Medicine

When one get sick, their first instinct is to take medicine. But how exactly does medicine make one feel better? What in medicine helps cure one's illness? First, medicine can do a certain number of things to make one feel better. They can either, replace a certain substance that is missing from one's body, kill germs/bacteria that are the source of an illness, or suppress the symptoms of an illness. In general, most medicines do this by altering the cells' activity.

The body requires a certain amount of proteins (amino acids), vitamins, and minerals in order to function. If any of these substances are lacking or in overabundance, it can result in medical disorders. For example, for one who has diabetes, the body is lacking in insulin. Insulin is a hormone created by the pancreas and helps the body absorb glucose from the food we eat. For those with diabetes, they can take insulin injections which increase the amount of insulin in the body. Medicine can also be used to reduce the production of certain hormones. For women, medicine can be taken to lower estrogen levels in the body since high estrogen levels could result in endometrial cancer. These kinds of medicine either increase or decrease the activity of the cells by binding to sites found on the cells' surface.

Most of the time, medicine is taken because one is ill. In this case, the medicine is made to destroy the germs or bacteria that caused the illness. When one goes to the doctor, the doctor will try to find the cause of the illness and then prescribe medicine that will specifically kill the germ/bacteria that is causing it. There are many types of these kinds of medicine and taking the wrong one will not be effective. A common type that is taken by children are antibiotics. Antibiotics destroy harmful bacteria by either killing them directly or preventing them from multiplying. Different antibiotics kill different types of bacteria.

Even when one is taking medicine that destroys the bacteria that causes the illness, they may still feel symptoms. And so, there is medicine, pain relievers and symptom soothers, made in order to suppress those symptoms. Pain relievers, such as Advil, do not cure one's illness but only makes one feel better as they are recovering. Symptom soothers, such as cough drops or cold medicine, are meant to do the same thing as pain relievers by making one more comfortable as they recover. Since there is no cure for the cold other than to let it run its course, as explained in a previous post, the next best solution is to take medicine that will suppress the symptoms. Many people who have incurable diseases such as asthma, diabetes, or high blood pressure take medicine to avoid the symptoms associated with their illness so they can enjoy life better. Pain relievers work by stopping the production or chemical substances called mediators that are released by cells in response to damage.  The body transmits pain to the brain when the damaged cells release a chemicals so when the medicine keeps the damaged cells from doing so, your brain will not receive the "pain message" from the damaged cells.  This is probably why some people say that pain is only in your head.

Colds vs. Allergies

Colds and allergies can be very similar. So how can you tell the difference? Right now I keep sneezing and my mom thinks that it's allergies but what if I'm actually getting sick.  To start, colds occur from viruses while allergies are your immune system's reactions to being exposed to an allergen.

Colds and allergies generally have similar symptoms, but there are some important differences.  For example, if you have aches/pains or a fever then you definitely do not have allergies.  Although it is rare to have aches/pains or a fever during a cold.  If so, then it must be a very bad cold.  To better show which symptoms  are present, here's a table:

Symptom	Cold	Allergy
Cough	Usually	Sometimes
General aches and pains	Sometimes	Never
Fatigue	Sometimes	Sometimes
Itchy eyes	Rarely	Usually
Sneezing	Usually	Usually
Sore throat	Usually	Sometimes
Runny nose	Usually	Usually
Stuffy nose	Usually	Usually
Fever	Rarely	Never

Also, although colds and allergies can be seasonal, colds usually occur during fall and winter while allergies are occur during the spring and summer.

There is no cure for colds, so the only solution is to wait till it passes.  Colds usually last about 3-14 days, but you don't have to suffer through it.  Even if there is no cure, you can still take medicine that suppress the symptoms.  To get over the cold more quickly, it is important to get a lot of rest and drink a lot of water.  A warm humid environment can also help you fight off the cold more quickly and make you more comfortable. To prevent colds, one should wash their hands often and avoid people who are sick.

Like with colds, there is no cure for allergies either, except to take medicine to suppress the symptoms.  To prevent allergies, one should avoid allergens.

Colds and allergies can seem to be closely related due to similar symptoms, and although they are actually quite different, suffering through them is still an uncomfortable experience.