Common cold

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Shu Kun
Traditional Chinese Medicine
38sec home-news-image

Does Yin deficiency make one prone to catching a cold?

Patients with Yin deficiency are prone to catching colds. However, generally speaking, it does not cause colds. It might be that some individual patients are prone to colds, so it varies from person to person, and there is no specific situation. Yin deficiency mainly causes physical weakness, poor health, and reduced immunity, which can then easily lead to colds and other symptoms. Therefore, if Yin deficiency occurs, it is crucial to treat it promptly with medication and also to eat more foods that nourish Yin and supplement Yang in the diet.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Jian Wu
Pulmonology
34sec home-news-image

Why do you catch a cold during the Start of Autumn?

Autumn colds are mainly caused by the change of seasons, temperature differences, and viral infections due to dry air this season, causing symptoms like nasal congestion, runny nose, dry mouth, and sore throat. During this period, it is first necessary to maintain an appropriate indoor temperature and humidity, drink more water, and eat foods like carrots, tomatoes, and mung bean sprouts to supplement vitamins. Also, measure the body temperature twice a day and avoid eating spicy peppers as well as overly greasy and spicy foods.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Hu Bai Yu
Pulmonology
1min 6sec home-news-image

What medicine to take for a cold and headache?

During a cold with headache, you can appropriately massage the temples to relieve the symptom of headache. If the headache is severe during a cold, then it is necessary to take some pain relief medication to alleviate the symptoms. Usually, you should pay attention to your diet, opting for light meals and avoiding spicy, greasy, cold, and stimulating foods. Also, it is important to keep the diet light and consume more fresh fruits, vegetables, or porridge to enhance your body's resistance and alleviate symptoms. It is advised that if the cold with headache is severe, and accompanied by fever, it might be a viral cold. You can take some antiviral medications coupled with cold relief drugs for treatment to alleviate the symptoms. During treatment, it is essential to actively cooperate with the doctors' treatment, avoid smoking and drinking, drink plenty of water, and rest adequately.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Jian Wu
Pulmonology
42sec home-news-image

How many days does it take to recover from a cold?

How long does a cold last? Normally, a common cold can recover within 5-7 days. Influenza might have a slightly longer duration, generally requiring 7-10 days to resolve. The specific situation also depends on the virulence of the cold virus, the body's immune capability, the amount of virus, and the body’s resistance. There are some clinical variations. The common cold itself is a contagious, self-limiting disease, caused by viral infections like influenza or parainfluenza, leading to respiratory infections. The main treatment involves drinking plenty of water, resting, symptom management, and preventing complications.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Ying Ying
Traditional Chinese Medicine
41sec home-news-image

Can you take medicine for wind-heat cold when you have a wind-cold cold?

The main symptoms of a cold caused by wind-cold are a significant chill and heavy feeling, mild fever, absence of sweating, headache, sore limbs, nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and coughing up white, thin phlegm. The primary treatment method is to disperse wind-cold using pungent and warm herbs. For treating a cold caused by wind-heat, one should use cooling herbs to disperse wind-heat. Therefore, the medicines for wind-heat cold should not be consumed during a wind-cold cold, as their treatment methods are completely contrary and would only worsen the symptoms.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Xian Hua
Pediatrics
41sec home-news-image

Symptoms of a baby catching a cold

Symptoms of a cold in infants vary widely. Generally, they may exhibit one or several of the following symptoms. The first is upper respiratory tract catarrhal symptoms, such as nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing. The second is respiratory symptoms, which may manifest as varying degrees of coughing, with or without phlegm. The third is symptoms of fever, which can occur to different extents. The fourth concerns gastrointestinal symptoms; the baby may experience reduced appetite, vomiting, abdominal distension, irritability, crying, diarrhea, among others.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
53sec home-news-image

Can a baby swim when they have a cold?

If the baby has a cold, it is not recommended to go swimming. A cold, also known as acute upper respiratory tract infection, is the most common illness in children. It primarily manifests as inflammation of the nasal, nasopharyngeal, and pharyngeal mucosa, which can lead to rhinitis, pharyngitis, and tonsillitis, among others. The majority of colds are caused by viruses and bacteria, with 90% being viral infections. During this period, a child's resistance is generally weaker. Therefore, in such cases, it is advisable for the child to rest more, drink plenty of water, and avoid vigorous activities. Hence, it is not recommended for children to go swimming in this situation; they should rest more instead.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Jian Wu
Pulmonology
49sec home-news-image

Can you smoke when you have a cold?

You should not smoke when you have a cold. As colds are a type of respiratory infection, smoking can directly irritate the respiratory system, including the mouth, throat, and nasal mucosa, worsening the condition and triggering coughing and sore throat. This is detrimental to both recovery from the illness and overall health, therefore, smoking should be avoided during a cold. During a cold, it is also advisable to eat a light diet, avoid meat, and consume more fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, drink plenty of water, and avoid staying up late. Generally, recovery will gradually occur within three to seven days. If there is a secondary bacterial infection, antimicrobial medication may also be necessary for treatment.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wu Ben Rong
Pediatrics
56sec home-news-image

How many days does a child's stomach flu self-heal?

Gastroenteritis in children is usually caused by viral infections, which are self-limiting diseases. The course of the disease generally lasts about 5-7 days, so most children can gradually recover within this period. Gastroenteritis is relatively common in pediatrics. Its symptoms are somewhat similar to those of upper respiratory tract infections, including mild coughing, fever, as well as vomiting, diarrhea, and other symptoms. Most children with gastroenteritis will experience gastrointestinal symptoms for about two to three days, which then gradually alleviate. In the later stages of the disease, recurring low-grade fevers often occur, and mild coughing symptoms may also appear. After the course of the disease, the aforementioned symptoms can improve, so parents need not worry too much. If the child's diarrhea is severe, it is important to ensure hydration to avoid dehydration.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
55sec home-news-image

Are common colds afraid of the cold?

The common cold is a very prevalent clinical disease that falls under the category of respiratory internal medicine. Generally, patients with this type of cold exhibit varying degrees of fever, headache, dizziness, nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing. Additionally, some patients may also experience symptoms like coughing and an itchy throat. Since the common cold is mostly caused by viral infections in clinical settings, the presence of a fever of varying degrees can lead to chills. Therefore, it is very common for patients to exhibit symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, headache, dizziness, and chills. Clinically, as long as the specific type of pathogen causing the common cold is identified, timely and effective symptomatic treatment can generally control the symptoms of chills caused by the common cold effectively.