What can you eat with a stomach flu?

Written by Ren Zheng Xin
Gastroenterology
Updated on January 07, 2025
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Gastrointestinal colds are caused by Coxsackie virus infection. Patients can eat more vegetables and fruits to supplement plant-based fiber and hydrate. Eating nutritious foods such as beef and mutton can help replenish energy and enhance resistance. Staple foods should be soft, such as rice soup, noodle soup, and vegetable soup. It is important to note that spicy and irritating foods should be avoided, and the consumption of strong tea, coffee, and alcohol should be minimized during the cold.

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Written by Liao Bin
Pulmonology
1min 23sec home-news-image

Can you drink alcohol during a cold?

During a cold, one should not drink alcohol. Patients with a cold often experience nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and sore throat. Some may feel general body aches and weakness. Drinking alcohol can potentially worsen these clinical symptoms, especially since patients are prone to gastrointestinal disturbances during a cold, particularly those with a gastrointestinal type of cold who exhibit significant nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Continuing to drink alcohol can lead to a severe worsening of digestive symptoms, and even lead to watery diarrhea and symptoms of collapse. Some patients with a cold may experience a fever induced by drinking alcohol, which can worsen and prolong the illness. Sometimes, drinking alcohol can lead to secondary bacterial infections of the respiratory tract, forming a bacterial type of cold and worsening the condition. Moreover, cold patients may need to take oral medication, and drinking alcohol could exacerbate the adverse reactions of these medications. Specifically, in cases of bacterial colds where cephalosporin anti-inflammatory drugs are required, drinking alcohol can cause a disulfiram-like reaction. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid alcohol during a cold.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
1min 7sec home-news-image

What should I do if I have a cold and vomiting in the summer?

In summer, patients may catch a cold due to carelessness, especially when the body's immune function is compromised. Colds, varying in type, also differ in accompanying clinical symptoms. For instance, summer cold patients might experience not only fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing but also nausea and vomiting, suggesting the presence of a gastrointestinal-type cold. To address this, it is crucial first to identify the vomiting symptoms accompanying the cold. A gastrointestinal cold is mostly caused by viral infections, so it is necessary to administer antiviral and heat-clearing detoxifying medications promptly for symptomatic treatment. Once the symptoms of the upper respiratory tract are effectively controlled, the vomiting will similarly subside. Of course, patients with gastrointestinal colds must hydrate promptly and consume light, easily digestible, and nutritious food.

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Written by Li Jian Wu
Pulmonology
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How to reduce fever when having a cold?

For treating fever from a cold, clinical practices include several physical cooling methods to alleviate fever symptoms. The simplest method involves using a cool towel or ice pack to compress the forehead. Other methods include wiping the palms, soles of the feet, chest, inner thighs, and inner arms with warm water or alcohol. Soaking feet in Sichuan peppercorn water or drinking more ginger sugar water can also help in physically reducing fever. Additionally, using fever-reducing patches and increasing water intake can promote metabolism.

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Written by Zhang Shu Kun
Traditional Chinese Medicine
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Can scraping (gua sha) cure a cold?

Gua sha cannot cure a cold, but it helps with recovery from a cold. This is because gua sha can reduce internal heat, promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, and improve the body's metabolism. To cure a cold, it is still necessary to use cold medicines or anti-inflammatory drugs to achieve a healing effect. During treatment, it is also important to drink more water, urinate frequently, and engage in physical exercise to effectively promote sweating, which can improve the situation. After catching a cold, it is advisable to rest and avoid excessive fatigue. The diet should be light and easy to digest, avoiding stimulating and cold food. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a professional doctor.)

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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Catching a cold from air conditioning is considered what type of cold?

Due to different seasons, the temperature used for air conditioning also varies. Generally, in hot summers, if the air conditioning temperature is set too low, it can cause colds, which are considered cold-type colds. Clinically, patients with such colds might also experience fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, itchy throat and dry cough, and even symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, and headache due to fever. Therefore, even in hot weather like summer, it is advisable to set the air conditioning temperature to a moderate level to avoid colds. For colds caused by air conditioning, patients should definitely use some medications for symptomatic treatment, as they can usually be cured within about a week.