Summer cold: why we get sick even in the heat. Runny nose in spring and summer Treatment of illness with a runny nose

For the ancient Aesculapians, a runny nose was a by-product of brain activity. According to the diagnosis, they offered special treatment.

Hippocrates believed that the most effective method of healing the human body and treating a runny nose would be bloodletting. In those days, this procedure was considered useful. But today this archaic method is not used.

In the Middle Ages, it was bloodletting that claimed thousands of lives! They only wanted to cleanse the body of dirty venous blood and applied the bloodletting treatment method to almost every disease. Bloodletting involves renewing the circulatory system for better brain function by releasing capillary blood. There were also completely ridiculous medicines for various diseases; there is no point in listing them. Now we are already quite aware of the structure of the human body and related diseases. There is more knowledge and treatment methods have become more advanced and appropriate.

The concept of a runny nose and why this disease worsens in the summer

A runny nose is an inflammatory process of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity; its other name is rhinitis. The main reason for its occurrence is a cold. You can get hypothermic at any time of the year, even in summer, when it’s hot, if you just sit in a draft for a little while. Often people's hands or feet are cold, therefore, a temperature difference arises between the tissues, which leads to an imbalance and the body's strength weakens. We feel unwell, weak, and then a runny nose appears. A runny nose in summer is very common among people who, having gotten hot, like to immediately cool down.

The virus enters the human body through the nose, then selects a place for its further development, entering a cell of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity, it begins to multiply intensively. The cell dies. We feel unwell due to inflammation of the nasal mucosa, and it becomes difficult to breathe due to tissue swelling. Cells of the nasal mucosa begin to produce protective substances, seep into the walls of blood vessels, closing the nasal passages. A protective function of the body occurs - sneezing. Often, along with a runny nose, a cough begins at the same time, which prevents the virus from penetrating further into the lungs.

A runny nose in summer can be a little different. Its occurrence is facilitated by weakened human immunity; this type of runny nose mainly occurs in older people. In an old person, parts of the brain work more slowly, and during stressful situations the body tries to strengthen their work by moisturizing the nasal mucosa. The inflamed mucous membrane of the nose closes the nasal passages, it becomes difficult to breathe, and the thin stream of air entering the nose only irritates the receptors of the mucous membrane. An impulse is given for more intensive work of the higher parts of the brain. Such a runny nose in the summer does not require treatment; it will go away when the person calms down and stops being nervous. At any time of the year, take more responsibility for your health and be careful. Don't get too cold!

Everyone considers a cold in the summer to be an unpleasant and offensive phenomenon, but, nevertheless, it happens to almost everyone.

Colds in summer reasons

A cold is a common name for common acute respiratory diseases or viral infections (ARI or ARVI). The causes of a cold are most often a viral, bacterial or bacterial-viral infection, the development of which in most cases occurs against the background of hypothermia. But in the hot season, another cause of colds predominates - a sharp change in temperature (ice cream, drinking chilled drinks or running an air conditioner after being in the heat).

And as payback, characteristic signs of a cold soon appear: headache, sore throat, runny nose, fever and dry cough or coughing.

As a result of a sharp temperature change to which the body is exposed, microorganisms (usually the nasopharynx’s own microflora) are activated with the development of colds. In this case, tonsillitis (tonsillitis), pharyngitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, laryngitis and other diseases of the upper (less often lower) respiratory tract develop.

According to statistics, the number of acute respiratory infections in the hot season (summer colds) increases by 20%. Therefore, it is important to know how to properly treat a cold at this time of year, and what to do for a speedy recovery.

How to treat colds in summer

Summer colds last longer than in winter, which in most cases is associated with a frivolous attitude towards the disease and its treatment, hoping that everything will go away on its own. And in winter it is much easier to lie down and fight off the disease. In the summer, we continue to overheat in the sun, run through drafts and cool down in front of the air conditioner no matter what, exposing our cold body to unnecessary stress, which prevents it from coping with the problem.

Therefore, to make summer colds easier and go away faster, you need to create special conditions. Of course, there are standard methods that help the body speed up the healing process and make you feel much better. At the same time, to treat summer colds, some of them are adapted to certain conditions and weather conditions in the hot season.

