What to do with the first signs of a cold

Cold season and off-season - the time of the common cold, or, as medical workers say, acute respiratory infections.Most often, acute respiratory viral infections are manifested by acute inflammatory processes - pharyngitis, rhinitis, tracheobronchitis.All these diseases have a viral etiology, so they are always accompanied by an increase in body temperature and general intoxication of the body.

Few people know what can and should be done when the first signs of a cold appear, which measures will help to transfer an acute respiratory-viral infection more easily and shorten the duration of the disease.

Table of contents: First signs of a cold in adults and children What to take at the first sign of a cold in adults The first signs of a cold in children - what to take The first signs of a cold in pregnant women - what to do

The first signs of a cold in adults and children

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If to isolate the symptoms of a beginning cold in adults, then you can designate a sore throat, an itchy nose, sneezing, a rare dry cough.Very quickly, with the development of an acute respiratory-viral infection, nasal congestion, runny nose and lacrimation appear.Literally after a few hours the patient begins to worry about headache, general weakness, fatigue, joint and muscle pain( legs or hands "twist").

Note: is extremely rare, but doctors fix the first sign of a common cold in the case of a high body temperature.Typically, this manifestation characterizes the development of influenza or infectious diseases of internal organs and systems, but there are exceptions.

But in children the first signs of a cold are slightly different - there will be a rise in temperature and vomiting.The child refuses food( even from his favorite foods), becomes sluggish, goes to bed.Only after that he has a cough, runny nose and sneezing.

Note: in childhood, sudden temperature increase may be accompanied by convulsive syndrome.In such cases, you must immediately call the ambulance team.

What to take at the first sign of a cold in adults

If time is taken to take certain measures, the cold will not develop into a long, protracted disease, and the patient's condition will be relatively stabilized. What do doctors recommend:

1. The first signs of a cold are an occasion to observe the home regime( if possible), if there is an increase in body temperature, then the regime should become bed.It is necessary to wear the gauze mask when the symptoms appear, which will prevent contamination of others.If a disposable mask is used, then it must be changed every 3 hours, and if the patient uses a reusable medical mask, it must be ironed on both sides with a hot iron every 3 hours.
2. The patient needs to provide a copious drink - it can be a decoction of rose hips, tea with raspberry jam or kalina, decoction of lime blossom, green tea.You can not drink coffee, strong black tea and hot chocolate.Milk and honey will also be useful, but it can not be considered as a liquid, therefore, in addition to milk, the patient should consume other specified beverages.
3. It is extremely necessary to adjust the diet - it is unlikely that a sick person will have a healthy appetite.The body needs support, so it is advisable to give the patient chicken broth, sour-milk products, vegetables and fruits.Such a diet will prevent the disruption of the digestive system - often against a background of developing colds there are constipation or diarrhea.
4. At least 4-5 times a day, a procedure for washing the nose with saline solution should be performed, even if the patient does not have a runny nose and stuffiness.You can buy ready-made preparations for this procedure in the pharmacy - Salin, Aquamaris and others, but there is always the possibility to prepare saline solution and yourself: you need to dissolve 1 teaspoon of table salt in 700-1000 ml of warm water, add 2-3 drops of iodine.
5. Every 3-4 hours gargle with a solution of baking soda( 1 teaspoon per 500 ml of warm water), furatsilinom, decoction of chamomile, sage.

Note: washing the nose and rinsing the throat facilitate mechanical cleansing of mucous membranes from virus particles, provide additional moistening of the membranes and improve blood circulation.All this in combination has a non-intensive anti-inflammatory effect.

1. Steam inhalations will help quickly "strangle" the cough and clear the nasal passages from accumulated mucus.For this procedure, essential oils of eucalyptus, tea tree and conifers can be used.You can use boiled potatoes "in uniform" - grandmother's method of steam inhalations is still effective at the first signs of a cold.
2. Every 2 hours you need to dig in 5 drops in each nostril solution of leukocyte interferon, you can use instead the means and drops "Derinat".The only nuance is that such instillations should be performed after washing the nose with saline.

Note: if there is no suspicion of sinusitis, there is only a slight obstruction, then it can be instilled with beetroot juice + garlic( in equal proportions two components are mixed) - this will prevent the development of rhinitis.You can warm your nose with a boiled egg( it must be hot, cleaned - just rolled over the bridge of the nose and the area of ​​the maxillary sinuses) or canvas pouches with heated salt.

