Normal colds bring no dangers. Treatments aim to alleviate the unpleasant symptoms. Depending on the severity of the symptoms and personal experience, there are several options for this - general measures, home remedies, herbal remedies and medication in combination or alone. No treatment has been proven to shorten the duration of a cold. Affected people who treat their symptoms well survive the infection with less discomfort. Antibiotics are useless because they fight bacteria, but colds are caused by viruses.
General measures
People who have a cold can help themselves by behaving appropriately. General measures and home remedies are enough for many people with a cold to get over the infection.
- Physical protection and sufficient sleep: Because the body needs its strength to fight the cold, you should not expect it to be stressed or subjected to high loads at work or in your free time. This also includes avoiding alcohol and nicotine. A little exercise, on the other hand, doesn't hurt. If you feel like it, you can even go for a walk in the fresh air. It is always important to ensure that you wrap up warm enough and that you take long breaks to recover at the first sign of exhaustion.
- Drink a lot and the right things: The body needs plenty of fluids, for example to form the secretions of the mucous membranes. It is therefore beneficial to drink plenty of fluids – at least two liters a day, unless there are health reasons not to do so. Water, herbal teas (e.g. sage, peppermint, thyme), ginger tea and diluted fruit juices are suitable. Hot drinks are said to help better if sweetened with honey. Honey contains a number of substances that work against viruses, bacteria and inflammation. Some sufferers swear by chicken soup or onion broth when they have a cold.
- Stock up on energy, vitamins and minerals: In order to drive away cold viruses, the body needs a lot of energy, vitamins and minerals. The diet should therefore be varied, balanced and sufficient. Eating a high-fiber diet promotes digestion, which can slow down when you're not moving. A lot of vitamin C is considered positive, but studies have not been able to prove this. Zinc, on the other hand, seems to be helpful.
- Pay attention to air quality: It should be pleasantly warm in the room. This is why some people who have a cold tend to turn up the heating and ventilate a little. However, dry room air can irritate the mucous membranes, and some cold viruses survive longer as a result. Dry mucous membranes are also more difficult to defend against viruses. Since fresh air invigorates, you should ventilate briefly and thoroughly several times a day without the room cooling down. The humidity can be increased during the illness by placing water bowls on radiators. In the long term, however, humidity levels of more than 60% increase the risk of mold growth.
- Sucking and gargling: Wet mucous membranes are more defensive than dry ones. Cough or cold sweets moisten the mucous membranes and often work with substances that fight pathogens or relieve symptoms.
Home remedies : ginger drinks and chicken soup
The number of home remedies for colds is huge. Studies on many of them are lacking. Whether a remedy is considered effective or ineffective is often based on experience. Anyone who has the feeling that "her" or "his" recipe works from experience can usually use it without hesitation: the majority of home remedies have no significant risks. But some, such as inhalations, powerful essential oils or certain painkillers, pose a risk, at least for certain groups of patients. It is therefore never a mistake to inquire whether there are known risks for your own treatment method. Here is information on two common home remedies that have often appeared in the media recently.
Ginger, more precisely its root, contains essential oils, the pungent gingerol and other aromatic substances. Substances are also available that on the one hand act against bacteria, viruses, inflammation, nausea and vomiting, and on the other hand have a positive effect on blood circulation and gastric and intestinal function. Some of these effects are welcome for colds, but most are not scientifically proven. This also applies to the fact that regular intake is intended to prevent colds. However, many people rely on it and many people with a cold feel relief when they drink ginger drinks. Fresh roots are milder than older ones. Because most of the beneficial ingredients are under the peel, the roots should be peeled very thinly or just cleaned. For ginger water or tea, three to four thin slices or a corresponding amount of grated ginger are sufficient. Depending on the recipe, the ginger is boiled with water for ten minutes or just poured with boiling water, in which it steeps for another ten minutes with the lid closed. Honey or lemon juice can improve the taste.
