If a sore throat and stuffy nose, the first thing that comes to mind is the idea of a cold. Many believe that such a disease is not a reason to contact specialists, and there is nothing to bother doctors for nothing. Most often, the disease begins with hypothermia, when in the offseason it is not possible to find suitable clothing for the weather and the person will become very cold. At the same time, the body's ability to resist aggressive factors is reduced, and the virus from the surrounding space instantly finds a loophole.
Responsible approach
If the ear hurts, the throat and nose are disturbed by unpleasant sensations, self-medication can be practiced only in the first couple of days. If a person takes drugs, practices traditional methods of treatment, provides himself with a decent rest, but at the same time the symptoms are not exhausted, you need to visit a doctor. There is a likelihood of the disease becoming a chronicle, and it will be extremely difficult to cope with.
The complexity of any viral and bacterial disease is considered to be the problem of identifying the root cause. A person understands that his nose and ears are stuffy, his throat hurts, but he cannot determine for himself what kind of pathological microflora caused the phenomenon. To choose the appropriate course of therapy, you need to take an analysis, identify whether it is a virus or a bacterium, and on the basis of such information, select effective means. All modern medicines have contraindications, the risk of an allergic reaction of the body, and only a doctor will help you navigate a huge selection of pharmaceutical products. When determining the treatment strategy, the doctor will take into account the person’s tendency to certain diseases and the fact of the presence of chronic pathologies.
Experience and knowledge
Sometimes a patient comes to the doctor complaining that his nose is blocked, his throat hurts, and the doctor only examines and listens to the client and immediately prescribes a therapeutic program. For this reason, it seems to many that choosing a treatment is very simple, and the reason is not so important. The fact is that a doctor dealing with many patients every day is able to determine by the slightest nuance of the situation what kind of pathogen has entered the body, so it quickly selects the appropriate course. But an inexperienced person with no special education is not able to accurately assess the situation.
Basic treatment is selected based on current symptoms. If this is not the first case in a short time or the pathology is difficult, there are atypical manifestations, the doctor will send for additional studies. If a cold sore throat, stuffy nose, but at the same time the doctor has suspicions of a more complex disease, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to the study of the condition. Carrying out the analysis, experts will establish which preparations the microflora is sensitive to, and they will start from this, thinking over the further strategy of healing the client.
Relevance of the problem
As specialized studies show, the immune system has been weakening recently in all people, and even more often, those who have never had a cold before have a sore throat and a stuffy nose. This is largely due to industry, environmental pollution, and the resistance of pathological microflora to pharmacological products. You can reduce the risks of the disease if you lead a healthy lifestyle, eat right and always dress according to the weather. Vaccines will benefit, especially during the high-risk season.
It is noted that if a person has a sore throat, a stuffy nose, a cough develops, it often fails to cope even in a month. This is due to the cause of the phenomenon. If you identify it accurately and choose a course that is effective against the found factor, the disease will soon be eliminated. Usually tracheitis, laryngitis can be cured in one and a half to two weeks. If the symptoms are due to viral invasion, the program will require a longer period, the use of comprehensive health measures.
Antimicrobial therapy: a jack of all trades?
If you ask a layman: when his nose is stuffed up, his throat hurts, what to do - for sure, a person will advise you to go to the pharmacy for some antibiotic. The practice of using such drugs in recent years and the lack of detailed control over the sale of products, illiteracy of the population regarding the dangers of incorrect use of medicines - all this leads to the development of pathological microorganisms that are resistant to pharmaceutical developments.
Antibiotics should only be sold upon presentation of a doctor’s prescription, but many pharmacists neglect this rule. An unsuccessful choice of drugs leads to the patient taking different antibiotics for months, all internal systems and organs suffer from this, and the only cure is a course of extensive drugs - and they have a wide list of undesirable effects.
Safety and reliability
Sometimes a doctor can give a prescription for antibiotics, at the same time explaining how to safely be treated, in what quantity and what to take. A stuffy nose, a sore throat - almost every patient in the hospital has such symptoms during the changing seasons, and many suffer for a long time. As it turns out at the doctor’s appointment, the patients, although they used the composition prescribed by the doctor, did not follow the instructions. Antibiotics are intended for a course lasting 5-7 days, but the symptoms of the disease disappear earlier, and many finish the dose. Soon, the pathology returns with renewed vigor, while the microflora gains resistance to the medication.
Do I need it?
If the patient has a sore nose, sore throat, the doctor can prescribe antimicrobials immediately if there is reason to believe that the cause of the disease is bacteria. At the same time, you cannot start antibiotic therapy on your own, as soon as symptoms of a cold have appeared. Better to start with a hot foot bath, drink honey tea and sleep. You can use vitamins. It is likely that at the first stage of the progress of the pathology of these measures will be enough.
Terms and Cases
By the way, everyone has a different sore throat, a sore nose. If a simple runny nose bothers you, they diagnose rhinitis. This can happen at any unpredictable moment - for example, if you get cold or wet your feet. Usually rhinitis is the first sign of a cold.
Sinusitis is diagnosed if a runny nose progresses and the inflammatory process covers the sinuses near the nose. The patient feels that the head hurts and becomes heavier, the general condition becomes unpleasant, purulent discharge appears from the nose, and it becomes difficult to breathe. Many people call the disease sinusitis, however, this is not entirely correct, sinusitis is only one of the varieties of sinusitis. If the case is very severe, the face and eyes may swell. In this situation, an operation is indicated.
Options and diagnoses
If a sore throat, a sore nose, a doctor can detect pharyngitis. This term refers to a pathological condition in which the inflammatory focus is localized in the pharynx, on the mucous membrane forming the posterior wall of the organ. The first symptom of the disease usually also becomes a runny nose, while the discharge flows into the throat, causing the tissue to burn, tickling and soreness appear. The cough is usually superficial.
