How to treat a viral cold

Written by Li Jian Wu
Pulmonology
Updated on January 27, 2025
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How to treat viral colds depends on whether it is an epidemic flu or a common cold. If it is just a common viral cold, special treatment is generally not needed. Pay attention to rest, ensure sufficient good sleep and appropriate indoor temperature and humidity. By drinking more boiled water and eating more vegetables, you can naturally recover. If it is epidemic flu, you can choose to take antipyretic analgesics and antiviral drugs to relieve symptoms. You can take Qingkailing, combined with acetaminophen, vitamin C, Yinqiao tablets, and other medications. Note: Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor.

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Written by Hu Bai Yu
Pulmonology
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Does drinking alcohol cure a cold?

Drinking alcohol definitely cannot cure a cold, and everyone should be aware of this. Moreover, contrary to that, drinking alcohol can potentially make the symptoms of a cold worse. During a cold, the body's resistance is already weakened, and drinking alcohol at this time might irritate the stomach lining and affect various organs in the body. Therefore, it is best not to drink alcohol when you have a cold, especially not as a treatment for it. It is advised that everyone take care to avoid this misconception. Also, when you have a cold, keep warm, eat light foods, and avoid drinks like carbonated beverages, alcoholic drinks, strong tea, and coffee. Additionally, it is important to maintain a relaxed mood and avoid excessive stress. During the period when taking cold medicine, you should be careful not to drink alcohol to prevent any toxic reactions, which are very harmful to health.

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Written by An Yong Peng
Pulmonology
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What should you not eat when you have a cold?

When you have a cold, you should avoid eating spicy, overly greasy, and cold food. These foods may worsan coughing symptoms and can also irritate the gastrointestinal tract. Generally, they are detrimental to the patient's condition. For a cold, it is recommended to have a light diet and eat some fruit appropriately, as well as drink plenty of plain water. Additionally, patients can consume some protein-rich foods, such as lean meat and eggs. Cold is usually a self-limiting illness and often does not require special treatment. Sometimes, just by making the dietary adjustments mentioned, the patient's condition may gradually improve. However, it is important to note that if the symptoms of the cold are severe, appropriate symptomatic treatment is necessary. Also, a minority of cold patients may develop complications such as pneumonia. Therefore, if cold symptoms persist, it is necessary to seek medical consultation to investigate the cause and receive appropriate management.

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Written by Wu Xiao Sheng
Pulmonology
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Can Banlangen treat a cold?

Banlangen belongs to the category of Chinese medicine. From the perspective of Chinese medicine, Banlangen has certain effects on treating the common cold, meaning it can be used to treat colds. For example, Banlan根 is most commonly used to treat colds, mainly treating wind-heat type colds, and its effectiveness for colds due to wind-cold or summer dampness is relatively poor or non-existent. However, from the perspective of modern medicine, the common cold is often caused by viral infections of the respiratory system, classified as acute upper respiratory infection, which can cause symptoms such as fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, and sore throat. Therefore, a combination of medications is used to improve the clinical symptoms of a cold. Common medications include compound paracetamol and amantadine, Mameimin tablets, etc. Banlangen is generally not used for treatment. (Please follow medical advice when using medication.)

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Written by Li Jian Wu
Pulmonology
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Is a cold the process of detoxing?

A cold is not about detoxing; it is a type of disease. It is caused by a viral infection leading to a respiratory infection, which can cause symptoms such as coughing, runny nose, sore throat, fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. It is important to properly understand that one should drink plenty of water during a cold, measure body temperature twice a day, and avoid eating spicy, overly greasy foods. The main treatment principle is to choose pain-relieving medications to alleviate symptoms like fever, headache, and body aches. For a runny nose and sneezing, antihistamine medications can be used for symptomatic treatment, and they can also be combined with antiviral medications.

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Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
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Can I eat beef with a cold?

Beef is a very delicious food, but can you still eat beef after catching a cold? Whether you can eat beef after catching a cold depends on the specific situation. If the symptoms of the cold are mild and not very pronounced, it is okay to eat beef. However, if the symptoms are severe, such as significant fever, reduced appetite, and gastrointestinal discomfort, it is recommended to avoid eating beef. This is because beef is rich in protein and generally not very easy to digest. Eating beef in such cases could increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract, causing the body to feel even more uncomfortable.