When the first signs of a cold appear (dryness and burning of the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx, weakness, malaise, slight nasal congestion, coughing or sore throat), it is necessary to begin treatment - drink more fluids, gargle, introduce more fortified foods and vitamins into the diet (especially vitamin C) .

1. Drinking should be plentiful and warm, but not hot.

It's necessary:

• to eliminate symptoms of intoxication - to quickly remove toxins and other harmful substances from the patient’s body that are formed during the life of disease pathogens (viruses, pathogenic bacteria and fungi);
• in order to avoid dehydration, which can develop as a result of increased body temperature.

1. Gargling

This method is common and suitable for treating colds at any time of the year. For rinsing, they are widely used as medicinal solutions, which can be purchased at pharmacies:

• antiseptic and disinfectant preparations for topical use: gevalex, stomatidine, orasept, chlorhexidine, chlorophyllipt;
• nitrofurans (furacillin);
• herbal anti-inflammatory and antiseptic solutions (rotocan).

Also often used for rinsing:

• decoctions or herbs (chamomile, sage, calendula, yarrow);
• table salt and iodine;
• propolis;
• soda;
• essential oils (tea tree, eucalyptus).

It is important to remember several important points that must be observed when carrying out any rinsing:

• the solution must be fresh, and it is better to discard any residues that were not used during the previous rinse;
• the solution used for rinsing must be warm;
• rinsing should be done after meals and quite often (at least 3 times a day, but more often is better);
• within 20-30 minutes after the procedure, you should not drink or eat so that the solution exhibits its therapeutic capabilities (reducing inflammation, swelling and antiseptic and antimicrobial effects);
• the duration of one rinse should be at least 30 seconds;
• It is advisable to combine rinsing with plenty of drinking and inhalation.

1. Increasing your daily dose of vitamin C

Often, when colds develop (preferably in the initial period), doctors recommend taking a loading dose of vitamin C.

The summer period is distinguished by a huge selection of natural sources of this vitamin - berries, fruits, vegetables. They can be eaten fresh or made into freshly squeezed juices, compotes or fruit drinks.

1. Need fresh air

Walking in the fresh air is suitable for patients with colds in the summer - oxygen activates all intracellular processes, stimulates the respiratory and immune systems, which promotes a speedy recovery. But it is important to remember that it is necessary to avoid sudden changes in temperature and avoid drafts.

1. Be careful with thermal procedures

Compresses and other thermal procedures (inhalations, mustard plasters) during the hot season can only be done in the evening or at night, when the air temperature drops. It is also not recommended to wrap yourself in a large number of warm clothes and cover yourself with a warm blanket - in this case, there is a risk of significant overheating of the body, which will cause a significant increase in temperature, dehydration and deterioration of the patient’s condition.

1. Reduce physical activity

Reducing physical activity and physical activity during a cold is recommended at any time of the year so that the body has the opportunity to direct all resources to fight the infection, which also reduces the likelihood of developing various complications.

1. Sunbathing

Also, sunbathing is often recommended as a warming procedure, but it is necessary to monitor the duration of the procedures, which can also contribute to general overheating of the body and worsen the patient’s condition.

1. Medications

The need to use medications: antipyretics, antitussives, local absorbents, nasal drops, antihistamines, antivirals and antibiotics is determined by the attending physician, and this does not depend on the time of year.

Preventing colds in summer

In the summer, we all lose our vigilance, both adults and children - we drink a lot of soft drinks, relax in a cool room, with the air conditioning on, and children are constantly in the sun, walking uncontrollably, they can get wet in the rain or get into a puddle, run barefoot in cold sand or swim for a long time in a cool river or sea, eat ice cream.

It is important to know that irrational use of air conditioning and sudden changes in ambient temperature often lead to the development of a runny nose and cough. Also, the air conditioner is often the source of a dangerous infection - legionellosis, which is accompanied by the development of pneumonia. Therefore, it is necessary to clean the air conditioner filter at least once every two weeks.

Colds in children in summer

Often, when summer approaches, parents begin to lose their vigilance. Great weather, holidays and the cheerful mood of your beloved children play a cruel joke - children spend a lot and uncontrollably in the fresh air, run barefoot, get wet (in the rain, in ponds or from sweat), eat ice cream and drink cold water, and this ultimately leads to to colds.