If the inflammatory focus has spread to the tonsils, tonsillitis is diagnosed, in which the throat is especially sore. My nose hurts, but at the same time it gives pain to the head. Tonsillitis can occur acutely or form in the form of a chronicle. Acute is a sore throat. The chronicle is accompanied by an inflammatory process and the formation of traffic jams. Some of them have been living with such a disease for almost their entire lives, and almost do not notice any inconvenience. The chronicle can aggravate unpredictably. The chronic form is said to be if angina bothers annually or more often.
Localization and diagnostics
If stuffy nose, sore throat, head, symptoms can speak of laryngitis. Such a disease affects not only children, but also people who are faced with increased stress on the vocal cords. The most common cause is infection with viruses and bacteria. In this case, the voice will hoarse, a person wheezes and hardly speaks words, coughs.
First aid
If the nose is blocked, the throat and head ache, first of all, you need to rinse your nose. For this, either ready-made pharmacy products (salt water, sea water) are used, or they prepare the substance on their own. On a glass of pre-boiled water, you need to take a quarter of a small spoonful of salt, stir it. Before washing the nose, you need to make sure that the temperature of the liquid is pleasant to the body.
To relieve unpleasant symptoms in the throat, gargle it. The pharmacy sells aerosols and lozenges that relieve soreness, but if it is impossible to purchase such drugs or if you want to combine the preparations, you can prepare chamomile decoction, eucalyptus. Raw materials for him are sold in the same pharmacy, and the packaging contains instructions for brewing. Having prepared the infusion, you need to wait until it cools down to a comfortable temperature. Gargle up to six times daily. You can use a soda solution.
Treatment features
If a cold is just starting, in no case do you need to bring down the temperature. Doctors say that indicators above 38 degrees are dangerous, and until the column on the thermometer rises to this mark, no antipyretics are needed. Immunity is activated when body temperature approaches 38, so an untimely drug program will only do harm.
In order for the cold to go away, you need to be responsive to the fight against cough. It is important to cleanse the body of sputum and mucous secretions containing pathological microflora. You can use products that can dilute such substances, and then use a course of drugs that simplify the removal of mucus from the body.
General help
A cold patient is shown to drink a lot. With a cold, dehydration is one of the main threats to the body. The task of a person is to constantly be in a warm room, having a warm drink at hand. If there is no temperature, you can take a hot foot bath. Doctors recommend wearing woolen socks during the illness, and wrap the neck with a shawl. You should not drink too hot a liquid, but about 30 degrees is a completely suitable level of heating. The more the patient will drink, the faster the body will clear itself of toxic substances.
Vitamins will be beneficial for the disease. Most importantly, ascorbic acid, which is rich in citrus fruits, currants and cranberries. If it is impossible to obtain natural sources, it is worth taking a closer look at pharmacy products. When choosing a vitamin complex, you need to make sure that there is no allergic reaction.
Viruses, bacteria and antibiotics
Antimicrobial agents are resorted to if the viral disease is complicated by bacterial invasion. The doctor identifies a complication of the initial disease and selects an appropriate antimicrobial course. If a cold is associated with the virus, the first manifestations will be vivid: pain, runny nose, tickle, patient fever. The cough is usually dry. If it transforms into moist, while greenish mucous masses are secreted, we can talk about the addition of bacterial invasion.
Very rarely, a bacterial disease forms independently, more often - against the background of infection with the virus, and on the 5-7th day of the disease. Usually the disease is streptococcal in nature. The probability of its development is higher if the air in the room where the patient is located is overdried, there are harmful aggressive factors that irritate the mucous membranes of the respiratory system. Bacterial invasion against the background of injury, the use of a caustic drink is possible.
Not single medicines
Sore throat, sore nose - problems that humanity has been familiar with for a long time, so there are many treatment options. People have long noticed that the diet greatly affects the speed of recovery. To minimize the risk of injury, you should eat only soft and puree. The patient is shown cereals, soups and boiled food. The benefits of pumpkin dishes are exceptional - from juice to mashed potatoes. The natural components contained in the product help to relieve soreness, strengthen immunity and ease the inflammatory process.
If the patient in everyday life strictly monitors the calorie intake, during the disease, you need to abandon the restrictions. Food should supply an adequate amount of all nutrients, including fats, enveloping the mucous membrane. Retinol and tocopherol are useful, stimulating regenerative processes in the epithelium. But seasonings and spicy dishes will do harm, as they irritate organic tissues. You need to very carefully consume foods that are more likely to provoke an allergy. Citruses, for example, are very useful, but the risk of hypersensitivity for colds is greater than in a healthy state.
Comfort and health
To quickly cope with a cold, you should drink warm milk and tea, supplemented with natural ginger or cloves. Doctors, explaining if the ear, throat, nose hurt, how to treat the condition, insist on the benefits of mint drinks and stewed fruit.
In many ways, the condition of the patient is determined by the atmosphere of the room in which he is located. If the air is too dry, the mucous membrane loses moisture, its ability to withstand pathological microflora decreases, the throat remains hoarse longer, the cough intensifies, the pain becomes more painful. To exclude such phenomena, you need to do wet cleaning, hang moistened towels on radiators, and put containers filled with clean liquid on window sills. The most comfortable moisture indicators are up to 60%.
If the patient smokes, during a cold, you need to completely abandon the bad habit. Alcohol, any narcotic substances will not benefit. But essential oils have a good effect. You can use them through an aroma lamp or humidifier, you can pour a few drops into the inhaler. Taking hot baths, a few drops of essential oil - for example, citrus or peppermint - are also dripped into the container. This will help to cure a cold faster.