7 bad choices for treating the common cold

The common cold season

Let’s talk about the common cold — and whether you really have to die before getting proper treatment.

A cold is, first and foremost, a collection of symptoms that vary in severity, including cough, runny nose, headache, and fever. While these symptoms can be uncomfortable, the common cold is not considered a severe or serious illness. Even if you’ve never been sick before, have experienced milder or different symptoms, or have been advised to take castor oil, paraffin, antibiotics, or so-called "exclusive American" or "simple Soviet" remedies to "boost your immunity," the basic approach to treating a cold remains the same. As the old joke goes, "It will pass in a week if you don’t treat it."

What you shouldn't do if you develop cold symptoms:

• Do not self-prescribe antibiotics — even if you're a combat medic, have done it before, or received advice from a fellow service member.
• Do not take medications to "boost your immunity." They are ineffective; you cannot increase your immunity beyond the level you were born with. The only exception is vaccination against specific infections.
• Do not take "antiviral" medications — they won’t help either. Effective antiviral drugs exist for only a limited number of viral infections, and the common cold is not one of them.
• Do not treat fever with nimesulide, mefenamic acid, aspirin, or other medications not intended for this purpose.
• Do not self-prescribe cough medications: you risk increasing sputum production to unhealthy levels.
• Do not use nasal sprays (except saline) for more than three days in a row. Vasoconstrictor nasal sprays can be addictive, and stopping them can be much harder than starting.
• Do not experiment with bizarre traditional remedies like cupping therapy, mustard plasters, placing sulfur in socks, or rolling eggs over your body.

What you can and should do if you have a cold:

• Drink tea, juice, compote, or water, adding anything that is legal and that you're not allergic to (such as honey, raspberries, or lemons, but not energy drinks).
• Rest and take fever reducers or painkillers in proper doses. For adults, a standard single dose is 1,000 mg of paracetamol or 600 mg of ibuprofen. Smaller doses may or may not be effective. Keep in mind that common "anti-fever powders" often contain lower doses of paracetamol.
• Ventilate your room and, if possible, limit contact with fellow service members.
• Use saline to rinse your nose. Any commercially available sprays will work, but regular bottled saline is just as effective.

Unfortunately, in 99.9% of cases, this is all you can do to treat acute respiratory viral infections — whether it’s rhinitis or bronchitis.

However, in case of concerns about your condition or the nature of the infection, seek medical attention if: 

• your symptoms do not improve, and the fever persists; 
• you have difficulty breathing; 
• severe sore throat prevents you from functioning normally; 
• you notice unusual flushing of the skin or significant swelling of the lymph nodes; 
• you develop a rash, an unbearable headache, or ear discharge; 
• you experience any atypical symptoms such as vomiting, facial pain, or difficulty moving your neck. 

You may need additional examinations or medications that are not typically prescribed for the common cold.

If you or your fellow service members are unable to see a doctor in person due to your current circumstances, please contact us on Telegram at +380668405908 and provide a detailed description of your symptoms and concerns.