Also, do not forget about the child’s favorite place in any building in the summer - under the air conditioning. But in hot weather, the child is probably standing under it, sweating. Moreover, the air conditioner may be contaminated with Legionella, a virus that can cause pneumonia.

However, if your child does catch a cold, the first thing to do is consult a doctor.

Of course, you can act at your own peril and risk, fortunately, there are plenty of non-drug treatments for summer colds (as described above), but it’s better to play it safe.

The main thing that parents need to remember is that a child’s summer cold is a weak immune system.

There is an opinion that the immune system is weakened in winter, and in the summer, under the bright sun, the baby has nothing to fear from its weakening. This is a dangerous misconception. Under the influence of sunlight, especially if a child spends a lot of time in the open sun or sunbathes, vitamin C, which is so necessary for the child's immune system, is destroyed.

The situation with children's immunity is even worse if you travel - changes in climatic zones and time zones, unusual water and food, a different bacterial background, all this weakens the child.

But the peak of colds in children in the summer still occurs during the swimming season. Microorganisms swallowed along with water, a high probability of hypothermia, the scorching sun, the inability to control the child’s condition, all this leads to the fact that a summer runny nose or cough occurs in almost all children at least once a season.

However, it is quite possible to avoid summer colds in children; it is enough not to loosen control over your beloved child and, if possible, reduce the possible risks.

We usually fear colds during the cold season. But often illness overtakes us precisely when we are least prepared for it. It's warm outside, but we're getting chills.

Don't let your guard down!

It's not just about cold ice cream or ice-cold kvass. After all, the important point, why people often catch colds in the summer, concerns not physiology, but psychology. If from autumn to spring we are on the alert and ready at any moment to repel bacteria and viruses - we dress warmly, drink vitamins, get vaccinated, and if it’s already caught up - we disciplinedly lie in bed and take medicine, then in the summer, as a rule, we relax and look at All this prevention is overlooked. And even when we get sick, we shrug it off - it will go away on its own! Alas, this does not always happen.

Relaxed regime

A “summer” cold is not much different from a “winter” one - it proceeds similarly and is treated with the same medications. Nevertheless, there are still small differences. So, any warming up in the heat will not benefit the body. Therefore, they can only be carried out in the late afternoon. And it’s better to replace hot drinks with just warm ones. Drinking alcohol is also extremely undesirable.

As for bed rest, in good weather it is better for patients not to lie in bed all the time, but to take a short walk in the fresh air (of course, avoiding drafts). Access to oxygen promotes healing. But, of course, taking a walk does not mean going across the city to visit a friend or going on a shopping voyage. Excessive physical activity is harmful to a weakened body. But walking through the park at a calm pace is a completely different matter.

Health from nature

Summer provides excellent opportunities for “natural” treatment, because this time of year is full of natural “medicines”: vitamin C-rich strawberries, raspberries, currants, cherries.

Forget about heavy food and lean on vitamin-rich salads (with cabbage, carrots and other seasonal vegetables). Young cabbage, for example, contains a significant amount of ascorbic acid, and it’s not a sin to take advantage of this.

Chicken broth is a very useful first course. Any warm drink containing fat is beneficial for the respiratory tract, and the benefits of this dish have been scientifically proven. Chicken soup significantly improves bronchial passage; In addition, chicken contains cysteine, an amino acid that helps thin mucus and facilitate its successful expectoration.

Instead of tea, it is useful to take warm decoctions of herbs (chamomile, sage, calendula, yarrow), compotes, fruit drinks with the addition of fruits and berries - you should drink as much of them as possible.

Recipes for colds

From fever and chills. Brew 1 teaspoon of chamomile flowers, oregano, fireweed, St. John's wort, mint, 2 pcs. in 1 liter of boiling water. cloves, 2 bay leaves, 2 black peppercorns, a pinch of ginger. Leave for an hour. Strain, add honey, drink throughout the day.

For sore throat. Add 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 teaspoon of butter and a pinch of soda to 1 glass of boiled warm but not hot milk. Stir. Drink 3 times a day.

For dry cough. Pour warm milk over chopped young garlic. Add a little honey. Drink throughout the day.

For wet cough. 1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of thyme into a glass of boiling water, leave for half an hour, strain, drink ½ cup 2 times a day.

