Is it a Common Cold or Allergies

It’s a question that puzzles a lot of people when familiar symptoms start to surface: Is all that coughing and sneezing from a cold or allergies? It’s sometimes a tough call, but how long your problems last is one of the big clues.

What are Colds and Allergies?

They have different causes. You get a cold when a tiny living things called a virus gets into your body. There are hundreds of different types that can get you sick.

The virus itself does not cause the classic symptoms such as coughing and a stuffed nose. That is actually your bodies immune system launching a counter-attack against the virus.

Viruses that cause colds are contagious. You can contract them when someone who’s infected sneezes, coughs or comes in contact with you. After a couple of weeks, a the most, your immune system fights off the illness and you should stop having symptoms.

Allergies are a different story. They are caused by an overactive immune system. For some reason your body mistakes harmless things, like dust or pollen, for germs and attacks them.

When that happens, your body releases chemicals such as histamine, just as it does when you are battling a cold. This can cause a swelling in the passageways of your nose, and you’ll start sneezing and coughing.

Unlike colds, allergies aren’t contagious, though some people may inherit a tendency to get them.

Differences Between Colds and Allergies

Take a look at your symptoms and how long they last to help you figure out what is causing your trouble

Provided by WebMD

The most important differences is that colds usually don’t last longer than 14 days. So see your doctor if you still have symptoms after 2 weeks. These may be allergies or signs of another problem.

How to Prevent Spreading Your Cold Around the Office

Whether or not its flu season, odds are, someone in your office is going to try and work through a cold. This usually results in everyone else becoming sniffling, sneezing messes by the end of the week.

This doesn’t have to be the case. Thanks to WebMD and MSNBC, we have gathered some helpful tips to avoid spreading that nasty cold throughout the workplace.

• Keep High Traffic Areas Sanitized. Make sure to wipe down keyboards, desk surfaces, switches, any kind of button that multiple people use, like elevators and copy machines, and anywhere else in the office that is frequented by lots of people.
• Find Out Who Else in the Office is Sick. Find out who else in the office is under the weather. No need to avoid them. Just make sure the interactions spread information and not more germs.
• Keep an Air Ionizer by your Desk. This will help purify air from dust particles and bacteria, keeping you healthier overall. Check out this one from Amazon for $40.
• Be a Little Bit Annoying. If you were forced to come into work because you don’t get sick pay, now’s the time to lobby for it, and to have sick people stay at home. Also, have your office pay for hand sanitizers to be left in prominent places.
• Sneeze into Your Arm, Not Your Hand. Not only will this make trips to the bathroom less frequent, but your coworkers will appreciate it more.
• Keep Washing Your Hands. Yeah, do that too! This may seem like second nature, but you’d be surprised at how many people forget to wash their hands. It really works!
• Stay Healthier in General. Get a good night’s sleep and eat a balanced diet. This will help keep your immune system in tip-top shape, and make yourself more resistant to sickness overall.
• Exercise. Do you even lift? Shoot for around 30 minutes a day. If you find that you don’t have time, change your routine. Park farther away from the office and walk to work. Use the stairs instead of the elevator, or take a brisk walk around the parking lot during your lunch breaks. The more physical activity you squeeze into the day, the better you’ll feel!
• Stop Smoking. It dries out your throat and prevents your throat’s “filter” (cilia) from cleaning the air you inhale.
• Take a Trip to the Sauna. A 1989 study in Germany found that people who steamed twice a week got half as many colds by 25%. That sounds like a lot of numbers! Basically, when you’re in a sauna, you inhale air hotter than 80 Degrees, a temperature too hot for cold and flu viruses to survive.
• Eat Plenty of Yogurt. Studies show that eating a cup of low-fat yogurt each day reduces your susceptibility to colds by 25%. Experts think the bacteria in yogurt stimulates production of immune system substances that fight disease. Plus, they taste good!
• Keep Geranium on Your Desk. The leaves of the plant emit phytoncides that kill airborne bacteria. When you feel like a sneeze coming, tear a leaf off the plant and rub it between your fingers to release more phytoncides. Inhale a pleasant odor for a moment instead of sneezing all over the workplace (or in your arm if you’ve been listening to what we are saying).

Here’s an interesting side note. A 2007 clinical study found that little to no benefit came from taking Vitamin C for cold prevention. Oranges are tasty, but don’t expect it to help much in fighting off the sickness.

