Common cold


Symptoms of a baby's cold
Generally speaking, common cold symptoms include a runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion, some may have a cough, and others may have a fever. Generally, after most babies catch a cold, the symptoms are mainly respiratory. A small part may show symptoms of the digestive system, such as vomiting and diarrhea. There are also headaches, mental fatigue, lethargy, sleepiness, etc., so there are many symptoms of a cold.


Does a wind-heat cold cause clear nasal discharge?
Wind-heat cold often leads to the occurrence of a runny nose with clear mucus, which is common at the onset of this type of cold. Wind-heat cold is a common type of cold. Wind-heat cold frequently occurs in the summer and can cause symptoms such as nasal congestion, headache, dizziness, fever, sneezing, runny nose, coughing, and sore throat. During a wind-heat cold, the cough typically produces phlegm. Treatment primarily involves the oral administration of cool and pungent herbs that relieve the exterior symptoms. It is also advised to drink plenty of water, eat a light diet, and rest adequately during a cold.


How to treat a cold during pregnancy
If you have symptoms of a cold while pregnant, it is advised not to self-medicate blindly. Always consult a physician and use medications that are relatively safer to treat the condition so as to prevent any potential impact on the fetus. This is particularly important during the first three months of pregnancy when the baby's development is still not complete, and indiscriminate use of some medications could possibly cause developmental abnormalities in the baby. It is suggested that everyone should distinguish the type of cold they are experiencing, and then treat and alleviate symptoms through dietary therapy. For instance, for a cold caused by exposure to wind and chill, one might drink some brown sugar ginger tea or have a warm foot bath, both of which can expel the cold from the body, promote blood circulation, and relieve cold symptoms. If it's a cold caused by wind-heat, drinking herbal teas that clear heat and detoxify can be beneficial in alleviating the condition.


Symptoms of bacterial cold
Bacterial cold, commonly referred to as an upper respiratory tract infection, is just one of the more common types of colds. Generally, when bacteria infect the respiratory tract, it causes the patient to experience varying degrees of fever, headache, dizziness, and even chills, as well as symptoms such as sore throat, coughing, and even some nasal congestion. Therefore, patients with bacterial colds generally exhibit these symptoms. Of course, some patients with bacterial colds might have lighter infections and may not exhibit typical clinical symptoms of discomfort. Thus, the clinical symptoms presented by each patient with bacterial colds can vary. For patients with bacterial colds, a clear diagnosis can be made by combining some clinical presentations with related auxiliary examinations.


What should I do about a seasonal cold?
Colds caused by seasonal changes should be treated symptomatically, often due to fluctuations in temperature differences leading to decreased immune function and colds caused by chilling. It is recommended to drink more ginger sugar water and measure body temperature. Drinking ginger sugar water can warm the body and disperse cold, as well as promote metabolism. If there are symptoms of fever, physical methods to reduce fever should be adopted, or antipyretic medications can be taken orally. Firstly, it is important to maintain the cleanliness of the indoor air, avoid eating irritating or spicy foods, measure body temperature twice daily, and possibly combine with antiviral medications for etiological treatment.


Quick treatment methods for colds with mild fever
The general method for quickly handling mild fever due to a cold primarily involves physical cooling. If the body temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees Celsius, it's necessary to combine this with taking antipyretic and analgesic drugs. There are many common methods of physical cooling. For adults, approximately 30% concentration alcohol can be used to wipe areas such as the palms, soles, neck, and chest. For infants and young children, alcohol should not be used; instead, wipe the body with warm water around 30-40 degrees Celsius. Applying cool towels or ice packs to the forehead can also serve as a physical cooling method.


How does a cold spread?
The common cold is a very common clinical disease, caused by a viral infection that is somewhat contagious. So, how is the common cold transmitted? On one hand, it can spread through the respiratory tract; for example, cold sufferers through sneezing, coughing, and other methods can produce droplets containing the cold virus. When these droplets are inhaled by healthy individuals, they can become infected. Additionally, if everyday items are contaminated by the cold virus, other people can come into contact with the virus by touching these items. If they do not wash their hands afterwards, they can also become infected with the cold virus through contact.


How to deal with cold chills and fever?
Symptoms of a cold such as chills and fever are manifestations of chills and high fever. During this period, one should first measure the body temperature, drink plenty of water, and promptly take appropriate fever-reducing measures depending on the severity of the fever to prevent febrile convulsions. Generally, the body temperature is measured again two hours after fever reduction through physical cooling or medication. Once the body sweats, the body temperature will return to normal, and the symptoms of chills will gradually ease. If the body temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees Celsius, medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can be taken. (The use of medications should be under the guidance of a doctor.)


Which one causes body aches, bacterial cold or viral cold?
Bacterial colds and viral colds are named after the different microorganisms that cause the symptoms of colds. The upper respiratory tract includes the nose, pharynx, and larynx. Usually, when the body's resistance decreases or one is overly fatigued, it is very easy to be infected by external pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. However, when bacteria infect the human body, most of the symptoms are mainly concentrated in the nasopharyngeal area and do not spread throughout the body. On the other hand, viral colds are different. After infecting the human body, in addition to causing respiratory symptoms, viral colds also cause general discomfort throughout the body, such as headaches, limb weakness, muscle soreness, joint pain, and can even lead to abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms. Thus, viral colds produce more severe whole-body symptoms.


What fruits to eat when having a cold?
When you have a cold, you can eat some fruits, such as neutral fruits like peaches, grapes, kiwis, strawberries, and bananas. It is also advised that you eat a reasonable amount of vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins; vegetables such as cucumbers, loofah, small spinach, and lettuce are suitable too. It is also recommended to drink more water to enhance metabolism, improve your immunity, and meet the body's demands for various nutrients through the rich nutritional content in fruits. This helps strengthen the body and speed up recovery from illness. It is also suggested to exercise moderately to enhance physical fitness and immunity, thereby aiding faster recovery from illness. Furthermore, avoid staying up late, assure adequate sleep to enhance immunity.