Infectious diseases have never been very pleasant. Every autumn another influenza virus comes to us, and not everyone can get off with "little blood". But unpleasant sensations always arise with a cold, what to drink and at what rates can the temperature be brought down? The questions are simple, but people often get confused with the answers.
How to start fighting a cold?
First, let's define the first half of the question:
- You generally need to drink. And a lot the more you drink fluids per day, the better your body will be... The secret is simple, along with urine, several liters of fluid per day are normally excreted from the body. Filtered liquid that contains toxic toxins... The less they are in a sick body, the faster it can recover.
- If the symptoms come on suddenly, the first priority is to deal with them. This is not correct from a medical point of view. After all, first you need eliminate the cause of the disease itself, but we value our time and our own well-being. " Rinza " sold in every pharmacy, available without a prescription and will help relieve the main symptoms. Among the active ingredients is caffeine.
- Drink drugs that help strengthen your immune system. They are named immunomodulating , they have practically no contraindications. Except for autoimmune diseases and other rarities. I don’t want to do advertising, but “ Imupret»Is ideal for our purposes.
We strengthen the body and destroy infectious agents.
- All for the same strengthening purposes, you need to drink vitamin C... The usual ascorbic acid from the pharmacy can hardly be called an effective and efficient drug; it will help only in the initial stages of the manifestation of the disease.
- From prevention to “heavy artillery”. Antibiotics for common ARVI or ARI are advised not to take. The fact is that these substances destroy all microorganisms, not only pathogenic ones. And the immunity of pathogens will develop too quickly, with a really serious condition, the so necessary antibiotics may no longer help. For those who are in a hurry and are not afraid of risks, “ Gronzipin».
- When it comes to a viral disease, it is necessary to fight viruses, not bacteria. Suitable for this antiviral drugs, in the medicine chest of many doctors there is " Altabor "... The standard drug of choice with a minimum of side effects and contraindications.
We get rid of symptoms quickly and cheaply.
- "Teraflu" often compared to " Rinzoy"Because the drug also helps relieve symptoms. But, unlike its caffeine "brother", "Theraflu" also fights against the cause of the disease. It prevents the spread of the disease and suppresses it in the embryo. But this is if you decided in time to start fighting the disease.
- Coldrex it differs little from the previous point, but it would be a crime not to include it in this list. There is already a question of personal preference and belief in the effectiveness of one of the two drugs. Some people mix it up, taking both in turn.
- Aspirin... This is really "cheap and cheerful". Every medicine cabinet contains at least a few tablets of this drug. It is outdated, doctors scolded it from TV screens and pages of fashion magazines, they say that it can cause ulcers. This is true, in many Western countries, aspirin has long been abandoned, the medicine is prohibited for sale. But it really works, and a couple of pills will not cause an ulcer.
- You also need to remember about gargling. "Chlorophyllipt" relieves all possible discomfort in the throat. And again, can be found at any pharmacy and at a low cost. Just don't try to drink it, use it exclusively for rinsing the throat and mouth.
In this video, Tatiana says that it is best to drink with a cold during training, and is it possible to train at all:
What to drink for a cold? Folk remedies
It just so happened that many readers do not recognize traditional medicine or are wary of it.
Like, why stuff yourself with a bunch of "chemistry" and get side effects? You read them a lot in the instructions, and it becomes scary, better to cheer. In fact, getting sick is not at all better, but most side effects manifests itself when using more than five drugs. But to know the simple folk remedies fight colds it is necessary:
- Sweet tea with lemon or raspberries. Sugar will raise blood glucose levels, lemon is a natural source of vitamin C, and raspberries contain salicylic acid. The effect is like aspirin, only about ulcers you can not worry.
- Garlic... In fact, mothers and grandmothers do not in vain stuff sick children with garlic, this is not only for the sake of torment or entertainment. Garlic contains substances that have a depressing effect on pathogenic microorganisms.
- Milk with honey... It is even easier here, milk contains amino acids necessary for the body, due to which the synthesis of mediators and biologically active substances occurs. And they all take part in the control of a weakened organism.
