How to cure a cold at home. Treatment of colds with folk remedies. We believe that complex preparations for colds and acute respiratory infections work better

Not all people immediately run to the doctor when the first signs of the disease appear. It is enough to treat colds at home. But first, it’s worth understanding how the disease progresses and what causes contribute to its manifestation.

The common cold is a number of diseases that are caused by viruses and bacteria and affect the mucous membranes of the nose and throat. The disease can affect anyone, regardless of gender and age. Before you understand how to treat a cold, you need to know what factors contribute to its occurrence. The main reasons are considered to be the following.

• Constant stressful experiences.
• Hypothermia, drafts.
• Exacerbation of chronic diseases.
• Availability bad habits in the form of smoking and alcohol abuse.
• Lack of vitamins and minerals.
• Failure to comply with hygiene rules.
• Constantly visiting places where there are a lot of people.
• Weakened immune function.

Symptoms of colds

The main signs of a cold appear as follows.

• Difficulty in nasal breathing.
• Swelling of the nasal mucosa.
• Sore throat and pain.
• The temperature rises to 38 degrees.
• Runny nose.
• Cough.
• Itching and burning in the nasal area.
• Sneezing.
• Redness of the whites of the eyes.
• Increased tear production.
• Copious discharge from the nasal passages.
• General weakness.
• Chills.
• Aches in joint and muscle tissues.
• Painful feeling in the head.

Deterioration of the condition during a cold can occur against the background of other diseases such as oncology, arthritis, rheumatism, thrush, meningitis, tonsillitis.

Complications after a cold

Many patients ignore the first signs of a cold, break bed rest and then go to work. But such a condition can only lead to worsening and complications in the form.

• Severe fatigue and decreased performance.
• Destabilization of the functioning of the digestive system.
• Diseases of the cardiac and vascular systems.
• Disorders at the psycho-emotional level, which are accompanied by aggression, depressive state and apathy.
• Deterioration of the skin condition.
• Bronchitis.
• Pneumonia.
• Sinusitis.
• Otitis.
• Immunological disorders.
• Sore throats.

Treatment at the first symptoms of a cold

What is the treatment for a cold at home? As soon as the patient felt the occurrence general weakness, severe fatigue and sore throat, you should start immediately healing process. To do this, you need to follow a few simple but important tips.

1. Compliance bed rest. If you have a cold, it is better to take a few days off and rest at home. Unfortunately, not many patients comply this rule, which leads to the development of complications. They may not appear immediately, but after several years.
2. Observation of temperature conditions. It is very important to remember that if the temperature does not rise above 38 degrees, the use of antipyretic drugs is not recommended. On the contrary, it is at this moment that viruses and bacteria begin to die.
3. Drinking large amounts of fluids. The liquid helps to avoid dehydration of the body, while helping to remove harmful microbes. When you have a cold, it is recommended to drink salted water, various fruit drinks and herbal infusions. You should not drink ordinary water, as it removes all salts from the body.
4. Gargling. Even with minor pain in the throat and sore throat, rinsing will help. For procedures, you can use a solution of furatsilin or a combination of iodine and salt. Manipulations should be carried out at least five to six times a day.
5. Nasal rinsing. Even minor discharge must be removed from the nose. Rinsing with a bulb or aspirator using saline or saline solution will help with this. After performing the manipulations, the nasal passages can be lubricated with propolis tincture.
6. Warming up your feet and hands. If the patient's body temperature is not higher than 37.3 degrees, warming procedures can be carried out in the form of hot foot baths. This traditional treatment helps to dilate blood vessels, improve blood flow and remove harmful microbes. During the procedure, you can use dry mustard powder, essential oils or infusions medicinal herbs. If the patient has a high temperature, then such manipulations cannot be performed. But you can put warm socks on your feet and tie a scarf around your neck.
7. Airing the room. It needs to be done every two to three hours for fifteen minutes.

It is worth remembering that the onset of a cold lasts up to three days after the virus enters. Therefore, during this period of time, you can stop the worsening of the disease by following the above tips.

Medicines to treat colds

Of course the best medicine for runny nose and colds is to carry out preventive measures and strengthening immune function. To get sick less often, you should stick to active image life, accept cold and hot shower and give up bad habits.

But it is impossible to completely insure yourself against diseases, so it’s worth knowing how to carry out effective treatment colds. When symptoms occur, you need to enrich your diet with foods that contain vitamin C. This includes citrus fruits, vegetable and fruit dishes. If the patient has lost his appetite, then a cold can be cured by constantly drinking water or tea with lemon and honey, lingonberry, cranberry, currant fruit drinks or rosehip infusions.

