Common Cold / Running Nose Symptoms and Causes

A common cold, also known as acute coryza, is an inflammation of the upper respiratory tract caused by infection with common cold viruses. A common cold occurs more often than any other disease - hence, its name. A person may suffer from a common fold several times in a year. A cold usually lasts from three to ten days. The patient feels miserable for the first three days or so.

Common Cold Symptoms

Soreness of throat, congestion of nasal passages

The initial signs of a cold are a feeling of soreness of the throat and congestion of the nasal passages. Although the disease normally begins in the nose and throat, it affects all parts of the body.

Running nose, Sneezing, headache, chill

Its usual symptoms are a running nose, sneezing, a rise in temperature, headache, sore throat, chill, aches and pains in the body, and loss of appetite. The skin around the nostrils may become sore.

Causes of Common Cold

Exposure to the virus

A common cold results from exposure to the virus. Its intensity, however, depends upon the state of health of the person and environmental factors.

Exposure to cold, low vitality, dust, changes in temperature

Low vitality, exposure to cold, lack of sleep, mental depression, fatigue, and factors such as sudden changes in temperature, dust, and other irritating inhalations are important contributory causes.

Common Causes or problems of Acidity

ACIDITY:

The stomach normally secretes acid that is essential in the digestive process. This acid helps in breaking down the food during digestion. When there is excess production of acid by the gastric glands of the stomach, it results in the condition known as acidity. Dyspepsia, heartburn and the formation of ulcers are some of the symptoms. It is more common in highly emotional and nervous individuals.

Common Causes of Acidity

• Consumption of Alcohol
• Highly spicy foodstuffs
• Non-vegetarian diets
• Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID's)

Most acidity problems occur
1. After meals
2. When lifting weight or straining and applying pressure in the intra-abdominal area.
3. At night when lying down.
Ulcers also occur as a result of over secretion of acid.

Home remedies for common Fever

Some general remedies that are beneficial in fever are:

• Mild sweating: this helps to digest the toxins. Lie on a bed covered with a blanket, for 15 to 20 minutes. Drinking a hot liquid also helps.
  
• Take 10 grams (one-tablespoon) raisins and 10 grams (one tablespoon) fresh ginger. Crush and put in 200-ml. water for one hour. Boil this decoction till the water reduces to 50 ml. Strain and drink while warm.Dosage: This preparation can be taken twice a day.

Holy Basil:

One of the effective home remedies for common fever is the holy basil. Make a potion using about twelve grams of these holy basil leaves, boiling them in half a liter of water. This should be given twice daily with half a cup of milk, one teaspoon of sugar and a quarter teaspoon of powdered cardamom to the diseased. This will help in bringing down the temperature.

Fenugreek Seeds:
Drink tea made from fenugreek seeds twice daily. It is very beneficial as a cleansing and soothing drink. It is specifically helpful in dissolving mucus.

Saffron:
Another useful home treatment is tea made from saffron. Prepare this tea by putting half a teaspoon of saffron in 30 ml of boiling water. Give a tsp of this tea to the patient every hour till the temperature returns to normal.

Raisins:

The extract from raisins is quite helpful in the treatment of common fever. Prepare this extract by soaking twenty-five raisins in half a cup of water and crushing them in the same water. Strain the potion and discard the skin. The raisin water thus prepared becomes a tonic. Adding half a teaspoon of limejuice to the extract for enhancing its usefulness. Take this twice daily.

Apricot:
A cup of fresh juice of apricots mixed with one teaspoon of glucose or honey is quite good for fevers. It quenches the thirst and eliminates the waste products from the body. It also supplies vitamins and minerals to the body. Thus, it helps in toning up the eyes, stomach, liver, heart, and nerves.

Grapefruit:
The juice of grapefruit is valuable in all fevers. Helpful in quenching thirst, it also removes the burning sensation produced by the fever. Half a glass of grapefruit juice should be taken with half a glass of water.

Orange:
Another ideal food in all types of fever is orange. It provides energy, increases urinary output, and promotes body resistance against infections. It is especially effective when the digestive power of the body is seriously hampered.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

Common fever Symptoms and Causes

When your forehead feels hot enough to fry an egg, your body is shaking like Jell-O and your teeth are chattering it's hard to believe that fever is your friend.

But it is a fever isn't a disease. It's a symptom of an infection, typically caused by a cold or the flu. When you have a cold, for instance, your immune system signals to your brain that it needs more body heat in order to attack infectious cells, and your body temperature rises.


Symptoms

following are the signs that indicate the presence of this ailment:

• High temperature


• Headache


• Muscle ache


• Burning eyes


• Loss of appetite


• Coated tongue


• Excessive production of saliva


• Feeling of heaviness and nausea

Causes

Fever can occur as a result of infection, because of external injury, insect bite or poisoning. It must be kept in mind that fever can also be a symptom of many conditions, like bronchitis, pleurisy, tuberculosis, jaundice, malaria, measles or influenza.