I did see the excellent article, Dr. Greene, that you have on the site regarding not using antibiotics for colds. Cold and flu have become an inseparable pair, like salt and pepper or New Year's and weight loss. The significant distinctions between these two common conditions elude most of us, but the question is rarely raised. The symptoms we get during a viral illness are often the body's attempt to get rid of the virus and to minimize damage. Sneezing ejects virus from the nose, cough from the lungs and throat, vomiting from the stomach, and diarrhea from the intestines.
Fever makes it difficult for the virus to reproduce.
The topic of viral illnesses will always remain somewhat confusing, since the body has a relatively small number of symptoms with which to respond to an ever-changing, wide variety of viruses. But while colds and flus may overlap, the differences between them are important. The common cold is centered in the nose. Over 200 different types of viruses can cause a cold. Of note, influenza viruses occasionally cause illnesses with symptoms of the common cold.