If the temperature rises and symptoms worsen, you need to take medications in the form of Coldrex, Theraflu or Fervex. They are sold in powder form. Just add them to the mug hot water, stir and drink. These products are intended for adults and children over twelve years of age. When an elevated temperature occurs in childhood, then in this case it is better to give the child Paracetamol or Ibuprofen, which are available in the form of suppositories and syrup.

Also, in the first days of illness, doctors advise taking antiviral drugs. It is aimed at producing natural interferon. These include Arbidol, Kagocel, Ergoferon, Anaferon, Ingavirin.

Treatment of colds and coughs with traditional methods

How to cure colds and coughs folk remedies? One of unpleasant signs The disease is a cough, which can be dry or wet. But in order for a cold to go away quickly, it is better to use folk remedies when the first signs appear.

An infusion made from peppermint. To prepare it, you need to take a spoonful of mint and pour a cup of boiled water. Then put on fire for five to seven minutes. After this, strain and add a spoonful of honey and a few drops of lemon. This decoction is recommended to be taken before bed. Many patients claim that after drinking the infusion the cough goes away the next morning. To consolidate the result, it is recommended to make a compress from apple cider vinegar. You need to apply it to your chest and throat for fifteen to twenty minutes.

If the patient has coughing attacks, then stopping this process will help warm milk with honey. It envelops perfectly sore throat and calms. The product is especially recommended for use by young children, since most medications have contraindications and side effects.

Inhalation will also help overcome coughing. They help thin mucus and have a calming effect. For the procedure, you can use boiled potatoes, water with added soda, essential oils and medicinal herbs. Borjomi with grape juice is also excellent.

It is worth remembering that no matter what cold remedies you use, folk or pharmacy, you should first consult a doctor. After all, every medicine has its own contraindications and adverse reactions.

Any colds accompanied by the development of rhinitis. This condition often leads to nasal congestion and difficulty breathing. The patient begins to breathe through the mouth, resulting in a dry throat and a coughing attack.

To prevent a runny nose, you need to start rinsing your nose in the first days. This procedure will not only help ease breathing and relieve nasal congestion, but will also wash everything pathogenic microorganisms. For manipulations, solutions based on sea or table salt, chamomile or sage decoctions and furatsilin are used. Rinsing preparations can also be purchased at pharmacy kiosks in the form of AquaMaris, Dolphin and Aqualor.

Can also be used folk recipes from a runny nose. There are the most effective and best folk remedies for runny nose, colds and nasal congestion. They include.

1. Herbal mixture. To prepare it, you need to take half a liter of boiled water and add a spoonful of a mixture of herbs in the form of chamomile, eucalyptus, calendula, mint and St. John's wort. All ingredients are added in equal proportions. Then put on fire and keep for five minutes. The prepared decoction must be inhaled up to three times a day.
2. Essential oils. You can also perform inhalations using essential oils. This is considered effective. It is enough to add ten drops to boiled water lemon oil, three drops of lavender and peppermint oil. The procedure must be carried out twice a day.
3. Menthol oil. This product should be applied to the nasal area and maxillary sinuses. This method Helps relieve nasal congestion and reduce the amount of mucus produced.
4. Self-prepared ointment. To prepare the mixture, you need to take half a lemon and grind it in a blender or meat grinder. Then add a spoonful of honey and vegetable oil. After thorough mixing, the ointment is applied to the nasal mucosa twice a day.
5. Carrot drops. To prepare them, you need to take carrots, grate them and squeeze out the juice. After this, add a little vegetable oil. Three drops of this product are instilled into the nose, two to three times a day.

Treating a cold at home

Many patients are looking for ways to treat colds with folk remedies. After all, the disease is often accompanied by a runny nose, cough, fever and sore throat. To recover from a cold, experts advise taking immunostimulating drugs. They are aimed at increasing immune function, because it is weakened due to hypothermia and the penetration of viruses into the body. Medicines aimed at eliminating cough, runny nose and sore throat will also help cure a cold at home.

To treat a runny nose, various drops are produced for instillation into the nose. But it is better not to use vasoconstrictors, as they have only a temporary effect and are addictive. In such a situation, it is better to use herbal or sea ​​salt.

To eliminate pain in the throat, lozenges are prescribed. Some manufacturers produce tablets with an anesthetic effect that are good to take before bed.

If you experience a cough during a cold, it is recommended to use products aimed at thinning and removing mucus and stopping the cough reflex. If the cold is severe, there is a wet cough and accumulation of sputum in the bronchi, then expectorants are prescribed in the form of ACC, Flumicil, Lazolvan, Doctor Mom, Travisil. Antibacterial agents may also be prescribed.

It is possible to treat colds with folk remedies at home. But it is worth noting that such methods can only be used as a supplement. Home remedies for colds include the following.