- An option that nobody will like - starvation... Additional reserves are being activated, but there is still controversy over the methodology.
- What many will like - mulled wine, based on dry red wine, with honey.
Traditional medicine or modern achievements?
You may have noticed that there is some connection between folk and purely pharmacological agents. So which is better?
With the flu, with bronchitis, with a cold - what to drink, and what medications are better to refuse? Each person finds the answer independently, based on their own experience and useful tips from doctors and friends.
Cold video: what to drink, which methods are better?
Text: Alena Poroshina
What to take for a cold? This question is addressed to both qualified doctors, and all-knowing grandmothers, or compassionate girlfriends. Oddly enough, but all of them can give good and effective advice.
What to take for a cold, and what - definitely not
People are often and vividly interested in what to take for a coldwhen a virus is caught. But, oddly enough, there is a list of what not to take for colds. And it would be more logical to start the story with him.
This list is headed by two drugs that are very popular among the people: antibiotics and alcohol. Alas, neither one nor the other does not help with colds. Moreover, both antibiotics and numerous, supposedly healing, tinctures on alcohol and vodka, which are often taken for colds, significantly weaken the immune system, undermine it, deprive it of the ability to overcome the disease on its own. As a result, a cold can acquire a chronic form.
In addition, you should not take any drink hot for colds (warm is much preferable), since excessively hot throats can provoke additional irritation of the throat tissues and increase coughing. And also, you should not take any remedies for a cold, if sometime in the past you had an allergy attack to a component that appears in this remedy.
Remedies to take for colds
There are a lot of remedies that are advised to take for colds. But we will focus on the five tools available almost everywhere. So, if your temperature goes off scale with a cold, then you need to take an antipyretic. The easiest way is to buy simple paracetamol, which copes with this task perfectly. The second effective remedy for colds that should be taken into service is any drug of the interferon group that will help support the immune system and help it defeat the disease. The third number is worth mentioning any warm drink - water with lemon, ginger tea, chamomile tea, or simple tea with raspberry jam. There are dozens of options and recipes, the emphasis here is not in the quality of the composition, but in the quantity - with a cold, you must take at least 2 liters of liquid daily.
The fourth element of the "saving five" can be called any simple products that are always at hand, and that help to overcome colds due to the fact that they contain the magical substances of phytoncides. Without going into biochemical details, we will only inform you that for colds it is useful to take onions, garlic, lemon, ginger, sage and other products. Also phytoncides are contained in the potato "uniform" - that is why grandmother's inhalations over boiled potatoes quickly and effectively treat cold symptoms such as cough and sore throat. And finally, it would be unforgivable not to mention vitanims - they always play an important role in our life, but in case of a cold it is absolutely necessary to take them.
Even if these five remedies, which we advise you to take for colds, seemed too "frivolous" to you, do not neglect them. As you know, the main thing is hidden in the little things: most likely, that this “simple alchemy”, which includes the five above means, will play a decisive role in your recovery.
What to take for a cold? What kind medicines choose? Are recipes effective traditional medicine?
Symptomatic treatment
A mild course of the disease is accompanied by a runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, and body temperature may also rise. If untreated, severe conditions such as sinusitis, bronchitis, tonsillitis and others may occur. To prevent the development of dangerous consequences, it recommends symptomatic treatment.
What should you drink for a cold? There is no universal answer to this question. The choice of a drug depends on the existing symptoms and the individual characteristics of the sick person's body:
It is important to know that it is not advisable to drink antibacterial drugs for a cold. Since most often colds are triggered by the effects of viruses, and antibiotics are effective only against bacteria.
On the 4-5th day of the course of the disease to viral infection bacterial can join, in which case it is impossible to do without the use of antibiotics. Only a doctor should prescribe such medications.
It is undesirable to take in large quantities a variety of cough remedies in powder form. They help get rid of the manifestations of the disease, but they have a therapeutic effect. A one-time use of such drugs is permissible when there is an urgent need to normalize the condition. The main active element of these medicines is paracetamol. If ingested excessively, such a substance can have a negative effect on liver and kidney function.