1. Some physicians recommend the preparation "Kagocel" at the first signs of ARVI, these tablets should be taken according to the following scheme:

• when symptoms appear 1 tablet;
• in the evening of the same day, one more tablet( or the morning of the next, if the symptoms appeared in the evening);
• on the second day should take 1 tablet every 12 hours;
• two following days - 1 tablet once a day.

Note: is not registered in the US and Western Europe, it is absent from the WHO list of drugs.According to the representatives of the Formulary Committee of RAMS and SDMX, the effectiveness of Kagocel has not been proven.

1. In the evening, you need to take a warm bath with the addition of an extract of coniferous plants( or essential oils) for 15 minutes, rub the body well with a towel, go to bed and drink a cup of hot tea with raspberry jam.
2. It is necessary to make a hot foot bath with mustard - you can use powder, or you can simply put 2-3 mustard plasters in 2 liters of hot water.The feet usually hover for 15-20 minutes, as the water cools, boiling water is added.Then the legs are wiped dry, put on warm socks and go to bed.

Please note: bath with extract of coniferous plants and hot foot bath will be useful only in the absence of hyperthermia .Even a slight increase in body temperature is a contraindication to any warming procedures.

If the cold develops rapidly, signs become more intense literally every hour, then you need to take any combination medicine that will provide symptomatic treatment - for example, it may be Fervex or Coldrex.A good effect is also provided by self-massage of biologically active points - experts recommend massaging reflex points on the hand( where the thumb and index finger "joint"), on the "wings" of the nose( they can be felt with fingers - there will be "holes"), on the inner corners of the eyebrows.

It should be noted that many medicinal plants that are recommended for the first signs of a cold can provoke the development of a powerful allergic reaction.Therefore, if earlier any means have not been used, it is necessary to be convinced of normal perception of substances by an organism.Otherwise, the allergy to the cold can be so powerful that you will need the help of doctors and hospitalization.

First signs of a cold in children - what to take

In principle, for a sick child, you can take the same measures as for adults.But in connection with the fact that in childhood, the first sign of a cold is an increase in body temperature, it is strictly contraindicated to hold warm baths, hot foot baths and steam inhalations. But you can do the following:

1. Take the mustard powder, pour it into thin cotton socks and put them on the legs of the child, on top - woolen socks.The child should be like this all evening, but at night the legs need to be rinsed.
2. If the body temperature is high, then children older than 3 years old can wipe the elbows, forehead, lower extremities with a solution of vinegar( 1 tablespoon of vinegar per glass of water).
3. If the body temperature is above 38 degrees, then it is advisable to give the baby Paracetamol( in syrup) or to put a candle Cefekon D.

Note: practically all combination preparations for treating colds in early stages of development are contraindicated in childhood.For example, Kagocel should not be given to children under 3 years of age, but from 6 months you can use Ergoferon, and from the birth of the droplet of Derinat.It is best to call a pediatrician at home.

If the child has the first signs of a cold, but he remains moderately active, then you do not need to immediately "stuff him" with medications.It is necessary to give preference to tea with raspberries, broth of hips, honey with milk, lime-colored tea.If a cough begins, then it is possible to irrigate the mouth with a decoction of chamomile or sage - some of the remedy will still fall into the throat and "wash away" the viral particles.

Please note: should never rub the breast and back of a child with fat( this is considered a good folk remedy for coughing), if there is a fever or during the day there were similar "jumps".Blocking pores of the skin with fat can provoke a convulsive syndrome.

The first signs of a common cold in a pregnant woman - what to do

If a woman has a baby, then for a cold, she is strictly not allowed to have hot foot baths and baths in general - this will certainly provoke premature termination of pregnancy.In addition, no medications can be taken without the consent of a gynecologist to pregnant women - even the usual antipyretic and immunostaining can be dangerous for the fetus.

It is most prudent to comply with bed rest, drink plenty of fluids, and carry out aromatherapy with oils from conifers and eucalyptus.Any other appointments should be made by a specialist.

The first signs of a cold are felt by almost everyone.It is not necessary to hope that "it will pass by itself", "I'll be like a cucumber in the morning" - the result of such careless attitude will be a long illness, which can also take place with complications.It is much easier to immediately take the measures indicated in this article - this will make the cold easy, short and without possible complications.

Tsygankova Yana Aleksandrovna, medical reviewer, therapist of the highest qualification category