Anti-allergy drugs can alleviate the symptoms of sneezing, nasal congestion, and a runny nose, and at the same time, they have a slight sedative effect, for example, chlorpheniramine (Paracetamol) and Benadryl.
Reducing nasal mucosal congestion drugs can selectively constrict the blood vessels of the nasal mucosa, reduce the symptoms of nasal congestion, so that the nasal discharge is reduced, such as phenylpropanolamine and pseudoephedrine.
Antipyretics and analgesics can reduce fever and relieve symptoms such as headache, joint and generalized muscle aches and pains, e.g., aspirin, acetaminophen, diclofenac.
Antivirals can inhibit viral synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins and inhibit the release of viruses from cells, reducing the severity of viral infections, commonly used antiviral drugs such as viral azole, acyclovir, amantadine, and so on.
There are also many Chinese medicines for treating colds and flu, such as the proprietary Chinese medicine Yin Qiao Xie Tu Pill, Sang Ju Cold and Flu Tablet, Antelope Cold and Flu Tablet, Cold and Flu Clearing Hot Punch, Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Punch and so on. Chinese medicines such as Chai Hu, Ge Gen, Huang Lian, Honeysuckle and so on, which have anti-viral effects not found in western medicines. For example, Chaihu has obvious antipyretic effect on fever caused by various reasons, and is characterized by low toxicity and rapid fever reduction. In terms of antiviral, in addition to inhibiting influenza bacillus, S. pneumoniae and P. aureus, it also has a strong inhibitory effect on E. coli, P. aeruginosa and dysentery bacillus, so not only can it be used in the treatment of influenza, but also in the treatment of various infections caused by colds and flu, such as mumps, pneumonia, acute bronchitis, and many other infectious diseases.
The common cold and influenza are both caused by viruses, and the effect of current antiviral drugs is not real, so we can only treat the symptoms, and use appropriate anti-flu drugs under the guidance of the doctor. The common cold is a self-limiting disease, in general the natural course of 5-7 days can be cured. If the local symptoms are serious, you can take local physical therapy, drink more water, eat some throat protection tablets for sore throat, nasal congestion with a little contraction of the nasal mucosa of the medicine. Influenza to bed rest, drink more water, available point of special treatment of influenza medicine, such as oseltamivir is for influenza A, B virus medicine, in the early 48 hours of fever, the use of good results.
The Chinese medicine according to the cause of the cold is divided into wind-cold type, wind-heat type and summer-heat type of three, in the medicine also has a difference. The wind-cold type of cold manifests itself as a headache, no sweat, pain in the limbs, nasal congestion, heavy voice, runny nose, cough, sputum, white thin, thirst, white tongue, the treatment should choose the pungent warm relief of epidermal drugs, lungs to disperse cold. Chinese patent medicine can choose cold punch, Tongxuan Lung, small Chaihu tablets, etc., the rural areas with fresh ginger chopped and white onion a piece of boiled water, drink while hot, sweating out the disease can be self-healing. Wind-heat type cold is characterized by heavy fever, mild chills, headache, nasal discharge of mucus or yellow snot, sore throat, cough, yellow and thick sputum, thirst, yellow or white tongue coating, it is advisable to clear the lungs and remove heat, pungent and cool to relieve the epidermis, and it can be used in Yin Qiao Xie Tu Pill, Sang Ju Cold and Flu Tablet, Antelope Cold and Flu Tablet or Cold and Flu Cleansing Hot Liquid orally. The heat type of cold should be clear heat, dispel heat, clear the gas to share heat, can choose patchouli Zhengqi punch or oral liquid.
There are also traditional Chinese medicine practitioners who, in addition to the three different types of colds mentioned above, distinguish between an external cold and an internal heat type of cold. The person often eats high-calorie foods, has unbalanced nutrition, and has a hot constitution with internal fire, which, together with an external wind-cold attack, causes internal heat stagnation. In some cases, wind-cold infection is not treated properly and the cold is not cured for a long time, causing internal heat stagnation. The first step in the treatment of the cold is to remove the external cold with pungent warmth, and then evacuate the heat.
It is worth noting that there are a number of cold medicines for adults that are harmful to children. Therefore, pediatric cold medicine should be particularly cautious, such as fast-acting cold capsules, cold pass, and painkillers and other drugs, containing paracetamol, finasteride, aminopyrine, caffeine and other ingredients. These ingredients can have an inhibitory effect on the bone marrow hematopoietic system, affecting the generation and growth of pediatric blood cells, leading to leukopenia and granulocyte deficiency, reducing the immunity of children, and some can cause toxic liver damage. Compound aspirin has an excitatory effect, infants and young children's neurological inhibitory mechanism is not yet sound, infants and young children with high fever when using compound aspirin, easy to induce convulsions, but also due to a large number of sweating caused by dehydration, and even jaundice due to the accumulation of free bilirubin in the blood. At the same time, this drug on the digestive system and liver and kidney function damage, some may cause Reye's syndrome, resulting in white blood cells, platelets lower, especially for young children under the age of 3 years old, generally do not advocate the use of this drug.
Experts believe that the cold can not be taken lightly, especially the elderly and infants, but do not panic, do not abuse the cold medicine, do not follow the ads medication, do not move on the infusion, especially do not easily use antibiotics. Colds are usually viral infections, and antibiotics have no effect on viruses, but rather increase the body's resistance to antibiotics. Unless the occurrence of combined bacterial infection, pneumonia, generally do not need to use antibiotics.