Is cold with yellow phlegm caused by a wind-cold cold or a heat cold?

Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
Updated on December 30, 2024
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Cold with yellow phlegm is generally classified as a wind-heat cold in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Colds are categorized based on the different pathogenic factors involved: wind-cold colds and wind-heat colds. A wind-cold cold is primarily caused by exposure to pathogenic wind-cold, characterized mainly by coughing up white phlegm, feeling chilly but not hot, and a reluctance to drink water. On the other hand, a wind-heat cold follows exposure to external wind-heat pathogens. Its symptoms include feeling hot instead of cold, coughing, yellow phlegm, yellow nasal discharge, sweating, irritability, and constipation. Therefore, the presence of yellow phlegm typically indicates a wind-heat cold. There are many medicinal treatments for wind-heat colds, particularly those that clear heat and detoxify the body, all of which can be used to treat a wind-heat cold.

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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.

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Differences between viral colds and bacterial colds in children

When children have a viral cold, they have a runny nose with clear mucus, whereas bacterial colds usually do not involve a runny nose, or the discharge is purulent. In viral colds, children may have a fever but generally remain in good spirits, and their spirits return to normal after the fever subsides. In contrast, with bacterial colds, children experience fluctuating high temperatures, poor spirits after the fever subsides, and may show symptoms such as chills and cold hands and feet. Viral colds typically present more nasal discharge than throat symptoms; when the tonsils are inflamed, they appear smooth and bright red, whereas in bacterial colds, the inflamed tonsils are uneven, dull, and sometimes with visible pus spots.

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From the perspective of Western medicine, there are primarily two types of colds: the common cold and influenza. The symptoms of the common cold are different and mainly include nasal congestion, runny nose, dry and sore throat, tearing, sneezing, and other symptoms. In contrast, influenza mainly manifests as weakness in the limbs, muscle soreness, and some may experience fixed joint swelling and pain. It can also cause complications such as nausea and vomiting, mainly due to infections caused by different pathogens, thus the symptoms vary.

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The common cold is a very common inflammatory condition clinically, generally caused by viral infections, hence, the treatment for such patients usually needs to focus on antiviral medications. Most viral colds cause varying degrees of nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and even dry cough and itchy throat among other clinical symptoms. For such patients, treatment begins by identifying the specific pathogens causing the cold. If it is a virus, timely administration of heat-clearing and detoxifying medications is necessary, along with the appropriate use of traditional Chinese medicine to alleviate symptoms like nasal congestion and runny nose. For symptoms such as nasal congestion and dry cough, appropriate use of cough suppressant medications or nebulized inhalation may be chosen to provide symptomatic relief, with treatment effects generally being ideal around three days.

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What to do if a baby catches a cold?

When a child catches a cold, it's important to consider their specific symptoms. If the cold lasts no more than three days and the child is in good spirits, you can treat them with anti-viral and heat-clearing Chinese patent medicines. Their diet should be light and easy to digest, and include plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. If the baby is exclusively breastfed and under six months old, the mother should ensure a balanced diet, consume easily digestible foods, and avoid overly greasy or spicy foods. If the child's cold persists for more than three days and symptoms like cough with phlegm appear, it's necessary to bring the child to the hospital for timely tests, such as a complete blood count and C-reactive protein, to rule out bacterial infections and provide appropriate treatment based on the child's condition. For infants with a cold, considering their underdeveloped organ functions and weaker immunity, even a common cold can easily lead to secondary viral or bacterial infections, potentially causing severe diseases like pneumonia. Therefore, it's best to take the child to the pediatric outpatient clinic for assessment and targeted treatment. If it’s inconvenient to visit a doctor, consider that most colds are caused by viruses, such as respiratory or enteroviruses. Therefore, you might treat the child at home with antiviral Chinese patent medicines and symptom-specific supportive treatments. It's also crucial to manage their diet well, as digestive functions can be compromised during a cold. Thus, meals should be small and frequent, and it's advisable to avoid hard-to-digest and potentially allergenic foods to prevent exacerbating symptoms. (The use of medication should be under the guidance of a doctor.)