January 2020 – Nick Alsis

Have you ever heard the expression It’s the sneezing season? Well, this can mean one of two things. Either, you have a cold or you have allergies due to a change in season. When you feel awfully ill, it is hard to determine, if you have a cold or it’s just allergies. There are several ways, you can tell the difference between a cold and allergies. Here are 8 ways to tell its allergies.

If you are suffering from allergies, these are the symptoms you may experience.

1.Itchy or watery eyes – Itchy watery eyes are triggered by histamine in the body and histamine is associated with allergies. If you take an antihistamine and find that your symptoms subside then it is a strong indication that you have allergies.

2.A sore throat -A sore throat can be attributed to a cold but it is also suffered by those who have allergies. If you have an inhaler and take a puff of it when experiencing an itchy throat -and the itchy throat subsides then it is a strong indication that you have allergies.

3. Eczema – Eczema is a skin irritation and has no correlation whatsoever between itself and the common cold. It is another symptom of allergies.

4. Conjunctivitis – While conjunctivitis is a viral infection, it can be brought on by irritants such as pollen or smoke. There is no concrete evidence that the common cold can give you conjunctivitis.

5. Post-nasal drip – Post-nasal drip is a common symptom of hay fever. It is common in the late stages of a cold. It is the body’s way of cleansing itself of the cold.

6. Coughing – Coughing is a strong indicator of allergies. We cough to rid our throat/airways of something foreign, or because we have been irritated by dust, or pollen.

7. Sneezing – Sneezing is caused by irritation from pollen, dust or other spores and irritants. Sneezing also happens when the cold virus starts to irritate mucous membranes inside your nose.

8. Congestion – Having a stuffy nose can be caused by allergic reactions to pollen, dust or other small particles inhaled during the day.

Some of these symptoms are also suffered by those who have a cold but the way to ascertain whether it is a cold versus allergies would be how quickly the symptoms came and when they left, how quickly did they leave you? The common cold can last 7 to 14 days, so if you have a stuffy nose for 1 day, and then nothing the next, it is safe to say it is allergies. If you are concerned about allergies, there are many premier allergy doctors out there to help you manage your symptoms.

If it is a cold, then you will experience any one of the following symptoms

Runny or stuffy nose
Sore throat
Cough
Congestion
Slight body aches or a mild headache
Sneezing
Low-grade fever
Generally feeling unwell (malaise)

Fever is not associated with allergies, so having a fever is a strong indication that you are experiencing a cold.

AS you can see there are some shared symptoms, but the likelihood of it being a cold is slim, if the symptoms left you as quickly as they arrived. If you are not sure it is allergies or a cold then you should see a doctor. Any premier allergy doctor will quickly determine your symptoms and treat you according to allergies, or a cold, as the case may be.

If you are a high-profile lawyer, you will undoubtedly find yourself traveling in order to assist your clients. Since September 11, travel has become very difficult and often frustrating for all types of consumers, especially those who are traveling by air. Also, the airlines no longer have a sterling reputation when it comes to treating passengers fairly as the customers they truly are.

In order to find out how attorneys can expect to have a smooth experience when traveling, we spoke with Douglas Healy. Healy is the former Senior Trial Attorney for the Greene County Prosecutor’s office in Missouri. Healy is currently the general counsel for the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission and founded his firm, Healy Law Offices, in 2007. His private law practice serves industrial and commercial firms.

Pre-Screening Services

The Department of Homeland Security in December announced that two more air carriers have decided to take part in the TSA pre-screening process for air travelers. Now, 73 domestic and international carriers participate in the TSA expedited screening program. Expedited screening can get customers through screening in less than five minutes. The time savings occurs because travelers who participate in the expedited screening don’t have to take off their shoes, belts or light jackets. They also don’t have their laptops scrutinized.

If you are not already using the pre-screening process, there is an $85 charge for five years’ worth of service. You have to fill out an application as well.

How to Avoid Cancellations and Delays

According to National Public Radio, common complaints about the major air carriers include delayed, cancelled or overbooked flights. You can look up the current data on delays, cancellations and overbookings on the DOT website in their Air Travel Consumer Reports. NPR also found that a complaint to the DOT was the only way to have your cancellation, delay or overbooking register on the Air Travel Consumer Report. Of course, this leads to the logical conclusion that the data found on the DOT website for airline reliability does not reflect all of the poor service that actually occurs.

Forbes Magazine examined the highly-respected, Airline Quality Report published by the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and found the best four carriers for passengers who choose to avoid delays, cancellations and overbookings are Delta, Jet Blue, Southwest and Alaska Airlines. The worst two carriers are currently American and Frontier Airlines.

Passport Scan

In a time-saving move that other carriers will likely adopt as well, American Airlines became the first major airline carrier to provide a mobile app for its customers that allows clients to scan their passport for international flights and head to the departure gate. This allows customers to avoid a visual passport check at the airline check-in counter.

Uber and Lyft May Not Be Cheapest Everywhere

If you plan on avoiding a rental and getting around in another city via Uber and Lyft, besides growing concerns about safety issues, The Verge is reporting that cities and states are beginning to get tough on the ride-hailing providers because of a litany of problems these companies are causing in their locales, such as increased traffic congestion. Cities and states are beginning to impose congestion taxes, such as a fee for use of Uber or Lyft at the most congested areas in New York City and extra fees to operate at the Phoenix airport. Also, New York City now requires the ride-hailing firms to pay its drivers a minimum of $17.22 per hour, and California is now requiring the companies to treat the drivers as employees.

Even though both ride-sharing companies are ignoring the California law at press time, all of this is bound to increase the cost of rides in certain sectors over time. In the case of the Phoenix airport, Uber and Lyft have temporarily pulled their services from these areas. All of this leads to the conclusion that you should compare Lyft, Uber and taxi fees in any given area and see if they even provide service there before you end up stranded or paying more than you bargained for.

According to Douglas Healy, there are some simple tips that high-profile lawyers can employ in order to make travel more streamlined, such as using TSA pre-screening services, passport scan services as they become available, ratings of airlines for dependability and possibly taxis or car rentals as opposed to Uber and Lyft. Otherwise, you are likely bound to encounter unnecessary waits, cancellations and delays

8 Ways To Tell If You Have A Cold Or Winter Allergies