Health Giants » Colds and Flu http://www.healthgiants.com All About Health Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:19:37 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 What is the treatment of common cold? http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/05/09/what-is-the-treatment-of-common-cold/ http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/05/09/what-is-the-treatment-of-common-cold/#comments Mon, 09 May 2011 09:23:37 +0000 Tayyaba Akmal http://www.healthgiants.com/?p=1691 No specific cures for common cold are available. The generalized treatment of common cold can help to relieve the symptoms of common cold and make a patient feel better. Natural home remedies for the common cold are more effective than the use of antibiotics.Lot of rest and 12 hour sleep is necessary for the treatment of common cold. Warm and humid environment is more comfortable for better relief from common cold. Mucous flow will be easier in such environment and help against congestion. Good nutrition and healthy diet is necessary to provide immunity from common cold causing virus.

A person should take a balanced diet rich in supplements (vitamins and minerals). To fight against infection causing neutrophils, both zinc and vitamin C are necessary as they are used to treat common cold. Without having sufficient concentration of zinc and vitamin C in the body, there will be an easy home for most viruses and infections.

]]> http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/05/09/what-is-the-treatment-of-common-cold/feed/ 0 What is the diagnosis of common cold? http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/05/06/what-is-the-diagnosis-of-common-cold/ http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/05/06/what-is-the-diagnosis-of-common-cold/#comments Fri, 06 May 2011 12:08:28 +0000 Tayyaba Akmal http://www.healthgiants.com/?p=1687 Some symptoms of common cold help in the diagnosis of common cold. These symptoms include running nose, sneezing and fatigue. Fever may or may not accompany common colds. The common cold can be diagnosed easily by a person without seeing a doctor.Healthcare provider generally examines the lungs, neck and head of a person. The doctor may perform a blood test or throat culture to find out a secondary infection. No other laboratory tests are available for common cold diagnosis. Doctor also checks signs and symptoms of pneumonia or other respiratory illness like bronchitis.

Influenza is confused with common cold in most cases. Influenza has flu symptoms and causes a fever with severe symptoms.  Nose running is also caused due to allergies like molds or pollen allergy. Allergies are persistent than cold. Sometimes people suffer from running nose when exposed to cold air. In this case, running nose is not a common cold symptom.

]]> http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/05/06/what-is-the-diagnosis-of-common-cold/feed/ 0 What causes common cold? http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/05/04/what-causes-common-cold/ http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/05/04/what-causes-common-cold/#comments Wed, 04 May 2011 09:40:01 +0000 Tayyaba Akmal http://www.healthgiants.com/?p=1682 As the name suggests, every year there are over one billion common cold episodes in the United States. It is more common than any other type of illness. Children having common cold may have it until they grow up. Common cold and flu is a contagious disease. Common cold is a year round disease.Symptoms of common cold spread with nose-blowing, sneezing and nose-wiping activities. People suffering from common cold spreads virus to healthy persons sitting nearby. They remain contagious in first three days from the onset of common cold symptoms and non-contagious by 7 or 10th day of the disease. Common cold is the most common illness throughout the world.

Rhinovirus, which is a common cold causing virus develop and survive at lower temperature in a nose. This virus can survive for about 3 hours on formica surface and a doorknob. So, the cold remedies are not important for the treatment of common cold.

]]> http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/05/04/what-causes-common-cold/feed/ 0 What are the symptoms of common cold? http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/04/28/what-are-the-symptoms-of-common-cold/ http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/04/28/what-are-the-symptoms-of-common-cold/#comments Thu, 28 Apr 2011 02:37:19 +0000 Tayyaba Akmal http://www.healthgiants.com/?p=1678 Symptoms of common cold ensure better remedies for common cold. Common cold symptoms appear in 1 to 2 days after affecting with common cold causing virus. As the symptoms run ahead the color of nose discharge become yellow and green. Clear symptoms of cold are necessary for common cold treatment or cold remedies.Generally the fever is not high in flu symptoms and this distinguishes common cold from other viral diseases. Fatigue is a common symptom of common cold. Signs of common cold generally vary and depend on the virus, which can cause infection and include:

  • Headache
  • Fatigue
  • Body aches
  • Low fever
  • Watery eyes
  • Cough
  • Hoarseness
  • Sneezing
  • Sore throat
  • Nasal drainage

The symptoms of common cold in infants are same like those present in adults. The running nose begins with clear discharge from nose. Children and infants may become fussy and experience a decreased appetite. Common cold incubation period takes 4 to 14 days for the common cold symptoms to disappear.