1. Rub your feet with triple adecolon. This method is considered an excellent remedy to keep warm when hypothermic. After the manipulations, you need to put on warm socks and go to bed.
2. Drinking raspberry jam tea. Many patients are treated with this remedy. After all, raspberry jam is not only tasty and healthy, but also very affordable. Tea with raspberries has both warming and antipyretic properties.
3. Drinking tea with red wine. To quickly overcome a severe cold, it is recommended to add three tablespoons of red wine and a spoonful of raspberry jam to hot tea. The product should be taken hot, and then go to bed.

As soon as a cold appears, treatment must begin immediately. The thing is that the disease can lead to various complications. For example, it can lead to pain in the ears. How can you help a patient in such a situation? If you experience any discomfort, you should consult a doctor. Folk remedies include the use of dry heat. To do this, you need to take a sock or scarf and put warm water in it. table salt. Then apply it to the painful area and hold it until it cools down.

Doctors often recommend treating ear pain and colds with folk remedies in the form of boric acid. The tincture has warming and analgesic properties. It is enough to make turundas from cotton wool, moisten them in the solution and insert them into each ear for fifteen to twenty minutes. To prevent burns, skin covering You must first lubricate it with baby cream or Vaseline.

Whatever treatment the patient chooses, it is worth consulting a doctor before use. If the cold has just made itself felt, you can cope with the illness on your own. But if the disease affects children and pregnant women, you should not risk your health, since in such cases the treatment is slightly different.

Sloppy autumn, windy winter, spring thawed from snow - the time of seasonal colds. Often a cold happens completely inopportunely. It is at this time that the question arises: how to quickly cure a cold and, of course, without complications?

The main thing is to calm down and at the first symptoms begin to take measures to prevent yourself from getting sick. As they say, “crush the disease at the very beginning.” I offer you a small reminder about what a cold is, its causes and symptoms, as well as how to treat a cold without medication.

The first thing you need to understand is what exactly you have: a cold or the flu. If you have the flu, you won’t be able to cope with it in one day, and it’s dangerous - the flu you have on your feet almost always causes complications.

So let's start from the very beginning.

What is a cold

A cold is an acute respiratory viral infection or a disease of the upper respiratory tract viral etiology. Please note - this viral infection (for example, adenovirus, rhinovirus, etc.). There are a huge number of viruses around us and usually a person does not get sick. But as soon as a person’s immunity is weakened and he himself is hypothermic, then a cold occurs.

Causes of colds

• Contact with a sick person during a weakened immune system
  • By airborne droplets (during a conversation, sneezing of a patient standing nearby and being in crowded places)
  • Direct contact (handshake, handrails in transport, entrances)
• Weakening of the immune system
  • not enough balanced diet and, especially, lack of vitamins
  • bowel dysfunction
  • exacerbation of chronic diseases
  • allergy
  • stressful situations
• Hypothermia
  • staying in the cold for a long time without being adequately dressed
  • drafts
  • cold drinks, especially milk, both in the cold and in a hot room
  • wet and cold feet

Cold symptoms

• nasal congestion or runny nose
• sneezing
• teary eyes
• sore throat and then sore throat
• dry cough
• headache
• sometimes the temperature rises from 37.1 to 38.5
• weakness
• depressed mood

The appearance of these symptoms indicates that our body is fighting an infection. And at the very beginning of the onset of a cold, we need to help him quickly cope with viruses. The sooner we start taking action, the faster and easier it will be the cold will go away. Before telling us exactly what to do and how to treat a cold, you need to know:

What not to do when you have a cold

1. Relieve symptoms immediately when the first signs of the disease appear. Why? Because the body begins to fight itself and thereby develop immunity. It's like a vaccine when we're given small dose pathogenic bacteria and the body produces antibodies to this disease, i.e. he is already ready to resist these microbes at any time. We try to quickly relieve symptoms by using potent medical supplies, and thereby reduce immunity.
2. Take antibiotics. The cold is a viral disease. Antibiotics act only on bacteria, but at the same time weaken the immune system, since they kill not only pathogenic but also beneficial bacteria.
3. Reduce temperature if it is below 38.1 degrees. For the same reason. Average high temperature (up to 38.1 degrees) is natural reaction body. An indicator that protective forces organism in action.
4. During fever, carry out thermal procedures (mustard plasters, cupping, hot baths) and drink hot and strong drinks
5. Use for runny nose vasoconstrictor drops. These drops from a runny nose interfere with the excretory process of not only accumulated mucus, but also toxins along with it. If toxins remain in the body, then the disease may be delayed for a longer period and, even worse, more complex diseases may arise.