With an increase in temperature indicators in the body, the production of antibodies to the virus is activated, and repeated use of these drugs interferes with this process.
Antiviral medicines
What medicines to drink for colds? Many experts recommend the use of antiviral medicines when developing a cold. Such funds activate the body's defenses and prevent the reproduction of pathogenic microflora. However, the effect of these drugs on the human body has not yet been fully studied, in addition, new types of viruses that are resistant to available medicines are constantly appearing.
Antiviral drugs are classified into the following groups:
- immunostimulants (Kagocel, Tsitovir) - activate the production of its own interferon in the body;
- interferons (Intron, Viferon) - help the body cells to eliminate the virus;
- actually antiviral agents (Remantadin, Arbidol) - inhibit the action of viruses, prevent their reproduction in the human body.
It is more expedient to use antiviral medicines at an early stage of the development of the disease. Take immunostimulants for prophylactic purposes with caution. Uncontrolled use of these funds can provoke the occurrence of autoimmune diseases - multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
Unconventional treatments
What can you take for a cold besides medication? Alternative medicine can also help cope with colds. To speed up the healing process, you should drink more fluids. Drinking for colds should be fortified, it is recommended to give preference to compotes, fruit drinks, herbal teas.
What tea to drink for colds to lower body temperature? To normalize health, it is useful to drink tea with the addition of lemon, honey, raspberries, viburnum, black currant during the day. Also, to normalize temperature indicators, it is recommended to use lingonberry or cranberry juice.
What is better to drink for a cold from a cough? To eliminate cough, you can prepare a decoction of plantain or licorice root. Effective remedy is a lemon - squeeze the juice from one fruit, add 3-4 tbsp. l. honey, take the resulting product for 1 tsp. 3-4 times a day. Milk with honey and butter will help get rid of sore throats.
What herbs to drink for colds to relieve inflammation? The most effective medicinal plants are linden, chamomile, black elderberry, mint, rosehip. On the basis of such plants, medicinal decoctions are prepared, which prevent the further development of the inflammatory process.
To reduce the severity of symptoms of the disease and improve well-being, inhalations using medicinal herbs or essential oils can be carried out. Warming procedures also have a good therapeutic effect - it is useful to make hot foot baths, use a pepper plaster, and put mustard plasters.
Preventive measures
To prevent the development of colds, due attention should be paid to prevention.
It is also necessary to give up smoking, observe the rules of personal hygiene, and monitor the cleanliness of the home. In the cold season, you should avoid crowded places and take drugs that stimulate the immune system. What to drink to prevent colds? Echinacea tincture will help to increase the body's defenses, you can also give preference to medications, the most effective and safe are Immunal, IRS-19, Imudon, Amizon, Bioaron S.
Influenza and colds are the most common viral diseases all over the world. And often these diseases cause various complications. Therefore, you need to choose the right pills to drink for a cold.
It is believed that, on average, over 60 years of his life, a person is able to endure such diseases equal to 6 years. And in 80% of cases, acute respiratory infections are caused not by the influenza virus, but by other infections.
The main methods of alternative treatment
The main symptoms and signs of the disease are familiar to everyone. These include sore throat, feeling weak, nasal congestion, and sneezing. Having felt the first symptoms, you can take the squeezed juice of one fresh lemon with honey instead of cold pills.
This procedure is considered effective because a large dose of vitamin C promotes the rapid destruction of microbes. And you can also add finely chopped fresh onions to lemon juice.
At the first manifestations of a sore throat and cough, you should stop smoking. And in this case, cold pills can be replaced with hot tea with honey based on licorice root. Or gargle with a solution of water with iodine and salt.
Smoking and cigarette smoke reduce the activity of the body's respiratory cilia. And they help eliminate various microbes. Therefore, when coughing, you should give up cigarettes for at least one day.
At the first manifestations of nasal congestion, you can use various types of inhalation, cold pills or drops from the common cold. Treatments over potato steam work well.
