How can you tell the difference between allergies and a cold?

How can you tell the difference between a cold, allergies, and a sinus infection?

• I never can tell the difference. They all seem the same to me. I'm sneezing alot and have a runny nose and a sore throat. No fever or aches. The mucus is clear during the day but when I wake up in the morning it's yellow. It seems to go away but then comes back in 3 or 4 days. What do I have?

• Answer:

  No fever = no cold, no infection My guess is allergy, and without testing, I would guess dust mite since it is worse in the morning and comes and goes. You could get yourself to an allergist or immunologist and have some simple blood or skin scratch tests done to determine your exact allergies. You could go ahead and set up a dust free room and get those dust mite proof covers and start washing in the anti-dust mite stuff. That certainly wouldn't hurt and might even stop the problem. If you are interested in reading more, I am loading you up on links. The first is all about dust mites (the most common household allergen) the second is how to set up a dust proof room and the third is for this stuff you put in the laundry when you wash your sheets to get rid of the dust mites. Happy reading and I hope you feel better real soon.