The prevention and treatment of colds

Since colds are mostly caused by viruses, the first point of treatment is to use antiviral drugs against viruses, which is consistent with the consideration of anti-bacterial infections. However, at the present stage, there is no anti-virus anti-viral drugs, but only adamantium has a certain effect on the treatment of influenza A. The treatment of influenza A has a certain effect on the treatment of influenza A. It is believed that interferon can inhibit the virus. It is also believed that interferon can inhibit the virus, but can really be applied to the treatment of colds, there is still some distance.

Only a small percentage of colds are caused by mycoplasma, chlamydia, and bacteria, for which chemotherapy is available.

For these reasons, cold and flu treatment is based on allopathic and generalized therapies.

Allopathic treatment

Fever reducers are used for fever. Generally, there is no need for special medication for fevers below 38 degrees Celsius. However, for high fever, or fever below 38 ℃, but because the fever makes the patient feel deeply distressed, can use antipyretic drugs. In this case, oral medication is usually used, and injections are not necessary. It is important to note that antipyretics should not be used as soon as a fever develops, but only when needed. Abuse of antipyretic drugs can cause the fever to go through a disorder, and at the same time make it difficult to judge the healing period of the cold and the early diagnosis of complications such as pneumonia.

Use analgesics for headaches, low back pain, muscle pain, and other aches and pains. Many drugs have both antipyretic and analgesic effects, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics can be applied.

Cough suppressants can be used for severe coughs, and when accompanied by phlegm or phlegm that is not easy to cough up, cough suppressants and expectorants can be taken orally at the same time.

Runny nose can be taken orally to inhibit snot on the secretion of drugs. Antihistamines were once thought to be the best medicine for colds, but in fact they only have the effect of controlling the secretion of nasal mucus.

Sore throat can be oral sugar ingots, hoarseness can be used to spray inhalation of steam and so on.

General therapy

Allopathic treatment can only reduce the symptoms, the respiratory organs of the infected virus does not have a direct effect, so in order to improve the body's resistance and healing power, available general therapy.

The most important thing is to keep quiet. There are many examples of people who kept quiet at the beginning of a cold and got rid of it. Even if you are not cured, quietness is important to promote healing and prevent complications. On the other hand, if you think that a small cold is not a big deal and take it lightly and do not keep quiet, or if you think that symptomatic therapy is only to control the symptoms and do not use it, then the cold will be difficult to heal, but also prone to cause comorbidities, and easy to enter the so-called "lingering state".

In addition to being quiet, it is important to drink more water, especially after a high fever and fever-reducing drugs. Also, choose foods that are high in nutritional value and easy to digest.

Maintaining room temperature and humidity is also important, and when you go out after a cold, you should pay attention to wearing more clothes to prevent your body from getting cold.

Chemotherapy is not usually used for colds

But chemotherapy can be used for secondary infections caused by bacteria (e.g., pneumonia, otitis media, sinusitis, etc.).

Preventive chemotherapy can be used from the beginning of a cold to prevent complications in the elderly and patients with chronic diseases that are prone to complications. However, it is important to follow your doctor's instructions as to when this preventive chemotherapy should be given. Generally speaking, there is a tendency to misuse chemotherapy. Chemotherapy should always be used in accordance with medical advice.

Preventive measures against colds

In infectious diseases, the following three points are the main principles of prevention. Measures against the source of infection; measures against the route of infection; and measures against sensibility. Since colds are also infectious diseases, the above three points are also essential in the principle of prevention.

〈1〉Measures against the source of infection: first of all, we should consider isolating the patient who discharges the pathogen from the carrier. This measure is very necessary and effective for typhoid fever, cholera and other diseases, but for patients with colds, in fact, does not work. Infectious pathogens like influenza infection, through coughing and sneezing a large number of viruses that spread pathogens, in the acute stage (3 to 4 days after the onset of the disease), in order to prevent the infection of other people, not only to stop going out, but also in the family to isolate the residence, and to do so, it is not easy.

