever, and a lot more body aches and it comes on much faster. So within a 12, 24 hour period, people are normally in their general state of health, maybe feeling a little down and then they can't get out of bed and definitely can't go into work the next day, potentially for the flu.
Host: Okay. That's a good distinction. So then if someone does have the flu Doctor Planer, how do you treat it?
Dr. Planer: That's a very important question. And really retreating symptoms still at this point. So again, the best treatment is prevention for the flu. So everyone should get their flu shots, especially anyone six months and older should talk to their healthcare provider about the flu shot. And I can't stress that part enough. And then taking care of yourself, washing your hands, staying away from anybody that may have the flu. But treatment, we really treat symptomatology. So if you're having fevers, we treat those with Tylenol or other medications, if you're having real bad symptoms that could turn into pneumonia or something else, you have to be seen by a healthcare provider. You might need x-rays, you might need treatment even in hospital. And then there are other medications out there like Tamiflu that can help shorten the flu or help protect against getting the flu if you've been exposed by family members or other things.
Host: So every year the flu vaccine is a little bit different to address that year's strains. So what can you tell us in general about the effectiveness of the 2019 2020 vaccine?
Dr. Planer: Yeah. There's two types of flu, flu A and flu B, and then there are multiple strains. So most vaccines are against maybe three to four strains. Generally, every year they shoot for anywhere from 40 to 60% effectiveness against the virus that circulates the next year. They picked this flu vaccine last flu season and over the summer and kind of perfected it, so they made their best guess at what's going around. Now usually it's around 40 to 60%.
Host: So even though the flu vaccine is not a hundred percent effective, still getting the flu shot can lessen the symptoms and the severity if you still get the flu. Is that correct?
Dr. Planer: Yeah, that's absolutely correct. So you have less likely chance of getting the flu if exposed and it will lessen the severity, and most likely the duration of the flu if you were to unfortunately get it.
Host: And if someone does get sick and they think, man, I'm just going to tough this out, probably a bad idea. At what point should they come see the doctor? Is there a turning point where it's like, Hmm, I need to go to the doctor now?
Dr. Planer: Yeah, it's always important if you have an established relationship with a primary care provider to call that office, say, Hey, what's your policy? Can I be seen today or can I be seen this week? And to really have that conversation either with the triage nurse or the health care provider, if you are someone that has immediate efficiencies. Again, pregnant women, young kids, elderly, they should probably be seen. But if you're generally healthy and you have had the flu or some cold before and you can avoid exposure to other people, definitely stay home from work for 24 to 48 hours. It might be up to the patient to make that decision. But I recommend at least notifying your physician and kind of going over your symptoms that you're experiencing with either the physician or the triage nurse.
Host: Yeah, that's really good advice. My brother-in-law came home from work the other night, fever, all of a sudden came on quickly, felt horrible, spent the night, didn't feel any better. The next day my sister's like, that's it. We're not fooling around. We're going to the doctor. And they did and he had the flu, and he was able to get treatment right away. And within four days or so he was back and felt great. So I think it was, it didn't turn into this week or longer ordeal, he was able to bounce back quickly, I feel because he went and got medical attention quickly. Is that, is that a good correlation? Does that make sense?
Dr. Planer: Yeah. And a situation like that. And imagine if he had a young infant or toddler at home or if he were, you know, you had a scheduled dinner date with his parents that Friday and they're elderly or have COPD or something or it would be a change of plans potentially to avoid exposing others to the flu. So it sounds like you made the right decision.
Host: Yeah, absolutely. I think so. Well, Dr. Planer, this has been really informative. Thank you so much for educating us today. We really appreciate your time. Thank you.
Dr. Planer: Yeah, thanks for having me on. And again, tell everybody to keep washing their hands and stay healthy. Plenty of rest, eat healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables and, hopefully we'll all get through the flu season this year.
Host: That's right. You can never go wrong with those suggestions. All right, Dr. Planer. Thanks again.
Dr. Planer: Thanks. Have a good evening.
Host: That's Dr. Ryan Planer, and if you're feeling ill and you're not sure where to go for care, please visit SJHSYR.org that's SJHSYR.org and search, where should I go for care? And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is St. Joseph's Health MedCast from St. Joseph's Health. I'm Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.
Introduction: St Joseph's Health presents another edition of its podcast. St Joseph's Health MedCast.
Bill Klaproth: The cold and flu are both respiratory illnesses with similar symptoms such as congestion and headaches, and both are infections caused by viruses. So how do you tell the difference between the two and how can you stay healthy? Let's find out what Dr. Ryan Planer, a family medicine physician at St. Joseph's Health. Doctor Planer, thanks for your time. So are you seeing many sick people this year?
Dr. Ryan Planer: Yes, Bill. Thanks for having me on the show. We are seeing sick people at multiple locations. So at the hospital and in the clinics as well, through St. Joe's Hospital and St. Joe's Health Center. So we're seeing people with the common colds, with RSV, and with flu and pneumonia.
Host: So you just mentioned RSV. What's the difference between RSV and the flu?
Dr. Planer: So the difference is RSV can be more common in children and some adults will have it. Most of the time it is less severe. It may bother people with asthma or COPD or young children a little bit more, but it's not quite as bad as the flu as far as high fevers, body illness, body aches and pains and shaking. But they are very, they can be similar.
