Is a bacterial cold a wind-heat cold?

Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
Updated on June 23, 2025
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Bacterial colds, presenting with clinical symptoms such as fever, headache, sore throat, nasal congestion, and sometimes yellow nasal discharge, along with coughing. For patients with simple bacterial colds experiencing these symptoms, these clinical manifestations alone cannot distinguish between a Wind-Heat cold and a Wind-Cold cold. It is known that the differentiation between Wind-Heat and Wind-Cold colds is based on the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine and cannot be determined from the perspective of bacterial infection. Therefore, clinically, it is often not possible to differentiate bacterial colds based on these symptoms alone.

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Is a sore throat caused by a cold with wind-cold or a cold with wind-heat?

Sore throat may be caused by a cold due to wind-cold or wind-heat, which are terms used in traditional Chinese medicine. However, from a Western medicine perspective, both wind-cold and wind-heat colds are caused by viral infections, and in rare cases, bacterial infections. When bacteria or viruses invade the respiratory tract's mucous membranes, especially the mucous membranes of the throat, it leads to congestion and swelling of the throat mucosa, increased exudation of inflammatory secretions, resulting in symptoms such as sore throat, throat discomfort, and coughing up phlegm. Therefore, a sore throat could be due to a cold caused by wind-cold or wind-heat. In such cases, it is appropriate to take some anti-cold medications or some Chinese patent medicines to alleviate the symptoms.

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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.

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Can you donate blood if you have a cold?

You cannot donate blood when you have a cold, as colds are mostly caused by bacterial or viral infections, and donations are not allowed during this time. Before donating blood, a series of tests are required, and donation is not allowed when you are sick. Additionally, your immune system is generally weaker when you have a cold. Donating blood at this time could worsen the symptoms of the cold. After donating, your immunity could be even lower, making your body weaker, thus hindering the recovery from the cold. Therefore, you should not donate blood while having a cold. Wait until at least half a month after the symptoms have subsided before donating blood. Furthermore, you should eat lightly, avoiding spicy, greasy, raw, or irritating foods. Before donating blood, you should avoid smoking, drinking alcohol, and staying up late to ensure you get enough sleep and boost your immunity.

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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.

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What are the symptoms of a cold in infants?

Symptoms of a cold in infants generally include less energy and spirit than usual and varying degrees of reduced appetite. Depending on the type of cold, other symptoms may differ. If the cold is caused by a respiratory virus infection, common symptoms include nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, phlegm, and sometimes wheezing. Severe cases may experience shortness of breath. If it's a cold caused by a gastrointestinal virus infection, typical symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea. The severity of the cold and the source of the infection can also lead to varying degrees of fever.