Gargling. For a glass of warm water - 1 teaspoon of sea salt and two drops of iodine. Rinse 4 times a day.

Squeeze juice from two beets, pour 1 liter of boiling water, leave, add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vinegar and gargle as often as possible.

For a runny nose. Dissolve a few drops of fresh onion juice in 1 tbsp. spoon of warm water. Place it in your nose.

Why do we get colds in the summer? There are several reasons. The most banal - drink cold milk, kvass or something else cold from the refrigerator...

Reason two - drafts. In the summer, everyone opens their windows and balcony doors wide. And it's so nice to sit in the breeze...

Third reason – progress. In the sense of the benefits of civilization like air conditioning. When it's unbearably hot outside, many offices and apartments have air conditioners running at full capacity.

Many people rush straight from the street to cool off in a cool room under air conditioning. Under no circumstances should this be done.

In offices, you should not set the temperature below +25 C, so that office employees are not exposed to cold air from the air conditioner during the working day and do not catch a cold.

Those who like to swim in natural bodies of water often catch a cold after plunging straight into a river or lake.

You can catch a cold in the evening. The water in the river is warm, but on the shore it may already be cool and windy. Therefore, it is better to immediately change into dry clothes. You should also not sit on cold stones and ground.

If you sweat well at night, no matter how unpleasant it may be in the heat, then in the morning you will feel better.

During the day, traditional healers recommend taking an old folk remedy that expels colds and has a general strengthening effect: chop the onion finely and pour honey or sugar over it. And when the juice appears, take 1 teaspoon 3-4 times a day;

If you have a strong fever, it will help herbal and spice tea.

In a thermos, put 1 teaspoon of chamomile flowers, oregano, fireweed, St. John's wort, mint leaves, two cloves, 2 bay leaves, 2 black, 2 allspice, a pinch of ginger. Pour 1 liter of boiling water and leave for 1-1.5 hours. Strain, add honey and drink throughout the day.

For sore throat and as an antipyretic
Pour 1 teaspoon of raspberry leaves into 1 cup of boiling water. Leave for 20 minutes covered. Strain, take 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day half an hour before meals.

For sore throat
Mix 1 tbsp. spoon of chamomile and celandine leaves, pour 1 cup of boiling water. Leave for 15 minutes. Strain and use for rinsing 3-4 times a day.

Drinking for a sore throat
Add 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 teaspoon of butter and a pinch of tea soda to 1 glass of boiled warm, but not hot milk.
Stir well. Drink 3 times a day.

Our ancestors treated simply, quickly and effectively - they chewed spruce resin.

When coughing
Take an old, time-tested remedy - hot milk with mineral water.

Dry cough
1 tbsp. Pour crushed dry marshmallow leaves into 1 cup of boiling water.
Leave for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Strain. Drink 3-4 times a day, 1/4 cup.

Moist cough
1 tbsp. pour a spoonful of thyme into a thermos with 1 cup of boiling water, leave for half an hour, strain, take 1/2 cup 2 times a day.
This remedy relieves pain, soothes and improves expectoration.

During a cold, doctors advise drinking as much as possible acidified water.
In summer, raspberry, black currant, and cherry juice are added to tea.
Tea with pieces of strawberries or mashed strawberries is beneficial.

Apple tea
Cut the apple into slices and pour boiling water over it, let it brew, drink instead of water. This tea can also be made with peaches.

Blackcurrant juice
2 tbsp. Crush currants without stems, add 1 teaspoon of honey, grind well and add 2 cups of warm water.

On the third day, if you feel better, you can eat white chicken meat - boiled breast, lean veal, turkey, fish, dairy products, oatmeal, buckwheat porridge with milk, vegetable soups.

This soup can be prepared in a blender.

Any vegetables - white cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, onions, tomatoes, greens - finely chop, put in salted boiling water and cook until soft. Then cool them and grind them using a blender.

During illness, bread should be slightly stale, preferably slightly dried in a toaster.

To strengthen the immune system
Dissolve 1 teaspoon of pharmaceutical alcohol tincture of propolis in 1 glass of boiled water. Drink warm.

And, of course, you shouldn’t mope during an illness, even if you really want to feel sorry for yourself. Emotions should only be positive.

