The common cold begins gradually.
That is why it is important to know what to do if you become ill.
After the first symptoms appear, there are several hours during which you can "intercept" the disease, preventing its development or alleviating the course of the disease.
What to do if you fall ill: causes and symptoms
The cause of the common cold is very simple: it is very cold. If the immune system is strong, it will perfectly cope with the effects of prolonged exposure to cold and damp. But people with reduced immunity need immediate help.
You can cool down after falling into the rain, spending a lot of time in the cold, wetting your feet. A long stay in a cold room, in a draft, is also fraught with a catarrhal disease.
The first symptoms of a cold are very similar to symptoms of overwork or insomnia:
• weakness;
• chills;
• headache and muscle pain;
• aches in the whole body;
• drowsiness;
• lack of appetite;
• a feeling of heat on the face.
At the same time, discomfort in the nasopharynx may appear: sore, sneezing, nasal congestion. All these are signs of the activity of pathological microflora, which is present in the body of every person. The temperature may not increase or increase slightly, to subfebrile (37-37.7 degrees).
What to do if you fall ill: urgent measures
After severe hypothermia or prolonged exposure to an uncomfortably low temperature (for example, when working in an unheated room or outdoors), preventive measures should be taken immediately. Need a shock dose of vitamin C. It can be obtained by eating 6-8 pieces of pharmaceutical ascorbic acid, a whole lemon (can be with honey), a kilogram of kiwi.
What to do if you get sick and the first symptoms appear? First of all, abandon the thought of having a cold on your legs. Many make a grave mistake when taking horse doses of paracetamol in the form of advertised pharmacy drugs. Tasty powders not only remove the symptoms of the common cold for a while, but also reduce the body's natural immune defense. After a few hours, all the symptoms will return, in addition, the disease will take a protracted form, complications will appear, a bacterial infection may join.
With a cold, you need bed rest. At least a day should be spent in a calm state. Sleep is the best medicine. You can take a pill of paracetamol or aspirin, but after that you need to go to bed, wrap yourself up and sleep for several hours. If you do this in the first hours after the multiplication of viruses and sweat as it should, you can get up in a day completely healed. Instead of antipyretic tablets, raspberry jam is suitable. Raspberries contain a lot of salicylic acid, which acts as a natural antipyretic.
The more fluid to take in the first hours after hypothermia, the faster the disease recedes. Liters should drink weak tea with lemon, honey, raspberries or medicinal herbs (chamomile, calendula, thyme, St. John's wort). Warm mineral (without gas) or ordinary drinking water is also good.
What to do if you get sick without fever? A great way to steam your feet or hands. In fact, it does not matter if the upper or lower limbs are immersed in hot water. It is important to stimulate blood circulation, ensure the outflow of fluid from inflamed tissues and generally keep warm. In the absence of allergies, dry mustard is added to enhance the warming effect.
If the temperature rises, there is a runny nose, sore throat, no need to pull. There are many antiviral drugs that are effective in the first hours after the onset of symptoms. They should be taken according to the scheme specified by the manufacturer.
In the presence of a nebulizer, inhalation with saline or mineral water can be carried out. Rinsing the nasal passages with salt water are required. In order not to confuse with concentration, you can buy any pharmacy based on sea water. Sore throat relieves soda rinses well.
As for food, there is no need to eat force. The body in the first day after the start of a cold actively fights viruses and does not want to spend energy on digesting copious meals. You can cook chicken broth: it will perfectly support strength, provide the necessary nutrients and do not overload the stomach.
What to do if you get sick: folk remedies
If the malaise is not accompanied by fever, but a cough has begun, you can prepare a warming compress on your back and chest. What to do if you get sick and need to warm the area of the lungs and bronchi? Boil the potatoes in their skins, knead unpeeled and put them in two bags or woven bags. Form two “cakes”, wrap them in a towel and attach to the shoulder blades and sternum. Hold until the compress has completely cooled, it is advisable to sleep.