By the way, medical experts consider potato inhalations to be the best methods of combating the disease. Also, many traditional healers recommend to bury onion or beet juice in the nose. But inhalation is a more gentle method.
With the main manifestations of weakness in the whole body, folk doctors, instead of choosing which cold pills to use, advise taking more foods containing vitamin C. For example, you can eat apples, cranberries, and citrus fruits.
In addition, you need to stay on bed and drink plenty of fluids. Various decoctions of herbal teas are especially helpful for enhancing immunity.
What pills to drink for a cold?
What pills for colds to use will only be suggested by your personal doctor. The choice of such funds depends only on the individual characteristics of the organism of each person.
Also, an experienced medical specialist will help to correctly recognize and diagnose the disease. Because many of the symptoms and signs of a common cold can lead to complications. Or testify to other types of disease.
On many forums, the choice of pills for colds and flu is discussed more than once. But the correct decision depends only on the type of infections and associated symptoms. And in such cases, only the diagnosis of the disease in medical institutions will help.
There is an opinion that various antipyretic and anti-influenza powders are effective drugs. They are quick-acting and help get rid of the first signs of the disease.
These include "Fervex", "Coldrex", "Teraflu" and various other types of powders. But these drugs relieve only the primary symptoms and are effective at the onset of infection, and they do not cure the disease. Taking paracetamol or aspirin-based cold pills also helps.
Only a doctor can prescribe antibiotics for colds and flu. Because antibacterial agents are considered to be highly effective and can cause allergic reactions in the body. For example, if a strong antibiotic is selected, then it can harm the human immune system. And if a weak antibiotic is selected, it may happen that such a drug cannot cope with the disease.
But the groups or classes of antibiotic-based cold pills need to be distinguished for each person. Four types are distinguished among them: macrolides, fluoroquinolones, penicillins and cephalosporins. They are most effective in infectious diseasesespecially for colds and flu.
Many medical professionals are of the opinion that antibiotics should not be taken. The most important process in the treatment of colds is the elimination of various toxins and microbes from the body. And at the first symptoms of the disease, you need to use the usual anti-influenza drugs. And you can take antibiotics only after five days, if with conventional treatment did not show any changes in the direction of recovery.
About what pills for colds if available wet cough apply, the following should be noted: effective method in this case, mucolytic drugs will be taken. They help remove phlegm from the bronchial organs.
Among popular opinion, the simultaneous taking of such 3 cold pills as aspirin, analgin and paracetamol is effective. That is, one aspirin tablet, one analgin tablet and one paracetamol tablet. They are taken three times a day.
This combination can help get rid of the symptoms, as well as the disease itself. At the same time, the adoption of hot tea based on raspberries and cranberries should be added. You also need to take honey.
Before resorting to taking such 3 pills for a cold, you need to consult your doctor. Because their action is effective only if there is high temperature body. And, as a rule, all therapists recommend to endure the temperature so that the body itself develops antibodies to infection.
In some cases, if you have a fever, it is better to take medications containing ibuprofen. Or a complex based on paracetamol, caffeine and phenylephrine. These drugs help relieve headaches and lower body temperature.
For a complex effect on the disease, such pills for colds and flu as Anaferon are suitable. This medicinal product has a beneficial effect on the homeopathic state of the human body. And contributes to its strengthening and enhancement.
Medicines based on immunomodulators can also be used with a complex effect on ARI disease (acute respiratory disease). These include the most famous Arbidol capsules.
In addition, medical specialists also adhere to the opinion of traditional healers that to combat the disease, instead of taking cold pills on the first day of the onset of symptoms, it is better to take a large dose of vitamin C. It promotes a quick recovery. And this is confirmed by many clinical trials.
This opinion was also shared by the Nobel Prize laureate L. Pauling. He believed that if you take vitamin C in a dosage of 100-500 milliliters per day for colds or flu, you can quickly get rid of the disease. And also, taking vitamin C, a person increases and strengthens his immunity.