Host: Okay. And then who is most susceptible to the flu? Who is most at risk?
Dr. Planer: So the patients that I often watch out for and really recommend the flu shot, although I recommend the flu shot for everybody, I recommend that people, children ages six months and older, get the flu shot. So any young children and adults, the elderly population and anybody that's pregnant as well.
Host: Okay, so that's good to know on who should get the flu shot. So then how do you test for the flu? How do you diagnose that it is the flu?
Dr. Planer: So the best way to test for the flu is through a nasal swab. So the tiny little cotton tip type applicator, actually smaller than the typical Q tip that we have to place in the nose, but maybe a little bit uncomfortable for some people. But it is not painful just to kind of a tickle and that's the best way to test in the hospital or the office setting for flu.
Host: Okay. So that's good to know. And let me ask you this. You know sometimes there's confusion between cold and flu, the tell tale sign basically in general for fluids that comes with a high fever, is that correct?
Dr. Planer: Correct. Fever, and a lot more body aches and it comes on much faster. So within a 12, 24 hour period, people are normally in their general state of health, maybe feeling a little down and then they can't get out of bed and definitely can't go into work the next day, potentially for the flu.
Host: Okay. That's a good distinction. So then if someone does have the flu Doctor Planer, how do you treat it?
Dr. Planer: That's a very important question. And really retreating symptoms still at this point. So again, the best treatment is prevention for the flu. So everyone should get their flu shots, especially anyone six months and older should talk to their healthcare provider about the flu shot. And I can't stress that part enough. And then taking care of yourself, washing your hands, staying away from anybody that may have the flu. But treatment, we really treat symptomatology. So if you're having fevers, we treat those with Tylenol or other medications, if you're having real bad symptoms that could turn into pneumonia or something else, you have to be seen by a healthcare provider. You might need x-rays, you might need treatment even in hospital. And then there are other medications out there like Tamiflu that can help shorten the flu or help protect against getting the flu if you've been exposed by family members or other things.
Host: So every year the flu vaccine is a little bit different to address that year's strains. So what can you tell us in general about the effectiveness of the 2019 2020 vaccine?
Dr. Planer: Yeah. There's two types of flu, flu A and flu B, and then there are multiple strains. So most vaccines are against maybe three to four strains. Generally, every year they shoot for anywhere from 40 to 60% effectiveness against the virus that circulates the next year. They picked this flu vaccine last flu season and over the summer and kind of perfected it, so they made their best guess at what's going around. Now usually it's around 40 to 60%.
Host: So even though the flu vaccine is not a hundred percent effective, still getting the flu shot can lessen the symptoms and the severity if you still get the flu. Is that correct?
Dr. Planer: Yeah, that's absolutely correct. So you have less likely chance of getting the flu if exposed and it will lessen the severity, and most likely the duration of the flu if you were to unfortunately get it.
Host: And if someone does get sick and they think, man, I'm just going to tough this out, probably a bad idea. At what point should they come see the doctor? Is there a turning point where it's like, Hmm, I need to go to the doctor now?
Dr. Planer: Yeah, it's always important if you have an established relationship with a primary care provider to call that office, say, Hey, what's your policy? Can I be seen today or can I be seen this week? And to really have that conversation either with the triage nurse or the health care provider, if you are someone that has immediate efficiencies. Again, pregnant women, young kids, elderly, they should probably be seen. But if you're generally healthy and you have had the flu or some cold before and you can avoid exposure to other people, definitely stay home from work for 24 to 48 hours. It might be up to the patient to make that decision. But I recommend at least notifying your physician and kind of going over your symptoms that you're experiencing with either the physician or the triage nurse.
Host: Yeah, that's really good advice. My brother-in-law came home from work the other night, fever, all of a sudden came on quickly, felt horrible, spent the night, didn't feel any better. The next day my sister's like, that's it. We're not fooling around. We're going to the doctor. And they did and he had the flu, and he was able to get treatment right away. And within four days or so he was back and felt great. So I think it was, it didn't turn into this week or longer ordeal, he was able to bounce back quickly, I feel because he went and got medical attention quickly. Is that, is that a good correlation? Does that make sense?
Dr. Planer: Yeah. And a situation like that. And imagine if he had a young infant or toddler at home or if he were, you know, you had a scheduled dinner date with his parents that Friday and they're elderly or have COPD or something or it would be a change of plans potentially to avoid exposing others to the flu. So it sounds like you made the right decision.
Host: Yeah, absolutely. I think so. Well, Dr. Planer, this has been really informative. Thank you so much for educating us today. We really appreciate your time. Thank you.
Dr. Planer: Yeah, thanks for having me on. And again, tell everybody to keep washing their hands and stay healthy. Plenty of rest, eat healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables and, hopefully we'll all get through the flu season this year.
Host: That's right. You can never go wrong with those suggestions. All right, Dr. Planer. Thanks again.
Dr. Planer: Thanks. Have a good evening.
Host: That's Dr. Ryan Planer, and if you're feeling ill and you're not sure where to go for care, please visit SJHSYR.org that's SJHSYR.org and search, where should I go for care? And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the full podcast library for topics of interest to you. This is St. Joseph's Health MedCast from St. Joseph's Health. I'm Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.