There are different results from studies on chicken soup: sometimes it helped against colds, sometimes it did nothing. Chicken soup contains cysteine, zinc, other minerals and vitamins. They are anything but unfavorable. In addition, the body receives important liquid through the soup. When we eat, we breathe in hot vapors that have a similar effect to inhalation. These useful effects are often enough to make cold symptoms lessen and those who have a cold feel better. So it only plays a subordinate role here if studies were not able to prove the effects on all test persons.
Treatment of individual cold symptoms
Those affected can use a wide variety of different remedies to combat the symptoms of a cold. Medicines to reduce fever are almost never necessary with body temperatures up to around 38 °C, i.e. with colds. However, they are often useful because they also help against pain and inflammation. There are other medications, for example against coughing, sore throat, to loosen mucus and to clear the nose. Most people with a cold combine remedies from several groups, such as painkillers with herbal cough teas and calf wraps. Accordingly, some cold remedies are commercially available that contain several herbal or artificial active ingredients or substances from both areas.
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| treatment of individual cold symptoms |
Cold, sore and "blocked" nose
- Inhalations with warm steam promote the decongestion of the nasal mucous membranes and the «opening» of the nose. At the same time, solidified secretions liquefy and dissolve. The steam should be around 45°C. It has not been scientifically proven that essential oils, medicinal herbs or salt improve the effect. Nevertheless, many people with a cold find inhalations with additives more pleasant. Consider chamomile, eucalyptus, peppermint, tea tree, and others. Some experts doubt that essential oils have any positive effects on colds at all. With infants and small children, parents should avoid the oils and also inhalations, because children easily scald themselves. Adults can inhale for 10 to 15 minutes two to four times a day.
- Nose drops or nasal sprays with active ingredients such as naphazoline, oxymetazoline, xylometazoline and similar can also widen the swollen mucous membranes of a "blocked" nose. However, these substances permanently damage the nasal mucosa. Their use should therefore be limited to two applications a day and five to a maximum of seven days. Drops and sprays without the preservative benzalkonium chloride are considered better tolerated. Alternatively, seawater nasal sprays and nasal rinses with lukewarm chamomile solution or salt water rinses can be used. However, salt can also irritate the nasal mucosa. Saline douches should only be used when they feel comfortable.
- If the nose is red and sore, ointments containing the active ingredient dexpanthenol support healing. Vaseline, milking fat and wound creams also have a soothing effect. You can also use unsalted butter if you need to.
- Pressure pain in the head, which worsens with shaking and when bending forward or moving abruptly, suggests sinusitis. The treatment is basically as described as long as no complications develop, which is rare.
Children: no strong essential oils and no acetylsalicylic acid!
Essential oils with a strong aroma, and especially those containing menthol, can cause an involuntary reflex stop breathing in babies, toddlers and children. The painkiller acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) can lead to life-threatening Reye's syndrome in children and adolescents with febrile infections, which is manifested by brain and liver damage. The remedies mentioned should therefore only be used on medical advice if other measures do not help. Basically, parents should make sure that all the means they want to use with their children are really suitable for them. It should also be noted that the dosage often needs to be adjusted for the younger ages of children.
Difficulty swallowing and sore throat
- Difficulty swallowing and sore throat are quickly relieved by lozenges containing local anesthetics (e.g. benzocaine). Hard candies with herbal ingredients (e.g. sage, thyme, Icelandic moss) or Ems salt can also help. When gargling, there are also several options. Antiseptic agents (e.g. chlorhexidine, cetylpyridinium chloride) penetrate deep into the throat and reduce the number of germs there - but also those of the natural throat flora. Appropriate sprays or gargling solutions should be used carefully and sparingly, for example when you are out and about. Herbal remedies (e.g. sage, thyme, clove oil, eucalyptus, chamomile extract/tea) have a gentler effect when dosed correctly. Wraps are also available on the neck. Cold wraps (e.g. quark wraps, lemon wraps, wraps with angelica ointment) can be considered if the inflammation is acute and “hot”, and the throat and swallowing are painful. Warm wraps (e.g. potato wraps) are more suitable if the symptoms last longer and have already peaked. In the case of visible foci of pus on the tonsils, severe difficulty swallowing, fever and swollen lymph nodes, those affected should consult a specialist.
