Common cold


Is tearing a symptom of a severe cold?
Tearing during a cold is not an indicator of a severe cold; a severe cold actually refers to more serious general symptoms in the patient. The common cold, also known as an upper respiratory tract infection, involves the respiratory tract from the cricoid cartilage of the trachea up to the nasal cavity, which is called the upper respiratory tract. An upper respiratory tract infection is essentially an infection in this part of the respiratory tract. If an infection occurs, the primary symptoms include nasal congestion, a runny nose, sore throat, and coughing. However, some patients may experience severe general symptoms, including fever, joint pain in the limbs, muscle soreness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. These symptoms often indicate a severe cold. Tearing alone during a cold is quite common and can also be seen in milder cases of the common cold. Therefore, it is not a significant indicator for diagnosing a severe cold.


What soup to drink for a cold?
During a cold, it is advisable to eat some liquid foods appropriately. If it is a cold caused by wind-cold, at this time, you can appropriately drink some brown sugar ginger water, which can expel the coldness in the body and alleviate some symptoms of the wind-cold cold. If it is a wind-heat cold, then you can drink some rock sugar pear water or Fritillaria pear water at this time, which has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing fire, moisturizing the lungs, and relieving cough. At the same time, it is recommended that everyone must pay attention to getting more rest during a cold, not to overwork, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, supplement vitamins, and increase their resistance. Additionally, it is also appropriate to drink some millet juice or vegetable juice, and yam juice, etc., which can supplement the body's vitamins and meet the body's needs for vitamins.


What to do if you have a cold and a headache?
If you have a headache with a cold, it might be due to a viral infection, and you should go to the hospital for a routine blood test to identify the source of the infection. Then, take the corresponding anti-infection medication to treat and alleviate the symptoms. Also, you should pay attention to eating light, drinking more water, promoting excretion, and enhancing your immune system. Avoid eating spicy, greasy, and cold irritating foods. If the headache is severe, you may need to take some painkillers to relieve the symptoms. Additionally, symptomatic treatment should be applied; apart from the headache, you should check if there is any fever. Once the temperature exceeds 38.5°C, you should take some antipyretic drugs for treatment. Also, pay attention to using physical cooling methods, drinking more water, and avoiding spicy, greasy, and cold irritating foods. It is advised to follow the doctor’s guidance closely and cooperate actively with the doctor to alleviate the symptoms.


How many days does it take for a stomach cold to get better?
Gastroenteritis, also known as gastro flu, is caused by inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract which leads to a cold. This condition presents both gastrointestinal and cold symptoms, including nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, runny nose, and general weakness. The primary treatments involve using cold medications and antibiotics. Recovery usually occurs gradually over about a week. During the treatment period, it is crucial to follow a light diet, ensure proper nutrition, get plenty of rest, and drink additional water to stay hydrated.


Can I eat mangoes if I have a cold and a stuffy nose?
Colds belong to respiratory system diseases, and the factors causing colds in clinical settings are often due to low immune function in patients. A slight carelessness or getting chilled can lead to the invasion of viruses, bacteria, or other pathogens into the respiratory tract, causing inflammatory lesions. In clinical settings, patients with a cold often experience nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and some also have varying degrees of coughing. For patients with a cold, we recommend that they eat more foods high in vitamins. Especially fresh fruits, such as apples, pears, mangoes, strawberries, kiwis, and even watermelons, can all be appropriately consumed. Therefore, when a patient with a cold has nasal congestion, they can eat mangoes. Because mangoes are very nutritious, containing a variety of vitamins and trace elements needed by the body.


Is it good to get an injection for a cold?
The common cold is caused by a viral infection and clinically, it often presents symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, throat discomfort, and coughing. Some patients may also experience mild fever, fatigue, headaches, and other symptoms. Currently, there are no specific and effective treatments for the common cold, and generally, there is no need for injections. This illness also has a certain self-limiting nature; even without medication, the common cold generally improves within about seven days. If the symptoms are significant, medications like compound cold medicine can be used to alleviate the symptoms of a cold.


How to distinguish between bacterial cold and viral cold
Bacterial colds and viral colds can be distinguished by a complete blood count. A viral cold, generally caused by a viral infection, is characterized by symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, and mild fever. Bacterial colds, on the other hand, often present with chills and high fever, sore throat, and pus in the tonsils. In viral colds, lymphocyte counts are elevated, and there is no significant increase, or no increase, in the total white blood cell count. Bacterial colds show an increase in white blood cells and neutrophils.


Is having phlegm in a cold due to wind-cold or wind-heat cold?
Simple cases of colds accompanied by coughing phlegm cannot distinguish between cold-induced colds and heat-induced colds. Clinically, patients with heat-induced colds often have yellow phlegm when coughing occurs, and heat-induced colds are more common in summer. Patients will also experience fever, chills, and sore throat among other clinical symptoms. Wind-cold colds clinically manifest with nasal congestion and a runny nose, usually with clear nasal discharge, as well as fever, itchy throat, and dry cough. When patients cough, it is typically characterized by clear phlegm. Therefore, if one simply states that a cold involves phlegm, it is not possible to differentiate between wind-cold cold and wind-heat cold.


What department should I go to for a baby's cold?
Infant colds are diseases caused by respiratory or gastrointestinal viral infections, and onset is usually sudden. The registration for a doctor's visit may vary depending on the timing. If it's during normal working hours, then a visit to the pediatric outpatient clinic is usually sufficient. However, if it's during off hours, such as at noon, evening, weekends, or public holidays, then a visit to the pediatric emergency department is generally required. Additionally, depending on the symptoms accompanying the cold, a sub-specialty within pediatrics can be chosen. For instance, if the infant cold includes significant respiratory symptoms, then a visit to the pediatric respiratory medicine outpatient clinic is appropriate. If the cold comes with gastrointestinal symptoms, then the pediatric gastroenterology outpatient clinic is suitable.


Can you drink alcohol if you have a cold?
It is not recommended to drink alcohol during a cold. This is because alcohol can suppress the central nervous system and affect the absorption of medications, especially cephalosporin drugs. One must not drink alcohol as it can pose a life-threatening risk. Whether it is beer, Western liquor, or strong spirits, none should be consumed. Since a cold itself can cause symptoms of fatigue and weakness, adding alcohol can potentially worsen these symptoms. Additionally, consuming alcohol while on cold medications is not advised, as it can lead to poor mental focus, and alcohol can exacerbate the symptoms of a cold.