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Common cold
What should I do if a cold and fever persist?
It is necessary to take corresponding interventions based on the degree of fever to prevent complications such as high fever convulsions and coma. Firstly, drink more water and rest more. You can wipe your palms, feet, neck, and inner thighs—areas where major blood vessels pass—with warm water or alcohol, which can help restore body temperature. You can also use a cool towel or ice packs to compress the forehead, which can protect brain cells and be effective. Along with taking antipyretic and analgesic drugs for symptomatic treatment, re-measure the temperature after two hours.
Can you drink alcohol during a cold?
During a cold, one should not drink alcohol. Patients with a cold often experience nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and sore throat. Some may feel general body aches and weakness. Drinking alcohol can potentially worsen these clinical symptoms, especially since patients are prone to gastrointestinal disturbances during a cold, particularly those with a gastrointestinal type of cold who exhibit significant nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Continuing to drink alcohol can lead to a severe worsening of digestive symptoms, and even lead to watery diarrhea and symptoms of collapse. Some patients with a cold may experience a fever induced by drinking alcohol, which can worsen and prolong the illness. Sometimes, drinking alcohol can lead to secondary bacterial infections of the respiratory tract, forming a bacterial type of cold and worsening the condition. Moreover, cold patients may need to take oral medication, and drinking alcohol could exacerbate the adverse reactions of these medications. Specifically, in cases of bacterial colds where cephalosporin anti-inflammatory drugs are required, drinking alcohol can cause a disulfiram-like reaction. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid alcohol during a cold.
How to relieve headache from a cold during pregnancy
Pregnancy is a very special physiological period for women, during which their immune system is relatively weaker, and their choices in food can be very selective. Moreover, many medications are prohibited during pregnancy. Therefore, it is common for pregnant women to experience headaches caused by viral colds. For pregnant women experiencing headaches, physical methods can be used for treatment. For instance, massaging the "Da Zhui" and "Feng Chi" acupoints located at the back of the neck can alleviate symptoms of colds and headaches. Additionally, applying heat, such as using a warm towel on the forehead or neck, can also effectively treat headaches from colds during pregnancy without affecting the development of the fetus.
How to comfort a friend who has a cold and a headache?
First, it is necessary to provide psychological and emotional comfort, making them understand that the common cold is a frequent and ordinary illness in daily life. It often occurs when the body's immune system is weakened, leading to viral infections, which can cause symptoms such as fever and headache. It is important to avoid stress. At the same time, you should advise your friend to eat more fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamin C to boost metabolism. Massaging acupressure points such as the temples, Hegu point, and Zusanli can also effectively relieve headache symptoms. Additionally, if there are symptoms of fever, appropriate measures should be taken to reduce the fever and treat the symptoms accordingly.
Treatment for sore throat caused by a cold
To treat a sore throat from a cold, the main principle is to choose sensitive antibiotics or antiviral medications, in combination with medications that clear the lungs and benefit the throat for symptomatic treatment. One should first observe whether there are hypertrophic lymphoid follicles on the posterior pharyngeal wall, whether the tonsils are hypertrophied and enlarged, and whether there are diseases such as herpetic pharyngotonsillitis. If it is due to an acute exacerbation of chronic pharyngitis, one can choose to take macrolide antibiotics, combined with medications such as throat pills and pharyngitis tablets. Nebulization inhalation can also be adopted, which acts like a local treatment and can have a more direct effect.
How to deal with heatstroke, cold, and fever?
In summer, due to the high temperatures, the human body can intake too much heat, leading to weakened immunity and symptoms such as colds and fevers, including sore throat, pain in the throat, runny nose, chills, and feverish symptoms. In such cases, symptomatic treatment can be carried out, starting with controlling the indoor temperature, which should not be too high or too low, and can be in an air-conditioned room, but the room temperature should not be set too low. Also, drink more water and appropriately take some cold medicine for symptomatic treatment. If the body temperature reaches above 38.5°C and physical cooling methods are not controlling it, fever-reducing medications might be needed. It is best to visit a hospital for relevant examinations, such as routine blood tests, liver and kidney function tests, and electrolytes, to rule out serious damage to internal organs caused by heatstroke.
Symptoms of a stomach cold
The symptoms of gastroenteritis primarily manifest in two areas: symptoms of an upper respiratory infection and gastrointestinal symptoms. The symptoms of an upper respiratory infection mainly include dizziness, headache, fatigue, and fever. The main symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract are vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Furthermore, when vomiting and diarrhea are severe, it can lead to body dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, potentially causing symptoms of shock. This might present as general weakness, sweating, irregular heart rate, among other symptoms.
Can babies take medicine when they have a cold?
Babies can certainly take medicine when they have a cold. However, if the symptoms are mild and the general condition is good, and the baby can eat and sleep well, it might not be necessary to medicate. It's important to pay close attention and there might be a possibility of natural recovery without medication. If the symptoms of the cold are severe, it is necessary to take medicine, because if it is not controlled in time, it may lead to new infections. For example, a secondary bacterial infection could develop, and there is also a possibility that a cold in the upper respiratory tract could progress to the lower respiratory tract and cause pneumonia, which poses a significant risk. When choosing medications, we generally need to opt for those safe for infants, and avoid any medications contraindicated for infants. (The use of medications should be under the guidance of a professional doctor.)
How to treat a cold caused by air conditioning
Using air conditioning with excessively low temperatures can cause upper respiratory tract infections. Clinically, these patients are often seen in the hot summer months and may exhibit varying degrees of fever, nasal congestion, and runny nose, with some having yellowish nasal discharge. They may also experience sore throat, coughing, and coughing up yellow phlegm. For the treatment of such patients, it is often necessary to administer appropriate heat-clearing and detoxifying medicines. Treatment should be based on the patient's body temperature; if the temperature is excessively high, antipyretic medications should be administered promptly. If the body temperature is relatively low, not exceeding 38.5°C, physical cooling methods can be used along with patent medicines to clear heat and detoxify as symptomatic treatments. These can effectively alleviate the cold symptoms caused by air conditioning.
Symptoms of a stomach cold
The most common symptom of gastroenteritis is vomiting. The presence of pathogens irritates the stomach, causing it to contract and expel its contents. Secondly, diarrhea is a common symptom, primarily due to irritation of the gastrointestinal tract, which significantly increases secretions and affects absorption functions, leading to faster intestinal movements and resulting in loose stools. Thirdly, the increased intestinal movements can also lead to abdominal pain, along with the diarrhea.