Common cold


Can air conditioning cause coughing?
Air conditioning cold is also a very common factor that triggers the onset of colds. Clinically speaking, an air conditioning cold is typically caused by staying too long in an air-conditioned room during the hot summer, where the temperature is set too low, leading to clinical symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, and fever. Even for colds caused by catching a chill, the symptoms can vary in severity among patients, and not all patients will exhibit the same clinical symptoms. Some patients may not show obvious coughing, while others might develop coughing symptoms due to exposure to air conditioning. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the specific circumstances of each patient, as the immune function of each patient varies, leading to different clinical symptoms after catching a chill.


Does drinking alcohol cure a cold?
Drinking alcohol definitely cannot cure a cold, and everyone should be aware of this. Moreover, contrary to that, drinking alcohol can potentially make the symptoms of a cold worse. During a cold, the body's resistance is already weakened, and drinking alcohol at this time might irritate the stomach lining and affect various organs in the body. Therefore, it is best not to drink alcohol when you have a cold, especially not as a treatment for it. It is advised that everyone take care to avoid this misconception. Also, when you have a cold, keep warm, eat light foods, and avoid drinks like carbonated beverages, alcoholic drinks, strong tea, and coffee. Additionally, it is important to maintain a relaxed mood and avoid excessive stress. During the period when taking cold medicine, you should be careful not to drink alcohol to prevent any toxic reactions, which are very harmful to health.


Can I eat lamb when I have a cold?
When you have a cold, you should not eat mutton as it is considered a "hot" food, which can aggravate the condition and lead to secondary infections. This type of food is considered an unfavorable stimulus for recovery from a cold. In terms of diet, it is advisable to eat lighter, softer foods rich in vitamins and high in fiber, such as fruits and vegetables. You should consume more celery, spinach, mung bean sprouts, tomatoes, carrots, avocados, dragon fruit, mangoes, and kiwis. Also, drink plenty of water, avoid staying up late, and avoid excessive stress.


What is lung-heat cold?
For those experiencing a cold due to lung heat, the main symptoms include excessive phlegm, sore throat, and a runny nose. It is essential to address this condition promptly. Improvements can be made through dietary changes, such as consuming foods that reduce lung heat. It is best to take treatment medication promptly for effective relief and improvement. Additionally, it is crucial to avoid excessive fatigue and refrain from consuming too cold or irritating foods. A lighter diet, including more celery and tomatoes, is recommended.


What should I do if I have a cold and my ears are itchy?
Having a cold accompanied by itchy ears may be due to congestion of varying degrees in the nasal mucosa and the middle ear canal following an upper respiratory tract infection. This condition can worsen when the patient blows their nose or if there is a concurrent bacterial infection, sometimes even leading to otitis media. Therefore, in such cases, patients might experience varying degrees of discharge and itching in the ear canal. It is crucial first to identify the specific pathogen causing the cold and treat it with the appropriate anti-infection or antiviral medications. Once the inflammation is effectively controlled, the symptoms of itchy ears can also be alleviated promptly and effectively.


What should I do if my nose turns red from a cold?
What should I do if my nose turns red from a cold? First, you should avoid rubbing your nose. You can relieve the swelling of the nasal mucosa through oral medications. The redness of the nose is due to the expansion of local capillaries. Additionally, external stimuli, pinching the nose, runny nose, and sneezing are all directly related. You can choose to take vitamin-based medications and medications known to affect glandular secretion for symptomatic treatment. If there is acute inflammation of the nasal mucosa, you should also choose some antibacterial drugs for treatment. Drink more water and rest more; generally, you will gradually recover in about three days.


Stages of Cold Symptoms
The symptoms of a cold generally fall into three stages. Initially, the symptoms of a cold may be mild or even absent, such as slight sneezing, runny nose, or nasal congestion. In such cases, it is advised to drink plenty of water, promote excretion, and improve immunity, as the early symptoms are often mild or not obvious and hence overlooked. Later, the symptoms of a cold get more severe. During the mid-stage of a cold, symptoms may worsen, including cough, phlegm, sore or swollen throat, or itchy and dry throat. Body temperature may also rise slightly. At this stage, it is recommended to actively follow a doctor's advice and take appropriate anti-inflammatory and anti-infection medication, along with fever-reducing and cough-relieving drugs to alleviate the symptoms. In the later stages of a cold, symptoms may improve, for example, the phlegm may turn yellow and the headaches and fever may subside. Under these conditions, it is sufficient to continue taking medication under a doctor’s guidance for treatment.


Is it good to eat oranges when you have a cold?
Eating oranges can help alleviate the symptoms of a cold. Oranges are rich in various vitamins and contain a lot of water. They help moisten the lungs, stop coughs, and enhance the body's immune system, aiding in the relief of symptoms. During a cold, it is also important to increase nutrition by consuming high-quality, high-protein foods such as milk, beef, and lean meats to replenish energy. If cold symptoms are severe, such as headaches, nausea, and high fever, one can take traditional Chinese medicine anti-cold treatments under the guidance of a doctor, such as Lianhua Qingwen capsules. If a secondary bacterial infection occurs, presenting symptoms like fever, cough, and yellow sputum, use antibacterial medication prudently based on the results of sputum culture and drug sensitivity tests, such as azithromycin or cephalosporin antibiotics.


Can air conditioning cause a fever?
Air conditioning cold, also known as in the hot summer due to staying in air-conditioned rooms for a long time without timely ventilation, and the air conditioning temperature being set too low, over time, will inevitably cause some clinical discomfort symptoms. Typically, if the temperature is too low, it generally causes symptoms of upper respiratory infections, such as nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, fever, and even some gastrointestinal discomfort symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Therefore, it is very common for patients with air conditioning cold to experience fever symptoms. As long as the diagnosis is clear and timely symptomatic treatment is provided, the fever symptoms caused by air conditioning cold can also be effectively controlled.


Symptoms of gastroenteritis
Gastrointestinal flu is caused by a viral infection, commonly seen in the summer and fall seasons, and its symptoms often include those of both upper respiratory tract infections and acute gastroenteritis. Symptoms of upper respiratory infection include fever, chills, dizziness, headache, fatigue, general muscle pain, sore throat, cough, etc.; symptoms of acute gastroenteritis are vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal bloating, abdominal pain, etc., often presenting as watery stools. This disease can be diagnosed through routine blood tests and stool exams, which help distinguish it from bacterial infections causing diarrhea. Treatment typically involves oral antiviral medications and anti-diarrheal drugs.