Experts advise listening to classical or instrumental music, watching your favorite films. For example, it has been noted that watching Soviet comedies improves immunity, relieves anxiety, fears and promotes faster recovery.

You can read funny books and jokes. Laughter not only stimulates the immune system, but also increases oxygen consumption, that is, helps cleanse the lungs.

Even at the very beginning of a cold, when there seems to be no strength for anything, you can just lie down and remember everything pleasant that happened in life.

For example, remember how in childhood my mother sat next to me for hours, calmed me down, told me fairy tales, and stroked my head. Or remember your successful romantic vacation, your successes and achievements, and simply be glad that we live in this world.

And imagine a cold as a small misunderstanding and reassure yourself: “we will survive this trouble,” it’s an “everyday thing.”

If you try, you can find something pleasant in a cold... For example, you don’t have to rush to work and you can finally get some sleep.

How to correctly determine why your nose is running

It is believed that in summer a person should catch colds less often. Still, nasal congestion, fever and a feeling of general malaise can appear in any weather. But if in winter such symptoms most often indicate a cold, then in summer they can also talk about allergies.

An allergic runny nose and a cold are two different things. Although the symptoms may seem completely indistinguishable. But approaches to treatment vary greatly. In the first case, antihistamines are definitely needed, in the second - antiviral drugs.

It can sometimes be extremely difficult to distinguish a cold from an allergic one. And yet there are some symptoms that may suggest that the virus has nothing to do with it. “If you experience similar symptoms year after year with the arrival of spring, there is reason to think about an allergy to pollen – hay fever,” says allergist Irina Zalem. - Especially if your symptoms increase outdoors and decrease indoors. Hay fever can occur not only in spring, but also in summer and autumn - depending on the plant that is significant to you.”

And yet, sometimes with an allergic rhinitis these tips do not work - it does not stop indoors. On top of that, an allergic runny nose can be accompanied by an increase in body temperature, which can mislead anyone. In order to quickly and effectively solve the problem and prevent the development of complications, it is necessary to reliably find out the causes. And special tests will help for this.

Allergy tests are laboratory tests that involve testing blood serum. In addition, there are tests that involve direct contact with the allergen - prick tests (from English - “puncture”) and so-called scarification tests. The principle of their implementation is similar: a drop of allergen concentrate is applied to the patient’s skin, and then either the skin is pierced with a special needle or a microscopic incision is made. Allergens, however, are not always used. Sometimes drops of special substances are used to control the reaction. Subsequently, the doctor assesses the size of redness and swelling at the site of application of the allergen drop.

And yet, tests that involve contact with an allergen are now considered dangerous by some experts. Indeed, even in microscopic doses the substance can cause a severe allergic reaction. Laboratory tests are considered more comfortable for the patient, since a dose of the allergen is not introduced into the body, therefore, the body is not subjected to additional stress - the result is obtained through a routine blood test from a vein.

When an allergen enters the body, it binds to a special type of antibody – immunoglobulin E. A general blood test will reveal changes in a number of indicators and values, indicating that allergic inflammation is occurring. Moreover, laboratory testing allows you to determine what exactly the allergy is to.

However, there are also more complex cases of allergies not associated with immunoglobulins E. Still, laboratory diagnostics will help distinguish allergic rhinitis or conjunctivitis from infectious - if, when examining a smear taken from the nasal mucosa or conjunctiva, a large number of eosinophils are visible (this is a subtype of leukocytes ), we can confidently confirm allergic inflammation.

Even very young children can experience allergic rhinitis, but you need to seek a recommendation from your doctor to clarify at what age a blood test can be done. Experts warn that self-diagnosis and self-medication should not be done in any case. “It happens that patients, assuming that they or their child may have an allergy, begin what they think is a preventive course of taking antihistamines,” explains clinical laboratory diagnostics doctor Olga Malinovskaya. “But I strongly recommend leaving health decisions to experts.” Uncontrolled therapy can lead to complications, or some more serious disease with similar symptoms can be mistaken for an allergy, and its further development can be allowed.”

WHAT CAN YOU BE ALLERGED TO IN JULY?

Late June – early July Linden, cereals

June – mid-July Plantain, cereals, sorrel

July – mid-August Nettle

Late July - October Weeds: wormwood, pigweed, quinoa, ragweed, cyclochene