Effectively rubbing the chest and back with badger fat. The product is taken on an empty stomach inside by a tablespoon three times a day. You can eat only after forty minutes.
If you tolerate essential oils well, you can inhale with fir, eucalyptus or tea oil. Water should not be hot, otherwise there is a risk of complication.
The vitamin mix perfectly supports immunity. Mix the flesh of lemon (you can with the peel), two tablespoons of honey, several cloves of garlic. Take 5-6 times a day for a teaspoon. This tool is good in that it can be taken as a prophylaxis of a viral disease during the period of seasonal SARS epidemics.
What to do if a child begins to get sick
Symptoms of a cold in children may differ slightly from the condition of adults. Moms can pay attention to the baby's lethargy, irritability, tearfulness. What if the child begins to get sick? Immediately provide bed and drinking, create optimal conditions in the room:
• The room should not be too hot or stuffy. The optimum air temperature is 20-22 degrees;
• it is necessary to ventilate the room at least 6-5 times a day in order to reduce the concentration of pathogens
• The air should not be too dry or too humid. In a hot, humid atmosphere, pathogenic microflora will begin to actively develop.
It is very good to put a saucer in a room with chopped garlic cloves or onion rings. The essential substances of medicinal vegetables will act as a natural disinfectant and kill pathogenic microbes.
For this reason, you can not confuse the child. It is only necessary to warm the baby if he is chilling. If it so happens that the child is very cold on a walk or on the road, you need to immediately drink hot tea and put him to bed, under a warm blanket, and lubricate the nasal mucosa with oxolinic ointment. After warming, even walks are not prohibited: the more fresh air, the better.
What if the child begins to get sick? Pediatricians recommend drinking compotes in liters. A decoction of dried fruits contains the right amount of vitamins and other beneficial substances. They maintain immunity, and the disease recedes. The more a child drinks, the faster the body evacuates the decay products of the dead pathogenic microflora. In addition to compote, you can give the same drink as for an adult:
• warm teas with herbs;
• mineral or plain water;
• natural diluted juices;
• broth of wild rose.
What to do if a child becomes sick and complains of a sore throat? Drink it with warm milk and a spoonful of honey and butter. If the child takes medicinal herbs well, you can give him chamomile tea and tea with licorice, mint, lime color. If possible, you need to give the sick child a decoction of cranberries, black or red currants, sea buckthorn. You can gargle with saline-soda solution with a drop of iodine.
An increase in temperature is a good sign. This means that the child’s body is actively struggling with pathogenic microbes, and in no case should this process be hindered. Pediatricians do not recommend knocking down the temperature in the first three days of the disease, but only if it does not rise above 38.5 degrees.
Therefore, if, after hypothermia, the child begins fever, it is better to tolerate and give the body the opportunity to fight the disease on its own. However, he can be helped to increase the concentration of interferon with the help of Viferon suppositories. As soon as the mother noticed the first signs of a cold, she can use the drug according to the age dosage. Suppositories contain not only interferon, but also vitamin E, ascorbic acid, which makes them very effective.
If a runny nose occurs, you do not need to be afraid to use vasoconstrictors. Shortness of breath, especially during a night's sleep, leads to headache and the development of complications. However, drops cannot be used for more than five days. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure the evacuation of the secret accumulated in the nasal passages.
What if the child begins to get sick without fever? Feet can be steamed with hot water or use the fragrant Zvezdochka balm. This can only be done if you are sure that there is no allergy to the substance and if the child does not have a cough. The fact is that a pungent smell can irritate the throat and cause a coughing fit. To remove the first symptoms of a cold, at night you need to rub the feet, wrists, back and sternum of the baby with balm, put on woolen socks. In the morning, the baby will get up healthy, and he will remain well fed.
A cold will pass faster or even bypass if you take the right measures at the first sign of a disease.
