What is a cold and why does it occur?
Let's find out what kind of disease this is. In medical circles, the common cold goes by two names: ARI (acute respiratory disease) and ARVI (acute respiratory viral infection). It is caused by respiratory viruses that live in the nasopharynx and is contagious for the first three days.
Scientists have already counted more than 100 respiratory viruses and continue to discover new ones, so there is no hope that a vaccine will be invented for the common cold. In addition, medicine has not yet learned how to treat these viruses. Fortunately, respiratory viruses are very weak and the body quickly (within 3-7 days) copes with them on its own.
If this does not happen, then the infection spreads to the sinuses of the nose (sinusitis), tonsils (tonsillitis), bronchi (bronchitis) or even enters the lungs (pneumonia).
Treatment of an incipient cold is, first of all, strengthening the immune system and helping our body fight infection.
Often the question: “How to avoid colds?” they talk about immunity. It is well known that people with strong immunity rarely get sick from colds, but this infection (according to statistics) is 5 times more likely to get sick than all other viral diseases combined.
How to distinguish a cold from flu and sore throat?
The first signs of a cold are similar to other viral diseases of the nasopharynx: influenza and sore throat. Doctors include:
- sore throat;
- cough;
- runny nose.
But there is also a significant difference: a sore throat or flu is usually accompanied by a rapid increase in body temperature above 38.5 C, while an acute respiratory infection does not cause such a symptom.
With a sore throat, the pain in the throat will be severe, it interferes with swallowing, sometimes even talking, while with a cold there will only be a mild but unpleasant soreness and scratching of the throat.
With the flu, you will experience a severe headache, as well as aches throughout the body, general weakness, and a constant desire to lie down, which is not observed with a cold.
How does a cold start?
The described pathology is banal hypothermia; it should not be confused with viral infections and influenza. Acute respiratory disease is easily distinguished by the level of body temperature. At the first symptoms of a cold, it does not cross the mark above 38 degrees, and in case of infection with a virus, this indicator reaches a value of 38.5 or more. Other early clinical manifestations of the disease:
- drowsiness;
- loss of appetite;
- tickling in the nasopharynx;
- weakness in the body;
- irritability.
Treat yourself before you get sick
The main cause of viral respiratory infections is stress in the body from hypothermia (local or general).
If you happen to get caught in the rain or get very cold while waiting for transport, you need to prevent the onset of a cold. Do the following: when you come home, stand in a hot shower; if this is not possible, soak your feet in hot water.
In addition, drink hot tea with lemon, raspberries, currants, and honey. Better from chamomile or mint.
Then go to bed and sleep; if this is not possible, lie down until a pleasant warmth spreads throughout your body.
Traditional healers recommend rubbing your feet, chest and back in the lung area with diluted alcohol (or vodka), drinking hot tea and going to bed.
The cold will not appear in the morning.
My throat hurts... then I’ll get sick (how to prevent a cold?
Answers:
Tamborena
Drink hot tea with a sip of Riga balsam in it. Steam your legs. And sleep, sleep, sleep...
Lakshmi
I won’t be original - Strepsils will relieve the pain a little. Next - immunomodulators.
tamara swetlowa
Fervex saves me right away, or Theraflu.
TASHA!!!
It seems to me that the most effective solution for the throat is LUGOL’S solution with glycerin. You roll some cotton wool onto a spoon, bathe it in Lugoli and smear it on your throat - right until you have a gag reflex - good! Just apply it a couple of times and everything will go away! well, or if it’s difficult, yox helps me too. spray. You can also take + oscillococcinum. If it’s at the very beginning of a cold, it will help. do not cough!
-Melissa-
Anaferon, to quickly boost immunity and Grammidin with a green scarf will help not to get a sore throat) I have a problem throat (((but Grammidin always helps me.
I believe in reason
Do a “massage” with the root of your tongue on the throat - move it back and forth 20 times in each direction. Rinse with chamomile or Rotokan, and start dropping interferon into your nose (instructions inside the package). Drink green or herbal tea. By the way, you can also rinse and wash your nose with it, not sweet, of course. Ascorbic acid (if there are no stomach problems) loading dose and continue throughout the day. Be healthy!
Tatiana Antonova
Now you read, get up, and go do everything I tell you now and you won’t get sick. 1 teaspoon of salt + 5-6 drops of iodine per glass of water, rinse every 15-30 minutes, if the temperature is below 37.5, then half a tablet of analgin and aspirin (acetylsolicylic acid), higher, a whole tablet. I think you’ll wake up in the evening and thank me.
privet_internet
but it’s better not to read all this nonsense that they wrote for you here, and especially don’t drink, but go to the doctor
First signs of a cold
However, it is not always possible to prevent a cold before it breaks out. In some cases, it was not possible to warm up well, and in others, a cold appeared as a result of a viral infection. And then the question arises, how to prevent it from spreading further, how to stop the onset of a cold?
A sore throat is usually the first thing to appear. Next will be a stuffy nose or a bad runny nose. At the same time, the discharge is transparent, abundant, like water (sometimes it is impossible to stop it). On day 3-4, the mucus will become thicker and there will be less of it.
The onset of a cold will also be marked by another sign – a cough. But with this infection, he is not strong, productive (clears his throat for 2-3 days).
In some cases (not always), a slight increase in body temperature to 37.5-37.8 C and headache are possible.
If the first symptoms of a cold appear in a pregnant or lactating woman or in an infant. Be sure to consult your doctor about treatment.
