What is common cold?
Common cold or acute coryza is an acute illness characterised by inflammation of the mucous membrane of nose and sometimes pharynx and larynx by a group of viruses lusting for few days.
Causes of common cold: –
Predisposing causes of common cold is debilitating diseases, aggregation or overcrowding in public places, history of contacts – all play some part. After infection by the virus subsequent bacterial infection by pneumo, strepto and staphylococci may develop.
Incubation period of common cold is 24 to 72 hours.
Symptoms of common cold: –
In general the onset of common cold is acute. Running from the nose, sneezing, soreness of throat, malaise and slight temperature may be present. This may disappear or may persist for a few days and on the height of this, bacterial infection develops. This bacteria and infection leads to persistence of temperature and purulent discharge from the nose, headache and pain over the sinuses and ears due to infection. Pre-existent chronic lung diseases are aggravated due to such infection.
Due to attack of common cold immunity is short lusting so second attack may occur at any time.
What is feverish cold: –
Clinical features of feverish cold are same as common cold but the blood and constitutional symptoms are more remarkable. It is more severe and prolonged than common cold but certainly less severe than influenza.
A patient of common cold
What is sore throat: –
Sometimes the soreness of throat comes with the common cold but not always. Outbreaks of sore throat are common among service personnel. Adenoviruses are mainly responsible for it. Pharynx and tonsils are very much inflamed. Due to such inflammation enlargement and tenderness of cervical limph nodes may occur. Patient complains of sore throat, fever, malaise etc. Due to common cold viral or bacterial and even both infection may cause sore throat. It is often very difficult to distinguish between viral and bacterial sore throat.
Treatment of common cold: –
Treatment always is done according to symptoms. According to symptoms some homoeopathic remedies is suggested here. But experienced physician may select proper remedies or homoeopathic medicine after taking totality of symptoms.
i) Icy coldness of whole body; internal and external both: – Camphor may be given.
ii) Cold due to sudden exposure to dry cold wind, Chilly feeling, headache, water ring of eyes and is sneaking, feverish feeling: – use Aconite.
iii) Running of nose during the day and blockage night with cool feeling: –Nux Vom is useful.
iv) Dryness of nose with headache, worse from motion, more thirst: – Bryonia works well.
v) In the second stage of common cold, discharge from nose, yellowish or greenish: –Kali bich. May be given.
vi) Watery discharge from nose likes a tap; thirst is more, stools constipated, coldness aggravates till noon and ameliorates afternoon: –Natrum mur. Is good.
vii) Water like discharge from nose in the beginning and finally it becomes thick, Yelow. Pain in the throat on swallowing as it full of sprinters; sensitiveness to cold: –Hepar Sulph is useful.
But those are not all. Many more remedies according to symptoms are useful in common cold, such as Allium cepa, Merc. Sol, Euphrasia, arsenic, Belladona, gelsemium, Eup. Perf, Sulphur etc.
With the use of medicine, magnetic therapy may give greet relief of the symptoms. Small ceramic magnets may be use on both side of the nose to stop sneezing and watering. For sore throat Magnet may be used on painful area. Magnetised water should also be taken.