Common Cold
- Overview
- Introduction
- Symptoms
- Causes
- Complications
- Homoeopathic Treatment
- Do's and Don'ts
- Diet and Nutrition
WHAT IS COMMON COLD?
Common cold is a contagious illness that can be caused by a number of different types of viruses.
Preschool children are at greatest risk of frequent colds, but even healthy adults can have few episodes each year. The disease mostly affects individuals during autumn and winter months.
Click to read about Causes of Common Cold.
WHAT HAPPENS IN COMMON COLD?
- Runny nose and sneezing
- Congested feeling in the nose
- Sore throat
- Cough
Click to know more about Symptoms of Common Cold
WHAT CAN COMMON COLD LEAD TO?
If not treated, common cold can complicate into:
- Middle ear infections
- Sinusitis
- Pneumonia
- Asthma
HOW WELL HOMEOPATHY WORKS IN COMMON COLD
- Homeopathy has more than 150 preventive and curative medicines in Treatment for Common Cold that work very well for persons of all ages.
- Every remedy is carefully prescribed on the basis of the patient's history and the correct medicine can even prevent spread of infections.
- All remedies in Homeopathic Treatment for Common Cold have been proved clinically on thousands of patients globally in more than 100 countries.
- Allium Cepa: Indicated in copious, watery and extremely acrid discharge form nose with profuse bland lachrymation, worse in warm room and better in open air . Fluent coryza with sneezing, especially when entering a warm room.
- Hepar Sulph: Suited to those people who are extremely sensitive to cold dry wind, with running thick, offensive discharges from the nose.
- Pulsatilla: In cases of thick yellowish discharge from the nose with dry mouth, without thirst, and sensitive to cold air.
- Aconitum Napellus: Indicated when coryza comes on after exposure to dry, cold winds. Violent sneezing is accompanied by pain in the abdomen.
Imagine if, today you have an important meeting with your client and you suddenly land up with a runny irritating nose in the morning. What will you do? Will you miss your interview or search for some alternative treatment?
Do you think that taking antihistamines, wrapping yourself with woolens and warm socks will keep you warm and save you from these allergies? Then you are wrong. In such a case, Homeopathy may just be the right choice for you.
Common cold responds very well to homeopathic medicines over conventional treatments. These medicines are proved on healthy human beings, do not produce any side effects or complications to any individual. Homeopathy not only treats the cold, throat pain and other symptoms but focuses on immunity to prevent cumbersome recurrence.
Homeopathy has more than 100 remedies to treat Common Cold successfully and efficiently.
- The symptoms of Common Cold typically begin 2 to 3 days after acquiring the infection, and resolves within 7 to 10 days, but in some cases it may last up to 2 weeks.
- A runny nose with congested feeling is among the commonest present symptoms of Common Cold.
- A clear nasal discharge is seen, that later may become yellowish or greenish in color.
- Muscle ache, fatigue, headache, and loss of appetite may also accompany the main symptoms of Common Cold.
CHILDREN
Children tend to suffer from common cold more than adults, and also develop complications such as ear infections. Special attention needs to be given when the following symptoms are seen -
- Fever of 100.4 deg. F (38 deg. C) in newborns up to 12 weeks
- Fever lasting for more than 24 hours in a child younger than 2 years
- Vomiting or abdominal pain
- Difficulty in breathing
- Persistent crying
- Ear pain
- Persistent cough
Common cold is a contagious illness that can be caused by a number of different types of viruses.
- More than 200 different types of viruses are known to figure among causes of Common Cold, but Rhinovirus is the commonest virus, accounting for 30-35% of all colds.
- Other commonly implicated causes of Common Cold include Coronavirus, Adenovirus, and Parainfluenza virus.
- The virus can be transmitted from person to person by infected airborne droplets, direct contact with infected nasal secretions or contaminated objects commonly used by the infected person like towels, pencils, etc.
- This type of infection is most commonly seen in daycare and at school.
- Sometimes, prolonged exposure to cold weather such as rain or winter, clinical conditions can also transmit the infections.
Common cold can many times lead to complicating diseases like:
- Middle Ear Infection (Otitis media): Ear infection is a frequent complication of common cold in children. When bacteria or virus infiltrate the air-filled space behind the eardrum, fluid from surrounding tissues is sucked into the middle ear's cavity causing middle ear infection.
