What is the difference between a hot cold and a cool cold?

Written by An Yong Peng
Pulmonology
Updated on December 07, 2024
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Cold from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine is classified into two types: Wind-Heat Cold and Wind-Cold Cold. A Wind-Heat Cold may present symptoms such as coughing, coughing up yellow phlegm, yellow nasal discharge, sore throat, and fever. In contrast, a Wind-Cold Cold typically manifests as clear nasal discharge, dry cough or coughing up white phlegm, along with aversion to cold, headache, muscle soreness, and possibly a mild fever. Clinically, Wind-Cold Cold and Wind-Heat Cold are distinct and should be diagnosed under the guidance of a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner who can prescribe specific herbal treatments based on the patient’s symptoms. From a Western medicine perspective, symptomatic treatment is generally recommended. However, it is crucial to assess if the patient exhibits symptoms such as purulent phlegm, high fever, or persistently unimproved cold symptoms, which may indicate the need for a hospital visit to investigate potential bacterial infections that might require antimicrobial treatments.

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Written by Quan Xiang Mei
Pediatrics
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What should a baby eat when they have a cold?

Most colds in children are caused by viral infections. During a cold, it is normal to take oral cold medications and antiviral drugs. Additionally, we should consider the specific condition of the child's cold. For simple symptoms like sneezing and a runny nose, just taking cold medications and antivirals should suffice. However, if the child has other symptoms such as gastrointestinal nausea and vomiting, it may be necessary to also use digestive aids to adjust the stomach and intestines. If the cold is accompanied by fever, with temperatures exceeding 38.5 degrees Celsius, antipyretics are also needed for treatment. Besides medication, it is important to maintain a light and reasonable diet and ensure proper rest during a cold. (The use of medications should be under the guidance of a doctor.)

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The difference between influenza and the common cold

Influenza, also known as the flu, mainly occurs when the human body is invaded by influenza viruses, resulting in symptoms primarily of coughing, fever, and sore throat. Besides these symptoms, influenza can also present with gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. The body temperature of patients often exceeds 39°C or 40°C. On the other hand, the common cold is mostly caused by rhinoviruses, parainfluenza viruses, EB viruses, or even infections from Haemophilus influenzae, leading to relatively localized lesions. Common symptoms of a cold include nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and sore throat, and it may not include fever. The prognosis of the common cold is generally better than that of influenza, and it is less likely to lead to severe complications.

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Written by Li Jian Wu
Pulmonology
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What should I do if I have a cold and my nose is itchy?

Itchy nose due to cold is caused by viral infection leading to swelling of the nasal mucosa, which causes symptoms such as runny nose and sneezing. One should choose to take vitamin supplements and drugs that suppress gland secretion for symptomatic treatment. It is also recommended to drink plenty of hot water and maintain a suitable indoor temperature and humidity. Dietary considerations should include avoiding spicy foods like chili peppers, seafood, overly sour, cold, or spicy foods. During the acute phase, under the guidance of a doctor, one may choose to take vitamin C tablets, cetirizine hydrochloride dispersible tablets for symptomatic treatment. If accompanied by fever symptoms with a body temperature above 38 degrees Celsius, acetaminophen tablets can be taken for fever reduction. The main principle of treatment is symptomatic treatment, drinking plenty of water, and it may also be combined with antiviral medication therapy.

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Written by Zhang Shu Kun
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Is vomiting a symptom of a cold caused by wind-cold or wind-heat?

In cases of vomiting, whether it is due to a cold caused by wind-cold or wind-heat, both can lead to the occurrence of vomiting. Therefore, vomiting alone cannot be used to determine the specific type of cold causing it. It still requires the identification through other symptoms. For example, a wind-cold is mainly caused by exposure to cold, while wind-heat is due to excessive heat turning into fire. There are also differences in the treatment of the two, and they cannot be treated in the same way. For a wind-cold, treatment mainly involves warm-natured medicines, while for wind-heat, cool-natured medicines are primarily used.

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Sore throat without cold symptoms

If it is just a simple sore throat without any other cold symptoms, it could possibly be due to an early stage cold, acute pharyngitis, acute laryngitis, acute tonsillitis, or acute epiglottitis. Some patients may also experience neurogenic pain in the throat area. Overall, there are many possible causes, and it's hard to determine based solely on symptoms. Therefore, it is recommended to visit an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) specialist, who can perform an indirect laryngoscopy or a fiber optic laryngoscopy to clearly observe the specific condition and location of the disease within the throat. Additionally, a complete blood count test can be helpful in determining whether there is an acute bacterial or viral infection causing inflammation. If there is an acute infection causing inflammation, antibiotic treatment may be considered, along with regular follow-ups.