When you need to see a doctor urgently

If the following symptoms appear:

1. body temperature above 38.5 degrees lasts longer than one day
2. at high temperature, pale person
3. pain:
   • behind the sternum when inhaling
   • very severe headaches
   • In eyes
   • in the sinuses
   • in a stomach
4. shortness of breath, difficulty breathing
5. difficulty swallowing
6. green or rust-colored mucus from the nose or throat when coughing
7. cough with wheezing

Cold treatment

When you notice the first signs that you are getting sick, the first thing to do is try to stay home and not go to work. This way you can cure a cold quickly and not infect your colleagues.

As stated earlier, our goal is to help the body cope with viruses and remove toxins. To do this, you need to create the following conditions:

• coolness in the room
• no drafts
• bed rest under a warm blanket
• drinking plenty of fluids
• light food, you can do without food (listen to your body)
• loading dose of vitamin C
• periodic nasal rinsing saline solution and gargling
• cut the garlic and onion into slices, place on a plate and place in the room where you are
• use Vietnamese balm "Golden Star" by smearing it on acupuncture points

And now in more detail:

Cool indoor air and no drafts

Check that all doors and windows are tightly closed and there are no drafts. If you start to sweat, this is the first source of complications. But at the same time, the room where you are should not be hot, but rather cool (about 18-20 degrees). Open the window slightly and turn down the heating (if you have an apartment, then throw it on the radiator wet towel). The air must be moist.

By the way, to maintain health it is good to have a hydrometer and an air humidifier in the house. These devices are needed to monitor the state of air humidity and maintain it at normal levels. Usually in winter the air in our apartments is very dry and this is where bacteria and viruses thrive. Therefore, in order to stay healthy and maintain your immunity, you should always ventilate the room, maintain moderate temperature and humidity.

Bed rest under a warm blanket

There is no need to endure a cold on your feet. Firstly, this will delay your recovery, and secondly, you may develop complications.

• Dress: keep your feet (warm socks) and throat (scarf or sweater) especially warm. You can pour mustard into your socks or stick a mustard patch directly onto your feet. If the temperature is not high, then steam your feet before doing this.
• Drink warm diaphoretic tea or strengthens the immune system
• Lie down in bed and wrap yourself well so you can sweat properly. Try to sleep.

Drink plenty of fluids

Should be next to the bed warm drink. You need to drink a lot. Tune in for this. Drink not in glasses, so as not to overload the kidneys, but in sips, but very often. In total, you need to drink at least two liters of liquid. Intoxication occurs and drinking plenty of fluids will speed up the elimination of toxins through sweat and urine.

It may not only be plain water, but also:

• Mineral water without gas, preferably alkaline, kills viruses faster
• Fruit drinks. For example, cranberry or currant
• Herbal teas and decoctions. For example, tea with raspberry jam or ginger tea, or a decoction of a mixture of: linden flowers, currant leaves, chamomile and calendula
• Dried fruit compotes, preferably without sugar
• Grape juice
• Rosehip syrup diluted with water
• Milk with honey

Light food

It is possible and even better to do without food on this day. Believe me, if you have enough to drink and sleep is organized, you won’t even notice the lack of food. But the body will spend all its energy on fighting microbes, and not on digesting heavy food.

If you are really hungry, then drink a rich chicken bouillon with a piece of boiled egg, herbs and a clove of garlic.

It’s tasty and healthy to prepare and eat radish juice with honey little by little. Both bitter black radish and daikon radish can be used. Wash the root crop, cut off the top and make a hole in it. Put honey there. Let the radish juice and honey brew for a bit - excellent antiviral agent. It both heals and saves you from hunger. If you are allergic to honey, then replace it with sugar.

Loading dose of vitamin C

As you know, vitamin C is a source of energy and during a cold it is very important to give strength to fight viruses. It is usually recommended to take a shock (large) dose of vitamin C at the very beginning of the disease. But first, remember or find out if you have any contraindications. Typically a single loading dose is 1000 mg. But you don’t have to drink a synthesized vitamin from a pharmacy. Vitamin C can be found in common foods.

• Lemon with honey ( whole lemon, or you can cut two into slices, pour two tablespoons of honey and eat this mixture for the whole day)
• Grapefruit
• Green bell pepper
• Sauerkraut
• Grape

People consider a cold to be an acute respiratory disease or ORZ for short. A bad cold never comes on time. Always exists great amount urgent matters precisely when the body requires rest, bed rest and treatment of the disease. Instead of getting upset once again because of an illness that “takes you by surprise,” you should think about what can be done to make the cold turn into just a memory.

Symptoms of developing a severe cold

The disease invariably begins with general weakness and boundless laziness to even move.

A severe cold is invariably accompanied by a runny nose and sneezing.

Often the first symptom of the disease is increased fatigue.