- Asthma: A cold can trigger wheezing along with cough and difficulty in breathing leading to an acute attack of asthma.
- Sinusitis: This is an infection of the sinuses and nasal passages accompanied by inflammation and pain. A dull aching sensation over affected sinuses with headache followed by thick yellow discharge from the nose is indicative of sinusitis.
- Pneumonia: Common cold if not treated, may sometimes lead to infection in the lungs leading to pneumonia.
- Homeopathy in its unique way, addresses the state of the person who is ill with respect to the symptoms that they suffer at the time and takes into account the dynamic interconnection of the whole person as a complex system.
- Homeopathy plays a wonderful role in treating patients of Common Cold and giving them a sigh of relief. Each person will manifest the symptoms in its own way depending upon their susceptibility.
- Homeopathic treatment for Common Cold considers all of this and selects a highly individualized remedy that reduces the intensity and frequency of the present as well as further attacks.
- Homeopathic treatment for Common Cold has more than 150 preventive and curative medicines that work very well for persons of all ages.
- All remedies in homeopathic treatment for Common Cold have been proved clinically on thousands of patients globally in more than 100 countries.
- Allium Cepa: Indicated in homeopathic treatment for common cold in copious, watery and extremely acrid discharge form nose with profuse bland lachrymation, worse in warm room and better in open air.
- Hepar Sulph: Suited to those people who are extremely sensitive to cold dry wind, with running thick, offensive discharges from the nose.
- Pulsatilla: Effective remedy in homeopathic treatment for Common Cold in cases of thick yellowish discharge from the nose with dry mouth, without thirst and sensitive to cold air.
- Aconitum Napellus: Indicated when coryza comes on after exposure to dry, cold winds. Violent sneezing is accompanied by pain in the abdomen.
Have a look at the diversity of symptoms and how we differentiate remedies for finer treatment and recovery!
CORYZA: Evening:Bed, in: 1Kali-c, 1Mag-m, 1Zinc
CORYZA: Periodic: 1Aran, 1Ars, 1Ars-met, 1Brom, 1Chin, 1Chin-ar, 3Graph, 1Iod, 1Kali-c, 1Nat-c, 1Nat-m, 1Parth, 1Sang, 1Sep, 1Sil, 1Thuj
CORYZA: Air:Warm: 1Ant-c, 3Apis, 4MERC
CORYZA: Appetite:Increased, with: 1Abies-c, 1All-c, 1Ars-i, 1Calc, 1Hep, 3Sul-ac
CORYZA: Bathing, washing:Agg.: 1Ant-c, 3Bell, 1Calc-s, 1Fl-ac, 3Sep, 1Sulph
The remedy abbreviations with
- 4 marks- most effective,
- 3 marks- quite effective,
- 2 marks- less effective,
- 1 mark- least effective.
Do’s
- Include raw fruits and vegetables in the diet. They help to boost immunity and fight the infection.
- Chicken soup is good for people suffering from cold.
- though lemon juice is prohibited by many in cases of cold, fact is that Vitamin C in large doses has been known to help to fight cold.
- Steam inhalation helps to decongest the nose.
- Warm water gargles should be done to soothe the throat.
- Regular moderate exercise, yoga, meditation help to build the immune system.
Don’ts
- Avoid close contact with infected people.
- Sharing of personal belongings like towels, beverages, plates, etc. with infected persons is not advisable.
- Avoid dairy foods like milk, paneer and cheese.
- Cigarette smoking and intake of alcohol should be avoided.
- Antibiotics should not be taken as they are of no use in a viral infection.
- In case of profuse watery nasal discharge, fluid intake should be increased.
- You can add a pinch of turmeric and ginger powder to warm water before consuming it.
- Consume juices especially of citrus fruits as they have high vitamin C content - lemon, orange, sweet lime, etc.
- Consume hot soups, especially chicken soup.
- Increase intake of vitamin A in your diet. All yellow fruits and vegetables contain Vitamin A, although liver and fish are considered the richest sources.
- Boil a mixture of Bishop's weed (Ajwain), tea leaves and water and inhale it to decongest the nose block due to cold.
- Immunity can be increased by drinking boiled mixture of - ½ cup water, little ginger, 2-3 leaves of sweet basil (tulsi) and mint leaves.