]]> http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/04/28/what-are-the-symptoms-of-common-cold/feed/ 0 What is common cold? What are the causes of common cold? http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/02/07/what-is-common-cold-what-are-the-causes-of-common-cold/ http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/02/07/what-is-common-cold-what-are-the-causes-of-common-cold/#comments Mon, 07 Feb 2011 05:17:06 +0000 Tayyaba Akmal http://www.healthgiants.com/?p=1461 The common cold is an infection of upper respiratory tract. Common cold is the most common disease in U.S. Sometimes it is simply declared a common cold contagious and results from different kinds of viruses. Common cold occurs due to variety of different viruses so our body usually fails to develop any specific resistance against all such common cold causing viruses. New viruses for common cold develop constantly.

Colds are the most common and frequent problem in school going children. Elementary and preschool children suffer from common cold 3 to 12 times a year. Adults suffer from common cold 2 to 4 common colds per year and need different remedies for common cold. Common cold is the most common illness in the world today which has become the most frequent cause of visiting hospitals seeking common cold medicines.

Common cold occurs due to dry cold air, infection, smoking and pneumonia. Most common colds are caused by rhinoviruses.

]]> http://www.healthgiants.com/2011/02/07/what-is-common-cold-what-are-the-causes-of-common-cold/feed/ 0 Is Swine Flu Life Threatening? http://www.healthgiants.com/2009/11/17/is-swine-flu-life-threatening/ http://www.healthgiants.com/2009/11/17/is-swine-flu-life-threatening/#comments Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:48:44 +0000 Tayyaba Akmal http://www.healthgiants.com/?p=219 What is Swine flu?

Swine flu is actually a respiratory disease that is caused by viruses, which infect the respiratory tract of pigs and consequently, cause nasal secretions, decreased appetite, a barking like cough and restless behavior. The pigs that last can retain swine flue for one to two weeks. Virus of swine influenza first isolated from pigs in the U.S in 1930.People mainly develop swine flu due to their interaction with pigs.

Swine-flu-Sci-2003

Symptoms of Swine flu:

The symptoms are similar are similar to those that cause influenza infections, which are as follows:

  • Nasal secretions
  • Cough
  • Fever may be 100 deg F or higher
  • Fatigue which is a most common symptom
  • Headache
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Pneumonia if viral infection persists
  • Seizures

Death occurs from a secondary bacterial infection of lungs and use of appropriate antibiotics is indispensable.

Diagnosis

Presumably, swine flu is diagnosed from the symptoms described above and patient’s history if there is any association with people having swine flu symptoms. A quick test in this regard is by taking a nasopharyngeal swab sample to see if a patient is suffering from the influenza virus A or B.Tests can distinguish the virus A or B.Tests may be positive or negative for A or B viruses. If the test came out to be positive for type B the flu will not likely to be swine flu. If the test is positive for type A virus the patient will be suffering from swine flu or conventional flu strain. Swine flu is diagnosed by identifying those antigens that are particularly associated with the virus type. Available treatment for swine flu.

The best available treatment for infections like influenza in humans is vaccination and this vaccine consists of live attenuated H1N1 virus, which cannot be used by a pregnant woman or a person who is immunocompromised.

Two antiviral agents have been noticed that help, prevent or eradicate swine flu infections. They are Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) both of which prevent and eliminate both A and B influenza. These drugs should not be used indiscriminately because there can be a development of viral resistance to them.

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