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Common cold
Which department should I go to for a stomach flu?
Gastroenteritis is mostly caused by improper diet leading to infections, resulting in symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea. Therefore, for gastroenteritis, one should register with the gastroenterology department. However, if the gastrointestinal symptoms are caused by a cold, then one should register with the respiratory department. It depends on the sequence of symptoms: if gastrointestinal symptoms appear first, registration should be with gastroenterology; if cold symptoms appear first followed by gastrointestinal complications, a registration with the respiratory department is possible. Yet, for resolving gastrointestinal symptoms, it is advisable to consult with the gastroenterology department as it is more appropriate.
How to deal with a stomach cold?
Gastrointestinal cold is caused by a viral infection and is common during the summer and autumn seasons. Symptoms often include fever, chills, dizziness, headache, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal bloating, and sometimes sore throat and cough. Treatment mainly focuses on antiviral medications and astringents to stop bleeding. Additionally, it is advisable to drink plenty of warm water, which helps eliminate the virus. The diet should be light and easy to digest. Avoid raw, greasy, and spicy foods. If symptoms are severe, it is necessary to go to the hospital for further diagnosis and treatment to prevent dehydration.
Is sweating effective for a cold?
Heat colds are divided into heat colds and cold colds from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine. Heat colds generally occur more frequently in the hot summer. Patients with heat colds typically experience different degrees of fever, chills, as well as headache, dizziness, sore throat, and coughing. When coughing, there is often yellow phlegm, and there may also be varying degrees of nasal congestion. Therefore, for patients with heat colds in summer, we generally recommend using some heat-clearing and detoxifying medicines appropriately based on their body temperature. Typically, these patients will sweat to different extents after the fever subsides. In clinical practice, it is generally not recommended for patients with heat colds to use blankets or wear more clothes to induce sweating. This method should not be taken. It is generally advised to use some physical methods to reduce fever, or appropriate antipyretic drugs if the body temperature is quite high. This approach is relatively more scientific and safer.
Can you drink milk when you have a cold?
Whether you can drink milk when you have a cold depends on the specific condition. For those with a mild cold and no significant gastrointestinal symptoms, it is appropriate to drink warm milk. Since milk is rich in nutrients, containing high-quality protein, calories, amino acids, etc., it can be quite beneficial for the body's recovery. It also helps alleviate cold symptoms, especially easing symptoms like general body aches and fatigue. However, caution is needed for cold sufferers who have obvious gastrointestinal dysfunction, particularly those with gastro-intestinal type colds displaying nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. It is advised not to drink milk in such cases to avoid worsening the gastrointestinal dysfunction and potentially prolonging the recovery period. Additionally, it is important to avoid taking milk with other medications during a cold, as it might affect the efficacy of the medications.
Cold symptoms include swelling of the face and eyes.
Swelling of the eyes caused by a cold may be due to increased mucosal edema and secretions in the eyes, or it might be due to a secondary bacterial infection causing conditions such as eyelid inflammation or conjunctivitis. If there is eye swelling accompanied by purulent secretions, it is considered to be caused by inflammatory irritation. Topical use of rifampin eye drops or erythromycin ointment can be applied for anti-inflammatory treatment. If there is simply swelling and tearing without redness of the eyes, it may be due to increased glandular secretions caused by the cold, and medications that suppress glandular secretion along with vitamin supplements can be taken for symptomatic treatment. Drink plenty of water, rest more, and promote metabolism. (Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)
Is a cold in the summer always a wind-heat cold?
Colds are also common in summer, and typically, conditions like wind-heat colds are more frequent during this season. However, not all summer colds are wind-heat colds; some patients may catch a cold due to prolonged exposure to air conditioning or getting caught in the rain, both of which can lead to colds in the summer. For such colds, they are generally more likely to be cold in nature, so not all summer cold patients necessarily have wind-heat colds. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis should be conducted based on each patient's specific circumstances. For a typical summer cold, if it is a wind-heat cold, the patient usually experiences fever, headaches, nasal congestion, and runny nose, with the discharge often being yellow. They also experience sore throat and cough, usually coughing up yellow phlegm, which is commonly considered in clinical practice to be due to wind-heat cold.
How to reduce the heat for wind-heat cold?
If the wind-heat cold is not too severe, it is recommended to drink more water and usually do a good job of keeping warm to dispel cold and dampness. Also, it is important to exercise more, sweat more, improve physical fitness, enhance immunity, avoid eating too greasy, spicy, and stimulating foods, and eat more light fruits and vegetables. You can also drink some mung bean soup, which can cool down the body, clear heat, and detoxify. You can also take some Chinese patent medicines, such as Yin Qiao San or Ju Hua San. If the condition is more serious, you can use traditional Chinese medicine methods, such as acupuncture and scraping. (Please follow medical advice when using medicine.)
How can I prevent a cold?
In everyday life, if you want to prevent colds, you need to pay attention to keeping warm and avoid catching cold from the wind. The most important thing is to actively participate in physical exercise to enhance your physique and improve your own resistance, which is crucial. To enhance your own resistance, you can improve it through some small details in your daily life, such as eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, supplementing vitamins, and also making sure not to stay up late at night, ensuring sufficient sleep to enhance your resistance. You should also pay attention to personal hygiene, washing your hands before meals and after using the toilet, and often open windows for ventilation to keep the indoor air fresh and circulating. Additionally, it is necessary to regularly disinfect the bedroom to eliminate bacteria and avoid bacterial infections. Also, pay attention to eating more warm, soft, and easily digestible foods.
What should you not eat when you have a cold?
After catching a cold, one should generally avoid eating spicy, greasy, or cold foods such as chili peppers, ice cream, and seafood, and should not drink coffee or strong tea. Avoid greasy foods and try to eat more light fruits and vegetables. It is important to keep warm, avoid catching a cold again, and rest well. If one has a cold due to wind-heat, one should not eat heaty foods, commonly including citrus fruits and lamb. If it is a cold due to wind-cold, then one should avoid cold foods such as beer and watermelon.
What should I do if I have a fever, cold, and vomiting?
A cold is an inflammatory condition of the upper respiratory tract. When a patient's immune function is decreased and they are inadvertently exposed to cold, this can lead to the invasion of viruses, bacteria, and pathogens into the respiratory tract, causing clinical symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing. Colds can be divided into heat-type colds and cold-type colds based on the timing of onset and the different clinical symptoms that appear. Heat-type colds generally occur more often in summer. If a patient also experiences vomiting, the first step is to determine whether the cold is caused by a viral infection. If it is, appropriate antiviral medications and medications to clear heat and detoxify can be utilized to treat the symptoms. Once the symptoms of the cold are effectively controlled, the symptoms of vomiting will also subside. Of course, care must be taken to ensure a bland diet for patients with heat-type colds who experience vomiting, avoiding spicy and irritating foods until the condition is effectively controlled, after which the diet can gradually return to normal.