Hard Steps to Improving the Air Quality at your Place of Work

If at any point you are in a position to remodel or replace furnishings in your building, research the materials that you’ll be replacing. Choose options that have little to no chance of releasing any kind of noxious gas or chemicals and that do not contain problem substances. Fortunately, industry standards are changing due to consumer demand, and there are new laws in place limiting the presence of certain key problem chemicals.

Additionally, an updated or new air system may be in order. Any new air system should efficiently replace the air in your building and include a system for collecting contaminants.

Common problem materials include:

• Carpet and carpet padding. Carpets trap dust and other particulate, and are very difficult to fully clean. Furthermore, they often off-gas flame-retardants and other hazardous chemicals. Some options are better than others, and may emit fewer VOCs.
• Particleboard, pressed wood, and plywood. The resins and glues in these are often filled with formaldehyde. Industry standards are changing, and formaldehyde levels have been reduced in many products and eliminated in a few. Newly introduced regulations should set maximum levels of formaldehyde for composite woods, but older products may need to be removed or sealed. All-wood products will not have formaldehyde in them and will last longer, however, pressed wood products reduce pressure on virgin forests. Medium density fiberboard (MDF), commonly used in furniture, has the highest levels of formaldehyde.
• Textiles and fabrics. This includes upholstery and drapes, and very possibly your wrinkle-resistant shirt. These often have been treated with VOCs to reduce wrinkling and to act as a flame retardant. Formaldehyde is a common problem here as well. The presence of flame retardant substances are almost never listed on fabric content label, so you will need to do some research to find out if the fabrics have been treated.
• Paints, sealants, and finishes. Look for low VOC paints and finishes, and finishes that are water based. Your local green building supply company should have good resources on what products are safest. Regardless of what you use, use these products outdoors whenever possible. Let your space air out thoroughly before moving people back into a newly painted or refinished space.
• Fuel-burning appliances. This may not be an issue in your space, but if you have a gas stove, water heater, or other appliance that could be releasing gases through combustion, ensure that these appliances have local ventilation that vent to the outside of the building.
• Lead and asbestos. Lead paint was banned in the United States in 1978, and asbestos has been banned from several building applications, but both are still present in many structures. Though this may be a costly intervention, remediating asbestos and lead from your building is well worth it given their clear danger to human health.

Resources:

On the topic of indoor air quality, health, and prevention:

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Indoor Air Quality

OSHA, Indoor Air Quality in Commercial and Institutional Buildings

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality

Jeanie Lerche Davis, Breathe Easy: 5 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality, WebMD

American Lung Association, Indoor Air Quality

Sierra Club, Indoor Air Pollution

On cleaners and building materials impact on IAQ:

Building Ecology Research Group, Practical Ways Building Designers Address Indoor Air Quality Issues?

Green Building, Indoor Air Quality

GREENGUARD Certification

US Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide

Environmental Working Group, Guide to Healthy Cleaning

On specific chemical and allergenic threats:

EPA information on: radon, environmental tobacco smoke, biologicals, formaldehyde, pesticides, asbestos, lead, and phthalates

Minnesota Department of Health guide to formaldehyde

Easy Steps to Improving the Air Quality at your Office

People in the US spend up to 90% of their time indoors, explaining in part why the EPA has listed indoor air quality as one of the top five most urgent environmental risks impacting public health. Due to poor air circulation, even in offices with climate control, we are exposed to unsafe levels of naturally occurring irritants, such as dust and mold, harmful cleaning agents and volatile organic compounds such as formaldehyde and other banned substances. These can cause problems ranging from allergies to headaches and severe issues with the nervous system. Fortunately, there are a couple of ways to combat these issues that we will go over. Here are some easy steps to keep up your air quality.

– Do not allow smoking indoors or within several feet of a building entrance. Secondhand smoke will not dissipate indoors and will build up over time.

– Large doormats, as we’ve discussed before, will help stop unwanted particles from entering the building on people’s shoes.

– Cleaning regularly with vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters, which emit fewer particles back into the air. It’s also a good idea to mop where you can to trap any leftover particles the vacuuming didn’t catch.

– Avoid cleaning products that have any type of “fragrance,” as well as cleaner that use any type of ammonia or chlorine.

– Clean up moisture and other spills immediately to avoid chances of mold and mildew growth.

– Forget air fresheners altogether. This includes plugins, sprays and other scented products that are designed to perfume rather than clean your air. Air fresheners mask bad smells that indicate there is an air quality issue.