Treatment with folk remedies
An incipient cold can be treated well with folk remedies. In this case, a number of rules should be observed:
- You need to drink a lot. This can be warm tea, rosehip decoction or juice; lemon and honey are good to use. Herbal decoctions, raspberries, cranberries.
- It is advisable to take sick leave or take 2 days off from work. During this period, a quiet semi-bed rest and good sleep are important.
- It is necessary to carry out preventive measures: gargling, nasal rinsing, inhalation. Do the procedures as often as possible, and this will not allow viruses to penetrate deeper into the nasopharynx.
- During this period, aromatherapy has a good effect. Oils of camphor, eucalyptus, thuja, and bergamot perfectly kill viruses.
- Proper nutrition. It should be light food rich in vitamins and proteins. It will not only saturate the body with nutrients, but also provide the necessary supply of energy to fight the virus.
- Ventilate the room. This is a mandatory condition, but you need to leave the room while it is being ventilated.
- If you have a fever or severe pain, it is better to take a paracetamol tablet.
- It’s a good idea to drink immunomodulators or take interferon when you have a cold.
Here are some simple treatment recipes.
For gargling
- Take ½ tsp. salt and soda, add 4-5 drops of iodine. Stir everything in warm water.
- Use 1 tsp per glass of water. sea salt.
- Take a teaspoon of chamomile and calendula and brew it in a glass of boiling water like tea. Strain and gargle with infusion.
You need to gargle every hour to an hour and a half.
For the nose
- Blow your nose well from time to time.
- Rinse your nose with water and sea or table salt.
- Instill nasal drops: Pinosol, Naphthyzin, Galazolin (there are many of them).
For inhalations
- Use an herbal nebulizer.
- Carry out inhalations over steam (but carefully). Add a few drops of essential oil to hot water and breathe in the heat. Do not use very hot water to avoid burning the mucous membrane of the throat.
For foot baths
Take 200 g of salt and 150 g of mustard powder, dilute it all in hot water. Place your feet in the basin and periodically add hot water. Your feet should feel slightly hot.
Drinking regime
The first thing you need to provide to a child with a cold is plenty of fluids. The liquid removes bacterial waste products from the body, and also “washes out” all toxins and waste generated during the fight against viruses. The child can be given not only clean still water, but also warm milk, juices, and fruit drinks. Medicinal teas made from chamomile flowers, linden blossom, elderberry, oregano and thyme are effective.
It is advisable that the baby consume at least two liters of fluid per day. The drinking regime depends on the general condition of the child: you can drink a glass of water every hour or two, or you can drink a few sips every 10-15 minutes.
Interferons and immunomodulatory drugs as an alternative to folk remedies
Today, it is often recommended to use homeopathic immunomodulatory drugs (Aflubin, Arbidol, Gripp-Hel, Viferon, Anaferon) to prevent and treat the initial manifestations of colds. They are often advertised and often recommended as a preventive measure.
However, it should be remembered that these drugs contain synthetic substances that may not always be useful in large quantities with very long-term use. As for taking them when a cold begins, it is advisable and effective (but it is better to use them in combination with other measures).
If we talk about interferons (Interferon), then these are natural substances that are in our body, and they fight viruses. Interferons are drugs that have been proven to stimulate our immune system to fight rhinovirus. Therefore, their use will help you recover faster, but there is one peculiarity: the best results are obtained from its use in the first days. Use this medication at the very beginning of a cold (first 3 days).
Quick response to the first symptoms of a cold
The body needs to be helped to get rid of a cold at its very beginning. Therefore, at the first signs of illness, try to stay at home - your body needs rest, semi-bed rest and full sleep.
At the onset of a cold, as well as during its treatment, drinking plenty of warm fluids is important. Drink tea with lemon and honey, cranberry juice, chamomile infusion. Ventilate the room regularly to prevent viruses from multiplying in confined spaces. While airing, leave the room.
When a cold begins, aromatherapy treatments are effective. Essential oils of eucalyptus, fir, camphor, and sage have a strengthening and antibacterial effect. You can add the oil to the bath, dilute it with water and spray it around the room, or apply a few drops to your clothes.
The body's ability to eat quickly largely depends on what a person eats. Therefore, the basis of your diet at the onset of a cold should be fruits, vegetables and light foods. It is better to avoid fatty and heavy protein foods now. After all, the body spends a lot of energy on digesting it instead of struggling to fight the infection. Drink drinks containing a lot of vitamin C - tea with lemon, black currant, rosehip infusions, raspberries.
The importance of proper nutrition to maintain immunity
If you talk about how to stop a cold and don’t pay special attention to nutrition, then you can simply forget all the advice.
After all, nutrition is not only vitamins, but also energy to fight the disease. Today, doctors highly recommend chicken soup. They, like our grandmothers, claim that this food contains not only the necessary vitamins and protein, but also substances that fight colds.
Food during this period is preferable to be gentle, but high in protein. This can be porridge with milk, dietary meat, boiled vegetables, vegetable and fruit purees, smoothies, milkshakes with fruits (but not sour ones). You need to eat warm, but not hot or cold food.
It is very important to consume as much vitamin C as possible (citrus fruits, rose hips, cranberries, lemon, currants).
You should not drink alcohol and it is advisable not to smoke (or limit the number of cigarettes). Cigarette smoke irritates the mucous membrane of the throat, and the infection moves faster to the tonsils and bronchi.
During this period, doctors do not recommend eating heavy foods: fried, fast food, smoked, spicy, salty, as well as crackers, fried nuts, chips. Such food will irritate a sore throat, create additional stress on the digestive tract, and cause energy to be wasted on digesting complex fats and carbohydrates.