A moderate cough is a sure sign of a cold. Sometimes the cough with a severe cold can be quite severe even to the point of vomiting. The cough shouldn't get much worse, but it will most likely be with you throughout your illness.

A slight or significant increase in body temperature.

As a rule, children suffer from severe colds. The younger they are, the more times a year they are struck by illness. Here's an example:

• If a child is less than nine years old, he can get severe colds up to 9 times a year;
• And if the child still goes to kindergarten, then the figure can rise to twelve times a year.

However, adults are not immune from the disease.

Features of the treatment of severe colds:

It is necessary to arrange for yourself the most authentic and good rest.

It is important to monitor the “temperature” of your feet throughout the treatment of a cold, that is, keep them warm. For these purposes, foot baths with the addition of mustard are perfect, or a mustard “hot water bottle” for the night, which is warm socks with dry mustard poured into them, or children’s mustard plasters purchased at the pharmacy.

At the first symptoms of the disease, it is necessary to limit contact with family members. Because if one of them has a weakened immune system, then he can catch a cold from you and then the so-called “ chain reaction».

For treatment severe cold the body requires interferon, which is essentially vitamin C, contained not only in vitamin complexes, but also in currants, citrus fruits and rose hips.

One of the most famous and effective methods treatment - combine a teaspoon of pepper with a glass of vodka. The effect is usually felt immediately. This happens due to the fact that the pepper expands blood vessels. Vodka only serves as a “flavor softener” and adds “extra” warmth.

You can try to be cured without folk remedies, by going to the nearest pharmacy. Almost all modern means against colds contain loading dose paracetamol and vitamin C¸ which are necessary to completely get rid of a cold.

It is necessary to slightly ventilate the room in which you are located so that there is always clean, fresh air without any bacteria.

At severe cough and a cold can be helped by a solution consisting of: boiled milk, to which we add half a teaspoon of soda, as well as one spoon of unsalted fat. Stir thoroughly and drink. This procedure for treating a severe cold must be repeated three times during the day.

In addition, you can also rub it into chest cavity lamb fat, which warms quite well and helps fight this disease. Find out how to avoid it and treat it effectively in this article.

And, of course, the most effective remedy against severe colds - prevention before illness. This frequent walks on fresh air, airing the apartment, vitamin complexes, proper nutrition, rich in vitamins and minerals. All this will certainly help you enjoy every day without a cold.

Causes and prevention of severe and severe colds

The disease is often promoted by very sudden hypothermia of the body, which is doubly dangerous when the body is tired and weakened. How does a bad cold occur? You can catch a severe cold by jumping out into a draft, after sweating heavily - after all, it’s not in vain that after training you need to change into dry clothes, despite the fact that it’s been summer outside for a long time, and it’s not far to go. But it’s not even worth talking about swimming pools, since for any procedures of this nature, you need to wait half an hour before hitting the road.

The immediate culprits of a severe cold are pathogenic bacteria, which are quietly located in the bronchi, throat, nose of each of us, and all this for the time being. To a healthy person such bacteria are not dangerous, but as soon as the immune system weakens, they begin to multiply rapidly, causing tonsillitis, pharyngitis and other bad things.

Prevention of severe colds

Only the immune defense system will help resist any cold viruses and avoid severe colds. She involves everyone in the fight against them. human body, directing to decline elevated temperature, as well as the wife’s production of leukocytes, which are specially adapted to destroy viruses that have infected the body.

One of the most effective natural mechanisms of protection against severe colds is usually considered to be the properties of protection of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, they are usually called transport.

The main task of the protective properties of mucociliary clearance is the complex manifestation of its protective mechanisms. The first barrier in protection against colds is the surface film of mucus. It covers the upper respiratory tract, the mucous membrane. This film glues various infections, in the form of microbes, viruses and fungi, removes it from the mucous membrane. The movement of cilia (ciliated epithelium) of the upper respiratory tract ensures the movement of the mucous film.

The cold is one of the common diseases. This name means a large number of diseases. Therefore, there are many ways to treat them. Some people try to improve their health when they have a cold on their own. Doctors oppose this position. In what cases is it acceptable to help your body at home? How to be treated correctly?

A cold in itself is not a diagnosis. If you have a cold, the diagnosis will most likely sound like an acute respiratory infection - an acute respiratory disease. Among all types of acute respiratory infections, ARVI, an acute respiratory viral infection, is especially distinguished.

This group includes many respiratory viruses which cause diseases such as:

• flu;
• parainfluenza;
• adenovirus infection.

As the name suggests, acute respiratory viral infections have viral nature, that is, the disease appears when the virus penetrates and actively reproduces in the human body. ARVI accounts for about 80% of cases of all acute respiratory infections. The remaining 20% ​​of acute respiratory infections are most often bacterial infections, the treatment of which requires the use of antibiotics prescribed by a qualified physician.

