Getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of fluids can do as much good as medicine as far as helping someone with a cold feel better. Whether you feel like sleeping around the clock or just taking things a bit easier, pay attention to what your body is telling you when you have a cold. A warm bath or heating pad can soothe aches and pains, and the steam from a hot shower can help you breathe more easily. Don't worry about whether to feed a cold or starve a fever. Just eat when you're hungry.
And you might have heard that chicken soup can cure a cold. There's no real proof of this, but sick people have been swearing by it for more than years. Teens who catch colds usually don't get very sick or need medical attention. But talk to a doctor if any of these things happen to you:. You should see your doctor if you think you might have more than a cold or if you're getting worse instead of getting better. A doctor won't be able to identify which specific virus is causing a cold.
But your doctor can check your throat and ears and possibly also take a throat culture to make sure your symptoms due to another condition. A throat culture is a simple procedure that involves brushing the inside of the throat with a long cotton swab. Examining the germs on the swab will help determine whether you have strep throat and need treatment with antibiotics.
If your doctor does prescribe antibiotics, be sure to take them exactly as directed. If you stop taking them too soon — even if you're feeling better — the infection may not go away and you can develop other problems. Sooner or later everybody catches a cold. But you can strengthen your immune system's infection-fighting ability by exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough rest. Although some people recommend alternative treatments for colds such as zinc and vitamin C in large doses, or herbal products such as echinacea , none of these is proven to prevent or effectively treat colds.
Because herbal products can have negative side effects, lots of doctors don't recommend them. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. What's a Cold? This is especially true if these symptoms occur during pollen season, meaning the spring and the fall. But depending on what the allergy is to, they can have symptoms any time of the year. And your pediatrician can help you figure this out.
Allergies are much easier to treat than the frequent colds because medications can help control the symptoms. Quite often, parents wonder if a child is sick because they lack vitamins of because it's cold outside.
Colds are not caused by a poor diet or the lack of vitamins. They are not caused by bad weather, air conditioners, or wet feet or hair, or even from playing outside without a coat on.
Having all these colds is an unavoidable part of growing up. Colds can't be prevented, no matter what you see on TV or read on the Internet.
They help build up your child's immune system. Also, if your child gets a lot of ear infections, if doesn't mean that your child has a serious health problem.
This means only that the tubes in the ear aren't draining properly. And if your child has repeated ear infections, talk to your child's pediatrician to see if they need to see an ears, nose, throat specialist.
Many parents are worried that their child has some serious underlying disease because they get a lot of colds. A child with an immune system disease doesn't get any more colds than the average child. They difference is that the child with an immune problem will have trouble recovering from the illness and they are often hospitalized for a long time as a result. They will also have numerous serious infections every year such as pneumonia or boils on the skin many times before they are even a year old.
In addition, a child with a serious disease does not gain weight very well or look well between infections. So how can I take care of my child with all these viruses that they get? First, look at your child's general health. If your child is vigorous and gaining weight, you don't have to worry about their health. Your child is no sicker than the average child of their age.
Children get over colds by themselves. And although you can reduce the symptoms, you can't shorten the course of each cold. Your child will muddle through just like every other child and the long-term outlook is good. The number of colds will decrease over the years as your child's body builds up a good antibodies supply to the various viruses. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.
These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. The Common Cold There's a reason that the cold is called common. Influenza or the Flu Although many people blow off the flu as nothing more than a bad cold, it is quite the opposite. Strep Throat Strep throat is an infection in the throat caused by the streptococcus bacteria.
Mononucleosis Mononucleosis , or "mono," is sometimes called the kissing disease. Gastroenteritis or Stomach Flu Gastroenteritis , more commonly called the stomach flu, is a frequent illness among teens. Sexually Transmitted Diseases Sexually transmitted diseases, sometimes called sexually transmitted infections STI , are increasingly common among teens.
Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Related Articles. Do You Have Mono? How It's Diagnosed. Mononucleosis vs.
How to Prevent the Transmission of Mono. How Long Is Mono Contagious? Could It Be Mono? Symptoms to Look For.
Throat and Ear Pain. Is Mono an STD? Can You Have Chronic Mono? How Long Is Mononucleosis Contagious? Can Mono Be Cured? Treat Mononucleosis Symptoms at Home. Mono vs. Flu: Comparing Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments. Symptoms of Mono in Kids. Can You Get Mono Twice?
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