– It’s still debatable whether or not indoor plants improve air quality, thought they do increase oxygen levels, which can help improve alertness. They do make a workplace more aesthetically pleasing 🙂

These are some of the easier steps to improving air quality in your workplace. Next time we will discuss ways that are more involved. In the meantime, follow these steps to get in the habit of maintaining better working conditions.

Spring Cleaning Your Office

Ahhh, the weather is getting warmer. You’re finally able to ditch those heavy winter coats for something lighter and less of a hassle to put on. Spring is here, and boy have we missed it!

Whether you let things pile up over winter or were simply too busy to deal with your messy office, spring cleaning is a great way to get things under control. The aesthetics of a messy, cluttered desk aren’t ideal for any office environment, but the real issue is the unnecessary time and energy you have to spend looking for important documents or handy office tools – and how that wasted time can affect your productivity. Here are a few tips to keep your workspace organized.

Get Rid of Old Piles of Paper

Even in this increasing digital age, papers are still a major part of any office environment. We send them, print them, sign them, stack them and ignore them. Eventually, these guys can just plain get out of control. Have you ever found yourself trying to find an important document in a stack of old papers? It’s very frustrating, especially when most of those piles can be easily fixed. Go through old psychical documents and either recycle them or, if you need them that badly in the future, scan them into a digital file. Then, create a filing system that best fits your needs, and make a point to file future printouts as they are created to keep the problem from reoccurring. Remember to think before you print. Ask yourself: Do I really need to print that file, or can it survive in binary code?

Separate Business from Pleasure

Regardless of whether or not you keep a home office, make sure to keep distractions at bay. This is increasingly hard with sites like Facebook and Youtube out there, but the first step is a physical one. Keep a home office free of distraction by having a designated mail location away from your office space, and encouraging family members to keep the area free of toys, tech gadgets, and anything else that might invite lost time and inefficiency to sneak into your day. If you work in an office, smartphones and tablets can be a huge productivity killer. Try and keep your phone at bay and only check it on breaks, not every time you hear a chime.

Keep Often Used Items from the Rest

Items that you use on a regular basis, like your laptop, notepad, pens, and a planner, deserve a spot on your desk. Other items like tape, staplers and envelopes, should be put away neatly in your desk. This keep less frequently used items from taking up desk real estate, but ensures they are easily accessible.

Organize your Digital Workspace

If your finding it hard to see your desktop background because there are so many files and folders on your screen, it’s time to organize your computer. File away documents you know you’ll need again, and delete those you don’t. If you’re unsure, just file it away in a neat and orderly fashion. The idea here is to make sure you can easily access your documents when you need them.

Slow Down!

One of the biggest issues with regards to organization is finding the time. Invest the time to properly organize your space, so files, supplies, and other items are in an intuitive, easy-to-find place. Once you’ve established a system that works for you, stick to it! Spending a few seconds to return items to a designated spot will help you save lots of time in the long run.

Keeping your office space clean with not only help you out in the long run, it will preserve your sanity. Now, when you need that important document, or want to use your stapler, you’ll know exactly where you left it.

Hire a professional cleaning service

Everyone has there own methods for keeping productive in the workplace, but being required to clean the office along with other responsibilities rates very low as one of them. On average, employees spend 40 hours a week in the office. With all of these hours spent in one place, there comes a time when it becomes necessary to hire certain things out. Office cleaning should be one of the first things, and here’s why:

It lets everyone focus

As I said above, people should be focused on the job they were hired to do, not worrying about whether the trash was taken out or the windows were cleaned. Contracting out cleaning work gives everyone in the office peace of mind. It allows them to work on the things they need to get done without being sidetracked.

Will save time and money

Again, people were hired to do certain jobs in the office. If they were hired for a certain skill set, let them do their jobs efficiently. You don’t need to hire a full-time cleaner either, if your office is well maintained. Having a cleaning service come in helps keep costs down and everyone happy.

Healthier workplace

Germs and bacteria are bound to spread around an office with so many people working in one place. Proper office cleaning is beneficial in that it can reduce the amount of sick days people take from sharing office germs. Professional service providers are trained in proper sanitation practices and will keep the office much cleaner.

Good for potential clients

It’s important to give the people you wish to work with or for a good first experience when visiting your offices. Whether subconscious or noticeable, a clean environment feels hospitable and may have an impact on the business’s reputation. A cleaning crew can help you establish an excellent first impression with your clients by making your offices inviting and orderly.

Hiring a cleaning service for your business should be one of the first things on your list. It will create a more efficient, healthier and inviting workplace for your employees and clients.