Importance of diagnosis

In addition, very often other types of diseases arise that have symptoms similar to a cold, for example, measles. To treat diseases of this group, a specialized doctor is also required who will carry out correct diagnosis and prescribe the necessary medications. In this situation, making a diagnosis on your own, much less starting self-medication, is prohibited - in order to avoid complications and other negative consequences.

Despite the fact that 80% of colds are caused by viruses, patients are given the false impression that they can self-diagnose and begin proper treatment.

Possibility of correct self-diagnosis - a fundamentally wrong belief, except if you yourself are a doctor. There is no need to resort to self-medication, partly due to the fact that the body can cope with the virus on its own, but a person who is ill with his wrong actions can harm the body or interfere with its recovery and even lead to a second round of the disease, its relapse.

Treatment of flu and colds

Treatment for a cold should begin when the first signs of the disease are detected. One of the main conditions for recovery is strict adherence to bed rest. The doctor may prescribe antibiotics if the patient has symptoms bacterial complication and high temperature. In other cases, the use of antibiotics will be ineffective.

You can cure a cold by using:

• antipyretic drugs;
• inhalation;
• herbal decoctions;
• traditional medicine;

A lot is known effective techniques which help fight colds. But it is important to consider that the treatment method must be prescribed by a qualified doctor. However, some people who are sick try to find cures on their own, but end up unable to cope with the symptoms. In these cases, it is recommended to use antipyretic drugs, take vitamins and hot drinks. This will help cope with some signs of the disease and support suppressed immunity.

First aid

If you have a stuffy nose, cough or sore throat, it is recommended to consult a doctor immediately. If this opportunity is absent at the first signs of the disease, then the patient can begin to fight the cold himself. First of all, you need to measure your body temperature. Treatment for colds with fever has its own characteristics. If it is above 38 °C, thermal procedures are contraindicated. It is also not recommended to use warming ointments, inhalations and rubbing, as in this case they will be ineffective and can cause harm to the body.

If you have a fever, you should:

1. Maintain bed rest.
2. Use compresses made from 9 percent vinegar.
3. Take raspberry decoction with honey.

To prevent the development of the disease, it is important to know how to treat an incipient cold. Taking antipyretic drugs at the first symptoms of the disease is not recommended. A feverish state of the body is normal, as this is a sign that it has already begun to fight infectious agents. If the temperature is more than 38 °C and it does not subside after 24 hours, you should immediately consult a doctor to avoid complications . If this is not possible, then it is recommended to use antipyretic medications to help alleviate the cold.

Inhalations

To treat a runny nose accompanied by a cough, doctors recommend taking medications in a gaseous or vapor state, in other words, using inhalation. They are carried out at home, using decoctions of sea salt, potatoes or chamomile. The main thing is that this procedure does not cause headache. If the patient finds it difficult to tolerate such treatment, it is recommended that it be discontinued.

For inhalation use:

• From 10 to 20 drops of eucalyptus, camphor or juniper oil per one liter of water.
• A mixture of onion juice and garlic.
• Boiled potatoes with skins.
• Decoctions based on chamomile, aloe, eucalyptus and lemon balm.

In the absence of temperature

When you notice symptoms of general malaise, but there is no fever, you should not ignore it. It is necessary to consult a doctor who will make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the necessary medications.

If you are unable to visit a doctor, then you need to follow the general recommendations:

• Drink more fluid.
• Take medications that strengthen the immune system and destroy viruses.
• Be sure to observe bed rest.
• Avoid hypothermia.

Cold feet

Cold feet most often appear after a strong general hypothermia body, weakening immune system and overwork. It may entail serious complications, for example, inflammation Bladder, ovaries and kidneys. Following a cold in the feet, a cough, runny nose, herpes, and fever may appear.

To treat such a cold, it is necessary to adhere to bed rest and keep your feet constantly warm. Warm foot baths are used, to which mustard is added, as well as mustard warming the feet. If possible, it is recommended to visit the bathhouse, after which you need to take a decoction of linden or chamomile.

It is important to take good care of your health and take care of it, resorting to the prevention of colds. And if you are sick, then following the above tips and recommendations, you can quickly recover from a cold.

Medications

Doctors choose medications for the treatment of colds and flu from two groups of drugs - symptomatic and those that affect the immune system.

The symptomatic group includes analgin, paracetamol and other medications that help get rid of fever and aches in the joints. It also includes antihistamines, which relieve swelling from the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx, for example, Promethazine and Pheniramine. They are prescribed when the patient has a sore throat and nasal congestion.

