The difference between rhinitis and the common cold.

Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
Updated on January 26, 2025
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There are certain differences between rhinitis and the common cold, mainly in the following aspects: Firstly, it is important to know that acute rhinitis refers to the common cold, as written in medical textbooks. However, some types of rhinitis are different, such as chronic rhinitis which is a chronic disease, not an acute illness like the common cold. Allergic rhinitis also includes symptoms such as sneezing, clear nasal discharge, and nasal congestion, very similar to those of a cold, but allergic rhinitis is an allergic disease, not a viral infection like the common cold. There are also other diseases, such as atrophic rhinitis, where the nasal cavity is very wide, whereas in a cold, caused by a viral infection, the nasal passages are very narrow, and these conditions are very different. Therefore, clinically, treatment should be based on different causes, treating colds as colds and rhinitis as rhinitis.

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Can you eat shrimp with a cold?

When you have a cold, it is important to be cautious about what you eat. It is best to avoid eating shrimp as it is considered a stimulating food that can potentially worsen the symptoms of a cold. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid seafood like fish, shrimp, and crabs, which are also considered stimulating. Your diet should primarily be light, and you should consume foods rich in vitamins and fiber. Additionally, maintaining a positive mindset and not worrying too much are important. Furthermore, if the cold is severe, be sure to follow a doctor's guidance and cooperate with the medical treatment actively. Avoid spicy, greasy, raw, or irritant foods. Also, it is advisable not to consume items like chili peppers, black pepper, mustard, alcoholic beverages, strong tea, and coffee.

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Is an air conditioning cold a wind-heat cold?

The so-called air conditioning cold refers to a cold phenomenon caused by setting the air conditioning temperature too low, which makes patients overchilled. The clinical symptoms of such patients are mainly those of a cold caused by wind-cold, primarily characterized by a runny nose, nasal congestion, and clear watery nasal discharge, along with an itchy throat and coughing. Of course, these patients may also experience varying degrees of fever. Therefore, air conditioning-induced colds typically occur in the summer, and it is necessary to combine the patient’s clinical symptoms to determine the specific type of cold, which is generally dominated by wind-cold colds.

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Which department should I visit for a cold?

A cold is a common self-limiting disease in daily life, and it is also somewhat contagious. For treatment and examination, one can visit the general internal medicine department or the respiratory department at a hospital. If it is a severe contagious cold, such as an epidemic influenza, it is advisable to go to the infectious disease department of the hospital for examination. The main principle is symptomatic treatment and antiviral management, while avoiding stress. Mild cases may recover on their own within three to seven days without medication or treatment, simply by resting and drinking plenty of water. However, if the symptoms are severe, timely examination should be sought to prevent complications.

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Is scraping effective for colds caused by heat?

Scraping therapy can also be very effective for treating colds associated with heat symptoms, as it primarily stimulates acupoints to help reduce internal heat, achieving effective regulation and improvement. It is also important to pay attention to diet, avoiding foods that are too heating to effectively prevent exacerbating the condition. Scraping therapy mainly adjusts the body by stimulating acupoints, and can significantly improve conditions by scraping acupoints like Kidney Shu and Lung Shu. It is best to avoid alcohol and overly heating foods in your diet.

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Is cold with yellow phlegm caused by a wind-cold cold or a heat cold?

Cold with yellow phlegm is generally classified as a wind-heat cold in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Colds are categorized based on the different pathogenic factors involved: wind-cold colds and wind-heat colds. A wind-cold cold is primarily caused by exposure to pathogenic wind-cold, characterized mainly by coughing up white phlegm, feeling chilly but not hot, and a reluctance to drink water. On the other hand, a wind-heat cold follows exposure to external wind-heat pathogens. Its symptoms include feeling hot instead of cold, coughing, yellow phlegm, yellow nasal discharge, sweating, irritability, and constipation. Therefore, the presence of yellow phlegm typically indicates a wind-heat cold. There are many medicinal treatments for wind-heat colds, particularly those that clear heat and detoxify the body, all of which can be used to treat a wind-heat cold.