Can you swim with a mild cold?

Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
Updated on April 09, 2025
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Mild colds in clinical settings, like in patients whose symptoms are not very severe and who do not have a fever, allow for activities like swimming during summer, especially for those suffering from heat-related colds. However, in winter, even with a mild cold, it's advisable not to swim due to the relatively lower temperature of the water in pools compared to normal temperatures. Instead, choosing other forms of exercise to boost the immune system is recommended during the cold winter months. Therefore, for patients with mild colds, it’s also important to assess the type of cold to decide whether swimming is appropriate.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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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.

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Written by Huang Kun Mei
Pediatrics
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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.)

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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What to do when you catch a cold and cough in summer?

During summer, due to the hot weather, air conditioning is often used. If the air conditioning is set too cold, it might cause some people to catch a chill, leading to various symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, and sore throat. For patients with such symptoms, the first step is to check if they have a fever and identify any other accompanying clinical symptoms. If the patient simply has a dry cough, it may be appropriate to use some heat-clearing and detoxifying traditional Chinese medicines. Then, depending on the nature of the cough, central cough suppressants should be used as symptomatic treatment. Generally, recovery can happen within a week under such treatment. In cases of a summer cold where the patient starts to produce phlegm in the later stages of coughing, it is then necessary to use some anti-inflammatory medicine for symptomatic treatment, as this may indicate a possible bacterial infection. (The use of medications should be done under the guidance of a professional doctor.)

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Written by Liu Wen Li
Obstetrics
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What should a pregnant woman do if she has a cold and feels excessive internal heat?

What should pregnant women do after catching a cold and feeling excessive internal heat? Since it is inconvenient for pregnant women to take medicine, they should try to relieve the symptoms by drinking more water and urinating more. In addition to drinking plain water, pear juice can be consumed by boiling pears with some rock sugar, which can effectively alleviate the symptoms of excessive internal heat. Additionally, mung bean soup with some rock sugar can also be a good beverage to reduce internal heat. If these treatments are not effective, it is important to seek medical attention promptly.

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What should I do if I have a cold, headache, and nasal congestion?

Symptoms such as cold, headache, and nasal congestion should be treated accordingly. It is advisable to drink plenty of water and avoid eating irritating foods. Check your body temperature, and if there are symptoms of fever, you can take aspirin or acetaminophen to treat the fever and headache. For nasal congestion, you can take oral medications that suppress gland secretion, or use some nasal drops locally to relieve the swelling of the nasal mucosa and control the sensation of congestion. Drink plenty of water, rest more, and avoid spicy foods and seafood.