Antiviral

First of all, the doctor will prescribe drugs aimed at combating viruses:

In cases where the sick person has a runny nose, medications that constrict blood vessels are prescribed. TO vasoconstrictor drugs include "Galazolin", "Sanorin" and "Phenylephrine", which is produced in the form of drops or powder.

During pregnancy and lactation, antiviral and other drugs should be taken with extreme caution.

For mild ailments, herbal infusions are prescribed.

If you experience a dry cough during bronchitis, it is recommended to treat it with a syrup that contains sage, plantain or primrose extract, for example, “Bronchicum”, “Gerbion”, “Insti”.

Antibiotics

At inflammatory processes and infections, semi-synthetic and synthetic drugs that suppress cell growth have performed well. Symptoms viral diseases Antibiotics do not remove them, but they help the body fight them.

TO antibiotic group drugs include:

• Amoxiclav.
• Augmentin.
• Ospamox.
• Grippferon.
• Immunal.
• Suprax.
• Zinnat.

The method of treating influenza and colds with antibiotics helps in cases where the patient has severe pain in the throat when coughing and inflammation of the mucous membrane of the throat is observed. Taking them at home is allowed, but only a doctor should prescribe them. The duration of antibiotic therapy is seven to ten days. If the disease is severe and there is no improvement in well-being, then it is necessary to stop taking medicines and get tested again.

Prevention of colds

Doctors note the particular importance of preventing colds. During seasonal colds, doctors recommend taking vitamins and avoiding hypothermia. Buy strong immunity, resorting to the help of drugs is impossible, therefore it is not recommended to neglect hardening and physical activity.

For the prevention of cold viral diseases, Kagocel, Amiksin, Cycloferon and Tamiflu are used. But taking antibiotics for this purpose is contraindicated; they are used in cases where the disease has entered a more acute phase.

These are the most popular remedies for a runny nose. And almost everyone uses them as indicated in the instructions - 2, 3 or 4 times a day. In fact, this often leads to overuse and also increases the risk of drug addiction. How to avoid this?

Try treating a runny nose with plain salted water or medications with sea ​​water. They can perfectly relieve swelling and restore breathing through the nose.

If you still decide to undergo treatment vasoconstrictors, observe the following rules:

Administer drops or spray not on schedule, but only if the nose is not breathing. When breathing is free, the medicine will only be unnecessary. Thanks to this, you will have to use drops less often, and the risk of developing side effects will be minimal.

Try not to be treated with drops anymore three days contract. If you use them longer, addiction may develop - the nose will breathe only with the help of drops, even when the runny nose has already passed. It will not be easy to get off such a “needle”.

2. We instill drops incorrectly

Very often they transit through the nasal cavity and immediately enter the pharynx, causing only a burning sensation and practically not relieving nasal congestion. They need to be instilled so that the maximum of the drug remains in the nasal passages - this is where they relieve swelling that prevents breathing through the nose. To do this, before instilling the medicine, you need to lie on your side and put your head on a small pillow so that it lies horizontally. Before administering the medicine, make a swallowing movement, but not completely, stop as if in the middle - in this state the gap between the nose and pharynx is blocked. Having done this, drop the medicine into the lower half of the nose. Try not to breathe for a while. In this case, you can press on the wing of the nose several times, as if blocking the nasal passage. This will help distribute the medications evenly throughout the nasal mucosa. A minute after this procedure, breathing through the nose should be restored. After this, turn on the other side and repeat the entire procedure for the other nasal passage. And remember: before instilling the medicine, it is better to blow your nose well, this will improve the contact of the medicine with the nasal mucosa.

Children especially do not like nasal drops. It is very difficult for them to carry out the procedure described above. Therefore, for them it is better to use a spray or insert it into the nose cotton swabs, soaked in medicine.

3. We believe that complex medications for colds and acute respiratory viral infections work better

As statistics show, many people like to suppress colds with drugs that give “one answer to seven troubles,” as their advertising states. These are drugs that contain from three to seven active components at once. In fact, these are several tablets at once under the guise of one. Treatment with such drugs is almost always excessive. It’s rare for all the “seven troubles” (symptoms) to appear at once. It is much less dangerous to take separate medications containing one active substance against specific symptoms. For example, your nose is stuffy - put some medicine in your nose, your nose is breathing - skip the next dose, high temperature - take an antipyretic, the temperature is normal - you shouldn’t do this, you have a persistent dry cough - suppress it, moderate cough - give up the medications that suppress it.

Even when all the “seven troubles” come at once, it is better not to give them the answer in the form of one complex medicine. It will still be redundant. After all, instead of nasal drops containing a small amount of vasoconstrictor, complex preparations contain it simply in horse dose. It spreads evenly throughout the body, and in order for its dose in the vessels of the nose to be sufficient, a lot of it is needed. But if there are only five troubles, you better drink five individual medications, each of which eliminates only one symptom. And five such drugs will be a smaller overdose than one complex medicine against all cold symptoms.

