ENT
CONDITIONS
Common cold & cough
Common Cold
The common cold is one of the most common acute infections affecting the body.
Commo Cough
A cough is a natural reflex that is your body’s way of removing irritants from your upper (throat) and lower (lungs) airways. A cough helps your body heal and protect itself.
Causes
Common Cold
Age: It occurs at all ages.
Sex: Both sexes are equally affected.
Causative Organism is a virus and the spread occurs by direct contact or by airborne droplets. The virus may be rhinovirus, influenza virus or adenovirus. Secondary infection by bacteria like Streptococcus haemolyticus, pneumococcus, staphylococcus, Haemophilus influenzae and Micrococcus catarrhalis may occur.
Common Cough
There are many things that can make you cough. Some of them include:
Irritants or allergens
Smoke.
Strong smells (like cleaners and perfumes).
Mold.
Dust.
Pollen.
Petdander.
Mucus.
Symptoms
There are 4 stages of common cold:
Ischaemic Stage (After an incubation period of 1 to 3 days)
Burning in the nasopharynx may be the first symptom.
Irritation and dryness in the nose soon follows.
Sneezing occurs paroxysmally.
Shivering and malaise may develop
Hyperaemic Stage
Rhinorrhoea becomes profuse.
Blocking of the nose occurs. The mucosa is hyperaemic.
Anosmia may be present.
Fever and headache may be present.
Stage of Secondary Infection : Discharge becomes yellow or greenish, and thickens.
Stage of Resolution : It occurs in 5 to 10 days.
Treatments
Common cold and cough usually happening during any season change or due to some allergens gets cured on its own within 3 days. If the symptoms are persistent beyond these days or if intensity of these symptoms is high enough then medical treatment is required.
In Homoeopathic system of medicine cold and cough can be very readily treated with acute remedies. The patients who have recurrent tendency to cold and cough also are helped by removing their tendency and building immunity.
Homeopathic remedies which help in such patients are pulsatilla, sticta, belladona etc.
