Can you swim with a cold?

Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
Updated on March 17, 2025
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Colds, also known as upper respiratory infections, generally occur because the patient's immune function is weakened, leading to the condition. Many patients catch a cold due to exposure to cold, while others are infected by people with colds due to weakened immune function.

For patients with a cold who do not have a fever, we generally recommend engaging in appropriate exercise, which can help alleviate the symptoms of a cold. For instance, if a cold occurs during the cold winter months, swimming and participating in similar physical activities can be beneficial for enhancing the patient's immune function and aiding in quicker recovery from the illness. Therefore, it is acceptable for patients with a cold to swim.

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Why can't people with polycystic kidney disease catch a cold?

Polycystic kidney disease is an autosomal dominant hereditary disease. As the patient's age increases, the cysts of polycystic kidney will gradually enlarge, and the risk of renal function abnormalities and related complications will increase. If the patient catches a cold, it will exacerbate the abnormality of kidney function. Furthermore, the use of some antiviral and antibacterial drugs metabolized through the kidneys can also increase the burden on the kidneys, further causing damage to them. Therefore, patients with polycystic kidney disease should try to avoid colds, diarrhea, urinary tract infections, and other related infectious diseases.

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What cold is nasal congestion?

Nasal congestion is the most common clinical symptom of nasal diseases. Various disorders, such as rhinitis, sinusitis, nasal foreign bodies, and even nasal tumors can cause nasal congestion. In terms of colds, clinically it mainly refers to an upper respiratory infection caused by a viral infection. Therefore, nasal congestion alone cannot determine which type of cold it is. The types of colds, in modern medicine, refer to upper respiratory infections. In traditional Chinese medicine, they are divided into colds caused by wind-heat and colds caused by wind-cold. Merely from the symptom of nasal congestion, it is impossible to determine the type of cold. Therefore, in clinical practice, the main focus for treating nasal congestion is symptomatic treatment, which may include the use of medications to constrict the nasal blood vessels and clear the nasal passages. (Please follow the doctor's prescription for medication use.)

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How to treat cold and dizziness during pregnancy?

Due to decreased immunity during pregnancy, women are particularly susceptible to infections from external microbes, leading to respiratory illnesses such as the common cold. The cold can cause symptoms like nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing, which can reduce the amount of oxygen inhaled. As the brain's demand for oxygen cannot be met, this can result in symptoms of dizziness. Since pregnant women cannot use medications due to the development of the fetus within, if dizziness occurs due to a cold during pregnancy, one can inhale some oxygen as a remedy. Additionally, using a hot towel on the nose to improve breathing can also help alleviate symptoms of dizziness.

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The difference between rhinitis and the common cold.

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 not eat seafood when you have a cold?

Cold patients can generally eat seafood unless they are allergic to it. The common cold is the most frequently seen acute upper respiratory tract infection in clinical settings, and it is a contagious disease. It can cause a variety of clinical symptoms such as fever, cough, nasal congestion, runny nose, and sore throat. Therefore, patients with a cold will experience certain consumption, including nutritional and fluid loss. Seafood is the most common marine product food, and it does not affect the common cold. This means that eating seafood does not worsen the clinical symptoms of a cold. Moreover, seafood contains rich nutrients, which can beneficially supplement the losses caused by the cold. Of course, a very small number of cold patients may have an allergic constitution and be allergic to seafood, in which case it is not suitable for them, but this situation is very rare.