4. We take medications that contain the same active ingredient

Active substances that can be used for colds, A little. And the pharmaceutical business, in order to create the impression of novelty, shuffles them in different combinations and sells such drugs under its own trade names. As a result, we have more than a hundred preparations with paracetamol and acetylsalicylic acid, several dozen medications with the same ingredients to treat runny nose, cough and other cold symptoms. Remember: you cannot take together or more often than indicated in the instructions, not only drugs with the same active ingredients, but even drugs from the same group that have similar mechanisms of action. That is, you cannot combine different antipyretics, painkillers, antitussives and other drugs together.

5. We take several types of paracetamol

This common option previous mistake and the most dangerous. An overdose of paracetamol is often fatal or requires a liver transplant. This drug has the smallest difference between therapeutic and toxic doses; they differ only 4-5 times. And, given that paracetamol is found in hundreds of medications taken for colds and sometimes have different indications, it is very easy to overdose. According to statistics, most drug-induced liver injuries are associated with such drugs.

“Paracetamol itself is safe for the liver, but one of its metabolites (the so-called substances into which the drug is converted in the body) causes damage to liver cells when accumulated,” says Alexey Bueverov, a specialist in liver diseases, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor First Moscow State Medical University them. I. M. Sechenov. — Severe liver damage, up to acute liver failure, develop, as a rule, with the simultaneous use of more than 10-15 g of the drug. Alcohol abusers may develop liver damage when consuming lower doses. However, in therapeutic dose not exceeding 4 grams per day, paracetamol can be used even by a patient with chronic pathology liver."

6. Choosing medications that “clog” the cough

“Coughing is useful, and there is no need to crush it,” explains Professor Vladimir Tatochenko. - There is only one exception to this rule - attacks of dry persistent cough, which occur when the pharynx or vocal cords. This happens not only with colds, but also with whooping cough. In such cases, we usually prescribe medications with butamirate, and in more severe cases- codeine and dextromethorphan. But these drugs are only available with special prescriptions, and it is simply impossible to buy them.”

In addition to this dry cough, there is also a so-called productive cough - with sputum. Don't overwhelm him. On the contrary, cough - to help the sputum clear away better, you can take expectorants. These are numerous drugs with bromhexine, ambroxol, carbocisteine ​​or acetylcysteine. They are sold under a variety of trade names. Can also be used medicinal plants: licorice, marshmallow, anise, elecampane, coltsfoot, plantain, sundew, violet or preparations containing them.

7. We trust folk remedies

Many people like to treat colds only with folk remedies, believing that they are absolutely safe and do not cause allergies. Actually this is not true. Side effects and allergies from them are the same as from synthetic drugs. But the main problem is different. In many cases, herbal remedies are not enough. Herbs are very good for gargling or inhalation. They work well as expectorants for wet cough. But, for example, when the cough is dry, they will not be able to drown it out. Or when your nose is stuffy and you need to normalize your breathing, the effect of herbs will not be so effective. Likewise, lowering the temperature is much more effective synthetic drugs than herbs.

They can be used at moderate temperatures and for mild colds. But when the disease is severe and real effective treatment is needed, it is better to use ready-made drugs rather than make infusions or decoctions from herbs.

8. We believe that not lowering the temperature is useful

It is explained this way: temperature is the body’s protective reaction to illness, and by reducing it, you weaken the protective forces themselves. Therefore, you should never do this, you must endure the high temperature. There is logic in this, but the problem is that such high-temperature protection can be more dangerous than the disease itself. It is destructive to the body and should not be tolerated. Where is the border between the temperature that needs to be reduced and that does not require this? If it is 38.5°C or higher, it is better to take antipyretics. But if the temperature is lower, but is not tolerated very well, also take medications, they will not be superfluous. Subjective experience temperature says a lot about its harm to the body.

9. Treat colds with antibiotics

Antibiotics and antibacterial drugs such as Biseptol are used very often for colds. There is no need to do this. And not only because colds are almost always caused not by bacteria, but by viruses (they are even usually called ARVI - acute respiratory viral infections). The latter are absolutely indifferent to the action of antibiotics. And by taking such drugs, you only harm yourself: they kill normal flora, including the one that lives in the intestines. As a result, dysbiosis develops, the immune system is weakened, digestion worsens, resistance to the antibiotic develops, and when it is actually needed for treatment, it will be ineffective.

But antibiotics are not needed even when common cold, even if it is caused by bacteria. Own forces the body is sufficient to cope with such pathogens. Antibiotics are needed only when a bacterial cold is severe, with high temperature, with complications. But in such cases we are not talking about self-medication.