Cough and urge to cough
- Cough suppressants (antitussives) relieve the urge to cough. This can be particularly helpful if you have a dry, dry cough before going to bed to get a good night's sleep. If mucus is already forming in the lungs, the funds should not be taken. The secretion serves as food for bacteria, so that in the worst case, pneumonia can develop. Therefore, you should cough up as much of the mucus as possible. There are several active ingredients available for cough suppressants. Some are artificial and related to opium (e.g. dextromethorphan, codeine), others are not (e.g. pentoxyverine). Representatives of the second group are considered to be less effective, but also lead to undesirable effects less frequently. Plant-based preparations (e.g. buckhorn, Icelandic moss, marshmallow, mallow) are very well tolerated. They are particularly suitable for children.
- Cough teas also often work with these plants and sometimes combine them with those that loosen mucus (e.g. aniseed, ivy, bittersweet stems, thyme, eucalyptus).
- Cough, bronchial or cold lozenges and sweets almost always contain herbal substances. Additionally, synthetic (e.g., lidocaine, ephedrine, codeine) may be present. The effects and risks differ, so that advice is useful when in doubt.
- Cough or mucolytics (expectorants, mucolytics) are intended to thin the mucus in the lungs so that it can be coughed up more easily. Therefore, it is best to take it in the morning or during the day and drink plenty of it during the rest of the day. In addition to plants and herbal remedies, there are artificial active ingredients (e.g. acetylcysteine, ambroxol). They are not or only partially suitable for pregnant and breastfeeding women, children and people with certain diseases. Professional advice can also be useful because of possible side effects.
- Inhalations bring moisture to the lungs. Plant ingredients and salt are said to increase the mucus-thinning effect. Infants and young children should not inhale or inhale fumes containing strong essential oils. The latter can also trigger breathing difficulties in people with asthma.
Headache, feelings of pressure
- When you have a cold, you often experience pain and a feeling of pressure in your head. The reasons are the body's defense reactions against the pathogens, side effects of the slight fever and, in particular, the changed pressure in the airways due to a "blocked" nose and/or inflamed sinuses (inflammation of the paranasal sinuses), later possibly due to a persistent cough. Anything that alleviates these conditions (e.g. inhalations, nasal sprays) also alleviates the headache. Gently massaging a few drops of peppermint oil on your forehead and temples is more than just beneficial. In studies, this helped with mild headaches as well as painkillers. Active ingredients such as paracetamol and ibuprofen are preferred among these. Some sufferers appreciate warmth. They put heat packs on their foreheads. Fresh air promotes the contraction of the nasal mucous membrane vessels and better secretion drainage. However, the temperature should never feel uncomfortably cool on the head.
Elevated temperature, fever
- In the course of the body's defense reaction, its temperature rises. In the case of colds, this increase is usually only slight, so that no medication is usually necessary for this reason alone. However, active ingredients such as paracetamol and ibuprofen not only reduce fever, but also relieve headache, joint and body pain. Most people who have a cold use them to make them feel a little better in general. That shouldn't tempt you to make an effort. The body still needs rest. For children, using suppositories and juices is usually easier than using tablets. Parents should pay attention to the correct dosage. Febrile seizures can still occur in children, but they are not usually a sign of danger. If in doubt, a pediatrician should be consulted. Calf wraps with lukewarm water often feel pleasant when the temperature is high. The wraps are placed on the calves for 10 (small children, seniors) to 20 minutes if they are hot. Cold compresses should never be applied to cold feet or legs, even if you have a high fever. It is to be avoided that the patient shivers or freezes. Fever or cold teas with linden and elderflowers are said to make users sweat and thus lower the elevated temperature.
Hoarseness
Some people with a cold get hoarse because their vocal cords swell up temporarily. The most sustainable way to combat this is to take it easy. Because cold reduces swelling, cooling (e.g. with drinks, ice cream, cold packs or a cloth on the larynx) can improve the voice, but only for a short time. If your voice changes or you lose it completely, the vocal cords and larynx may have become inflamed. This should be clarified by experts.