Common cold (also known as cold, coryza etc.) is an infectious disease of upper respiratory tract (which include nose and throat) caused by virus. Generally common cold does not produce serious complications, although it may produce troublesome symptoms. Most susceptible to common cold are preschool children, although nobody (adults and healthy individuals alike) is immune to common cold. Even without any treatment common cold generally go away within a week or two. If your common cold symptoms do not go away by two weeks or they are troublesome, consult your doctor.

What are the symptoms of common cold?

Common cold can be caused by 100 to 200 different viruses; hence the symptoms of common cold may vary according to the causative virus. The symptoms of common cold are mainly related to respiratory system, such as:

• Runny nose (nasal drip or post nasal drip)
• Nasal congestion, due to inflammation of nasal mucosa
• Irritation, itching or soreness of throat
• Sneezing due to allergy
• Loss of appetite or anorexia
• Cough
• Mild generalized body ache and fatigue
• Mild headache
• Mild or low grade fever (high fever is generally indicative of a superimposed bacterial infection)
• Lacrimation or watering from eyes.

Common cold generally begins with mild fatigue, sneezing and mild headache. These are followed by respiratory symptoms such as runny nose, cough etc. Most of the symptoms of common cold generally appear and peak in 3-4 days and disappear in a week to 10 days, although sometimes symptoms may last as long as three weeks (may be due to different types of causative viruses).

When to see a doctor?

You should see a doctor if you have:

• Fever more than 103 degree Fahrenheit
• Swelling of glands and sore throat
• Fever with cough, colored phlegm, chills
• Symptoms (moderate to severe) lasting more than two weeks
• If symptoms are troublesome for you, i.e. if symptoms are disturbing your daily activity, such as going to office or school for children.

Image: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Complications of Common Cold in Babies

Treatment and Prevention of Common Cold in Babies

Symptoms and Causes of Post Nasal Drip

Risk Factors of Common Cold

What to Discuss With Your Doctor for Common Cold

[unable to retrieve full-text content]A government advisory committee has reconsidered its advice to keep certain details of bird flu experiments secret. Revised versions of manuscripts that describe two recent studies can be openly published, the committee now says. The decision could help end a debate that has raged within the scientific community for months.

Common cold (also known as cold, coryza etc.) is an infectious disease of upper respiratory tract (which include nose and throat) caused by virus. Generally common cold does not produce serious complications, although it may produce troublesome symptoms. Most susceptible to common cold are preschool children, although nobody (adults and healthy individuals alike) is immune to common cold. Even without any treatment common cold generally go away within a week or two. If your common cold symptoms do not go away by two weeks or they are troublesome, consult your doctor.

What are the symptoms of common cold?

Common cold can be caused by 100 to 200 different viruses; hence the symptoms of common cold may vary according to the causative virus. The symptoms of common cold are mainly related to respiratory system, such as:

• Runny nose (nasal drip or post nasal drip)
• Nasal congestion, due to inflammation of nasal mucosa
• Irritation, itching or soreness of throat
• Sneezing due to allergy
• Loss of appetite or anorexia
• Cough
• Mild generalized body ache and fatigue
• Mild headache
• Mild or low grade fever (high fever is generally indicative of a superimposed bacterial infection)
• Lacrimation or watering from eyes.

Common cold generally begins with mild fatigue, sneezing and mild headache. These are followed by respiratory symptoms such as runny nose, cough etc. Most of the symptoms of common cold generally appear and peak in 3-4 days and disappear in a week to 10 days, although sometimes symptoms may last as long as three weeks (may be due to different types of causative viruses).

When to see a doctor?

You should see a doctor if you have:

• Fever more than 103 degree Fahrenheit
• Swelling of glands and sore throat
• Fever with cough, colored phlegm, chills
• Symptoms (moderate to severe) lasting more than two weeks
• If symptoms are troublesome for you, i.e. if symptoms are disturbing your daily activity, such as going to office or school for children.

Image: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Related posts:

Symptoms of Common Cold

What is Common Cold?

Symptomatic Treatment of Common Cold

Common Cold in Babies

Symptoms of Cold Sores

Complications of Common Cold in Babies

Treatment and Prevention of Common Cold in Babies

Symptoms and Causes of Post Nasal Drip

Risk Factors of Common Cold

What to Discuss With Your Doctor for Common Cold

Enlarge iStockphoto.com

This would be a lot more fun on the rocks.

iStockphoto.com

This would be a lot more fun on the rocks.

Cooling a person's hands while exercising can make for a better workout, especially for people who hate to exercise because it makes them all hot and sweaty.

This might help the many, many people who have a hard time keeping up with exercise because it's just plain uncomfortable.

Researchers tested the idea with obese women in their 30s and 40s who worked out on a treadmill. The women whose palms were cooled with a device that circulated ice water were able to exercise longer than the women whose palms were exposed to room temperature water.

"It works to reduce the sensation of being overly hot and sweaty," says Stacy Sims, an exercise physiologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine, who led the study. "The idea is to allow those people to overcome the initial barriers that heat intolerance produces. It gives them positive affirmation to keep going."

Indeed, the women without cooling were more likely to quit, while those with cool palms were more likely to stick it out through the 12-week study. And they got results. The chill group shaved about five minutes off the time to walk 1.5 miles, and lost almost three inches from their waists. They also had lower resting blood pressure.

Core cooling has been used for years by elite athletes, and it does seem to help improve their performance and reduce muscle soreness. But experiments with more normal folks on the benefits of cooling have been mixed at best.

Before becoming a scientist Sims, 40, was a professional racer in Ironman and Xterra triathlons. She says that elite athletes are prepared to push through feeling hot, tired, and miserable. But those feelings can turn off novice exercisers for good. Overweight and obese people are more likely to overheat, adding to the disincentive.

 

Devices like cooling vests and the handheld device used in this study cool blood as it circulates close to the skin, reducing overall body temperature and heat-related stress. The Stanford researchers used a gizmo called an Avacore Rapid Thermal Exchange, which pumps ice water past the palms while each hand is in a small vacuum chamber. The vaccum is there to maintain blood flow to the hands even though they are cool and clenched. It costs about $4,000, well beyond the reach of everyday exercisers.

In the study, the 24 women walked on treadmills while their hands were in the Avacore devices. Some of the women had cold water, some not. They were told that there would be variations in the water temperature, even though there were just two.

This is a very small study, so the results might not pan out in real life. But Sims says there's no harm in trying homegrown versions of the chill technique.

"If you drink an icy cold drink or hold a frozen bottle, it's helping you with the cooling," Sims says. "Hold the frozen bottle while you're training, and drink the water. It helps your core temperature stay a little colder."

She presented the results of her study at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2012 Scientific Sessions in San Diego.