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Self-Care at Home for Cold
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- To date, no specific cure has been found for the group of viruses that cause the common cold. Antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses, and are of no use in treating a cold.
- It seems unlikely that a single antiviral medication will be discovered in the near future that can target the over 200 different cold viruses. That is true in part because the viruses genetically change (mutate) each season just enough to prevent the development of a specific treatment for that virus.
- The good news is that you can take several steps to alleviate the symptoms once you have contracted a virus.
- Congestion: Drink plenty of fluids to help break up your congestion. Drinking water or juice will prevent dehydration and keep your throat moist. You should drink at least 8–10, 8–ounce cups of water daily.
- Fluids might include water, sports drinks, herbal teas, fruit drinks, or ginger ale. Your mother’s chicken soup really can help.
- You can give your children colas, but don’t include them in the 8–10 cups of fluid per day. Cola, coffee, and other drinks with caffeine work to increase urine output when your goal is to increase fluids in your system.
- Inhaled steam may ease your congestion and drippy nose.
- Hold your head over a pot of boiling water and breathe through your nose. Be careful. If the steam burns your nose, breathe in more slowly.
- You can put a pot or teakettle on a trivet on a table and hold a towel around the steam and your head.
- You can buy a humidifier, but the steam will be the same.
- Moisture from a hot shower with the door closed, a saline nasal spray, or a room humidifier is just as useful.
- Fever and pain: Medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) will help decrease fever, sore throat pain, and relieve body aches.
- High fever usually is not associated with the common cold and may be indicative of “The flu”–a more severe illness caused by an influenza virus. Report to your doctor any temperature greater than 102°F.
- Never give a child aspirin or medications containing aspirin. In children younger than 12 years, aspirin has been associated with Reye syndrome–a potentially fatal liver disorder.
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