Common cold


Can you catch a cold in the early stages of pregnancy?
The common cold is one of the most prevalent diseases, and people are generally susceptible to the cold virus, with no significant differences in incidence related to age or gender. Therefore, it is also possible to catch a cold in the early stages of pregnancy, and it is important to actively prevent colds during this time. This includes making sure to rest, avoid getting chilled, adjust clothing with seasonal changes, drink plenty of water, and ensure proper ventilation in the room. During peak cold season, it's best to avoid crowded places to reduce the risk of infection.


How to recover quickly from a cold?
If you have symptoms of a cold, make sure to observe what symptoms are present, such as fever, cough, sputum production, limb soreness, and fatigue. If the symptoms are mild, it is likely just a common cold, which should heal in about seven days. Besides avoiding interventions, it is also important to rest more, drink plenty of water, and promote excretion. At the same time, appropriate outdoor activities and physical exercise can enhance physical fitness and help the disease recover more quickly. Additionally, if the symptoms are severe, besides treating the cause, it is also necessary to take some symptomatic medications to alleviate the symptoms. Also, complementing this with daily life routines and some dietary adjustments can help the disease recover more quickly.


Does kidney deficiency make one prone to catching a cold?
Patients with kidney deficiency are prone to catching colds because kidney deficiency can lead to weakened constitution, decreased body functions, and symptoms such as general fatigue, dizziness, vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus, and reduced memory. Therefore, if kidney deficiency occurs, it is essential to treat it promptly. Usually, one can eat more foods that help supplement kidney energy, such as adzuki beans, red beans, and coix seeds, which can effectively improve symptoms. It is also necessary to strengthen physical exercise to enhance the body's resistance, or ensure adequate rest, avoid excessive fatigue, and particularly avoid staying up late to prevent worsening the symptoms.


Symptoms of a cold
If it's just a common cold, then the symptoms are relatively mild, consisting only of some sneezing, a runny nose, and nasal congestion. However, if bacterial or viral infections are involved, the symptoms become more severe. A common cold is self-limiting and usually resolves itself in about seven days without the need for medical intervention. If a viral infection is causing the cold, the onset of symptoms is typically sudden and may include fever, cough, expectoration, headache, body aches, and fatigue. It is also important to note that in such cases, treatment should be carried out under the guidance of a doctor and may involve taking medication. Physically cooling methods or fever-reducing drugs may be used to reduce fever. Bacterial infections can also cause symptoms like cough, expectoration, and fever, and it is advised to actively treat these symptoms appropriately.


What should I do if the baby has a cold and is vomiting milk?
Baby colds accompanied by vomiting of milk indicate that the child has an upper respiratory infection along with gastrointestinal symptoms. A cold can cause poor digestion or stomach discomfort, which might lead to vomiting of milk. First, ensure the child's diet is light and easy to digest. For babies who are formula-fed, you can give them probiotics or gastric protease granules, which can help alleviate gastrointestinal discomfort and are also beneficial for reducing vomiting. Additionally, after each feeding, it's important to hold the baby upright and pat their back to burp them, then hold them a bit longer. When sleeping, place the baby in a right-side lying position with the head of the cot elevated at a 15-degree angle. By managing this way, the vomiting in most children can be alleviated. (Note: The answer is for reference only. For medication, please consult a doctor under the guidance of a professional physician, and do not self-medicate.)


What should I do if I have a cold with heart failure?
Infections are a primary cause of worsening heart failure. Patients with heart failure who catch a cold should treat the cold, and if the cold exacerbates the heart failure, they should also treat the heart failure simultaneously. Patients with heart failure should always try to avoid infections by regularly ventilating their living spaces, avoiding crowded places prone to cross-infections, and dressing appropriately for the weather. Additionally, patients should engage in appropriate exercise to boost their immune system, but they must balance activity and rest.


Is scraping effective for a stomach cold?
When experiencing a stomach cold, gua sha can also be quite effective. Because during gua sha, it can effectively promote the digestion of the gastrointestinal tract and also improve internal heat conditions. It's also necessary to pay close attention to diet, such as avoiding overly greasy, spicy, or cold foods, and primarily sticking to a light diet to effectively prevent worsening the condition. Additionally, it's important to rest well and you can also massage the abdomen in a clockwise direction, which can effectively help promote gastrointestinal digestion and provide substantial relief from the illness.


How to use moxibustion for wind-heat cold?
Patients with colds caused by wind-cold can choose moxibustion at the Fengchi point, located 1.5 cm lateral to the midline in the depression formed by the occipital bone and cervical spine at the back of the head. The Dazhui point is located on the neck, in the depression below the seventh cervical vertebra, and the Hegu point is located at the tiger's mouth on the back of the hand. Moxibustion uses the warmth of the moxa fire to stimulate the Dazhui, Hegu, and Fengchi points to accelerate local blood circulation, promote cell metabolism, invigorate blood to dissolve stasis, expel wind and disperse cold, accelerate the expulsion of cold from the body, regulate endocrine functions, harmonize qi and blood, improve body functions, and increase the patient's immunity. This can effectively alleviate the patient's cold symptoms caused by wind-cold. It is recommended to keep warm and rest after treatment.


How to relieve cold, nasal congestion, and chest tightness?
Patients like those with a common cold are often seen in populations with weakened immune systems. They may develop various symptoms such as fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing due to carelessness in exposure to cold, and infection by viruses, bacteria, or other pathogens. Additionally, if patients already suffer from bronchial asthma, infections by viruses or bacteria can trigger an asthma attack at any time. Therefore, when such patients experience symptoms like nasal congestion and runny nose, they may also experience chest tightness and shortness of breath. To alleviate these symptoms, it is important first to identify the causative factor of the chest tightness and shortness of breath. If it is due to a cold leading to an episode of chronic bronchitis, then the chest tightness and shortness of breath can be managed by timely administering anti-infective, cough-suppressing, expectorant, and antiviral medications. Once the symptoms of the upper respiratory tract infection are effectively controlled, medications that relieve bronchospasm can be appropriately used to ease the condition.


The cause of colds and flu
Cold and influenza are what traditional Chinese medicine refers to as 'wind-cold common cold.' The main causes are due to a decrease in the body's resistance, exposure to cold wind, and the inability to expel it from the body promptly. This results in a series of symptoms related to the wind-cold common cold, such as nasal congestion, clear nasal discharge, sneezing, sore limbs, chills, and fever. At this time, active treatment should be carried out, and it is appropriate to eat more warm foods or take medicines for conditioning. At home, you can use ginger brown sugar water, drink more hot porridge, and cover with thick blankets to make the body sweat slightly, which can alleviate the symptoms.