Common Cold
Read more about...
- Diet for common cold
- Nutritions and supplements for common cold control
- Common cold Herbal treatment
- Acupressure treatment for common cold
- Homeopathy treatment for common cold
The common cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract, caused by one of the many contagious viruses that intrude into the nose, throat, sinuses, or ears. The virus travels either from hand to mouth and nose, or through the air on minute droplets carrying infected secretions from the sneezing, wheezing, coughing person to another. On arrival, the virus settles in and multiplies, causing a multiplicity of problems.
Average, healthy adults usually have no more than two colds a year. Children have many more because their immune systems are still in the process of developing. Children under six years of the age have an average of four or five colds a year.
You can catch a cold at any time of the year, but most colds occur during the winter months, from October through February. The well-known symptoms include a stuffy and/or runny nose, sneezing, headache, sore throat, coughing, loss of appetite, watery or burning eyes, ear congestion or infection, low-grade fever, and aching muscles and joints. When you have a cold, you may suffer one, some, or all of these annoying symptoms.
As the cold virus multiplies in the body, the mucous membranes in the respiratory tract swell. Mucous production increases. The swelling causes the air passages to narrow, making breathing difficult. The sinuses become congested. The nose runs. Sneezing, a sense of fullness or achiness in the head, and tearing or burning eyes are all part of the process.
The initial phase of a cold, with nasal congestion, low-grade fever, and sore throat, usually lasts for two to five days. At the most contagious phase of a cold, the nasal secretions are thin, watery mucous that is almost entirely composed of viral discharge. When the secretions turn thick and yellowish or greenish, that means the discharge is full of dead white blood cells, dead viral particles, and dead bacteria. This is a sign of healing and the least contagious stage of a cold.
From start to finish, a common cold, if uncomplicated, lasts about five to ten days. If you are sick for more than fourteen days in a row, chances are that you have contracted a series of viruses. While your immune system is busy fighting the virus, another can settle in more easily. If you have significant fever, it is likely that you are suffering from flu, not a cold. A person with the flu is also likely to feel worse all over than someone with cold.
Most colds can be treated successfully at home. However, if you develop a chronic stuffy nose with a thick greenish nasal discharge, you should consult your physician. During the final stage of a cold this indicates healing, but if it doesn't go away, it may be a sign of a chronic infection, such as a sinus infection. Similarly, if you have a fever that persists, or returns after three days, you may have developed a bacterial infection, such as an ear or sinus infection. By themselves, colds do not usually cause significant fever. If your cold does not clear up within a week, or if you develop a rash or a honking cough, you may have a different viral illness. The early symptoms of many viral diseases often resemble those of the common cold.
- Common cold diet: It gives information and guidelines to choose your sample diet to eliminate your common cold.
- Common cold nutritions and supplements: This section provides comprehensive list of nutritional supplements for common cold.
- Herbal treatment for common cold: This section focuses on various traditional herbal treatments used to cure common cold.
- Common cold acupressure treatment: This section provides various acupressure points on the body to treat common cold.
- Common cold homeopathy treatment: It provides information about homeopathic medicines required for curing common cold.