〈2〉Measures for the route of infection: Measures for the route of infection are the most difficult. In the case of diseases transmitted through the mouth, measures can be taken to encourage hand washing and food heating and sterilization; such as encephalitis B, a disease transmitted by mosquitoes, can be strengthened through the elimination of mosquitoes to prevent. In the cold, as mentioned earlier, the most common way of infection is droplet infection, that is, the patient's throat and nasal cavity spread the virus directly into the throat, nasal cavity and cause infection, although some people intend to use ultraviolet light irradiation and spray medicine to kill the virus floating in the air, but so far has not yet been successful.

Wearing a mask prevents the virus from entering the respiratory organs. However, even a mask made of four to five layers of gauze cannot prevent the invasion of viruses that can be seen only under a microscope (viruses contained in larger particles of mucus from the nose and throat can be prevented by the mask).

Also, using gargles to wash off viruses stuck to the mucous membranes of the throat does not work well. Because the mucous membrane of the throat has a longitudinal and transverse lattice, containing mouthwash medicine is not easy to work. What's more, the virus is adsorbed on the surface of the mucous membrane cells and enters the cells for a short time, so the use of gargle medicine can't play a role.

Masks and gargles can only prevent larger particles of dust from sticking to the mucous membranes of the larynx in order to keep the larynx clean and not make the mucous membranes less resistant. Other than that, it is not possible to expect a greater effect (masks are used, for example, by people with colds when they go out, etc., in order to prevent the spread of viruses through coughing and sneezing).

What is particularly noteworthy these days is the common cold caused by the rhinovirus, which is a virus that gets on your hands when you wipe your nose with your hands after it runs profusely. It is said that about 40% to 90% of people infected with rhinovirus have rhinovirus on their fingers. The virus can be passed on to others when they touch other people or objects with their hands that are infected with the virus. When the latter touches their nose with their hands, they can infect their nose with the virus. From this point of view, hand washing is also an important measure to prevent infection.

That is, by washing their hands, people with colds can wash away the viruses on their hands; and by washing their hands, healthy people can prevent the transmission of viruses into the nasal cavity through their hands. But each of us, often unintentionally, keeps touching our noses with our hands.

Additionally, as a special route of infection, pharyngeal and conjunctival fever epidemics caused by swimming pools as vectors. Preventive measures, is to prohibit the opening of swimming pools or disinfection of swimming pools.

〈3〉Measures for sensibility: Generally speaking, colds in most cases are viruses transmitted directly to others through the patient's nose and throat, with measures against the source and route of infection is difficult to prevent completely, the pathogen always invades the respiratory organs. Therefore, as a last resort, it is to improve the body's resistance to control pathogens.

Preventive vaccination is the most important immunization method to improve resistance, and immunization can be strengthened through preventive vaccination.

At present, preventive vaccination against influenza has reached the stage of popularization, and preventive vaccines against other viruses and Mycoplasma spp. are still under research. From the immune theory, influenza vaccination is of course only effective in the prevention of influenza, invalid for other viruses caused by influenza. It is not uncommon to hear of people who have been vaccinated against influenza and then come down with a cold, but this "cold" is usually something other than influenza. The effect of the current flu vaccination is not 100%, at about 60% to 80%.

The flu vaccine is given every year from October, and adults are vaccinated twice (about every 4 weeks), each time with a subcutaneous injection of 0.5 milliliters. The preventive effect begins to take effect 1 to 2 weeks after vaccination and continues for 3 to 6 months.

To prevent colds other than influenza, it is important to avoid excessive fatigue and sleep deprivation, and to eat a good diet in order to maintain good health.

In addition, colds are caused by a variety of pathogens, mainly viruses, and then there are susceptible to infection triggers, the most important of which is the cold. So pay attention to keep warm, can also prevent colds. In the cold season, especially important, should pay attention to exercise from the usual, strengthen the body's ability to resist the cold, such as the summer began to use cold water to wipe the body or use a dry cloth to wipe the body and so on.