How to properly treat a cold

Recently, various myths have been circulated about the common cold as a kind of disease that is caused exclusively by the viral flora. In fact, things are somewhat different. We invite you to deal with the treatment of colds, the rules for taking the drug "Arbidol" and many other points.

How to cure a cold?

It's raining outside – summer is coming to an end. This means that the season of holidays and vacations is coming to an end, and everyone, young and old, is returning to the cities. It's time to get back to your normal work routine. But this is not so easy, especially with colds and flu – constant companions of slush on the streets. Try to count how many times a day you hear sneezes and coughs around you? But they also spread pathogenic microorganisms. So now is the time to discuss the strategy and tactics of dealing with the disease. You will learn how to cure a cold without compromising your health. And the first thing to do is to abandon the erroneous ideas about acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI).

Myths about the common cold

In modern society, numerous myths about the common cold are common. Let's analyze the most important of them.

Myth 1. If you treat a cold, it lasts 7 days, and if not treated, a week. Is this a myth? After all, according to the World Health Organization, the average duration of a classic ARVI is indeed 6-7 days, and the disease goes away without consequences. But if everything were so simple, about 500 thousand people in the world would not die from influenza every year, and millions would not suffer from severe complications – this is the sad reality. There are risk groups for flu complications, and for such people, even the “common cold" requires special attention. These are pregnant women, children under 2 years old, schoolchildren, people over 50 years old, people with chronic heart and / or lung diseases (including bronchial asthma), immunodeficiency states, diseases of the endocrine system, and obesity. Besides, the risk of complications is also increased by periodically emerging new strains of viruses, and in fact, in most cases, when a patient contacts a doctor, the virus serotype is not analyzed. Thus, treatment of colds and flu is necessary in order to avoid dangerous complications.

How to get rid of a cold?

Myth 2. There is no cure for the common cold, only the symptoms can be treated.

This is a mistake, since there are a number of etiotropic drugs, i.e. acting directly on the cause of the disease – the causative virus. If you do not know how to get rid of a cold, then the information below is especially for you.

It is known that ARVI is caused by influenza, parainfluenza, adenovirus, rhinovirus, and more than 300 other types of viruses. There are two main "application points" on the virus that are blocked by drugs: the influenza virus protein neuraminidase (inhibitors – oseltamivir, zanamivir) and the surface protein hemagglutinin, which is responsible for the entry of the virus into the cell. This protein is present in the envelope of many respiratory viruses. Therefore, its inhibitor umifenovir (Arbidol) is effective against a wide range of respiratory viruses. At the same time, it must be understood that most widely advertised cold remedies are symptomatic. They fight not with the cause of the disease, but with its manifestations. When you take them, your temperature will drop for several hours and your head will start to hurt less, but the virus in the body will continue to multiply. The most important,

So what is better – to deal with the cause of a cold or only with its symptoms?

Myth 3. Homeopathic remedies are the most effective and safe. For the treatment of influenza and ARVI, homeopathic preparations are being actively promoted today. In classical homeopathy, high dilution preparations are used only for functional disorders, that is, in cases where the patient needs a “placebo” effect for recovery – faith in recovery. There is no doubt that these drugs themselves are safe. However, in some cases, the replacement of antiviral therapy with a placebo effect can lead to the development of severe complications. Therefore, these drugs cannot be used as monotherapy for influenza and SARS. Homeopathy can be recommended in addition to basic antiviral therapy and for non-specific prevention of SARS in patients who do not belong to risk groups.

Arbidol treatment

Myth 4. The newer the drug, the better it is.

Every year, some new medicines enter the market, and I want to believe that they will help overcome the disease easily and quickly. Of course, there are drugs that are outdated and no longer effective. So, for more than 40 years, rimantadine was considered one of the best, but today the circulating strains of influenza have lost sensitivity to it. However, other drugs that have long been used in practice are still successfully fighting the disease (oseltamivir, Arbidol). Doctors have been using Arbidol treatment for many years.

And some novelties of pharmacology, on the contrary, have not yet passed the test of time. For example, Kagocel contains gossypol1, a highly toxic natural polyphenol that has been extensively tested in China as a male contraceptive2. Subsequently, its use was abandoned due to the high risk of infertility. How Kagocel affects spermatogenesis in the long term is not exactly known.

Is Arbidol effective and helpful?

Myth 5. The most popular antiviral drug in Russia, Arbidol, is ineffective.

Probably not a single domestic drug has been subjected to such large-scale criticism as Arbidol (umifenovir). His safety has never been in doubt. However, the clinical base was mainly formed back in the Soviet era, so it has undergone a comprehensive study for compliance with the modern requirements of evidence-based medicine. Consider this aspect, does Arbidol help?

One thing is known for sure: Arbidol is an antiviral drug. There are foreign publications that describe the "target" of the virus protein, which is affected by "Arbidol". The obvious disadvantage of "Arbidol" is its inconvenient scheme of application of 2 capsules 4 times a day. With the modern rhythm of life, it is not easy to follow such a regimen. Although there is no doubt among practitioners as to whether Arbidol is effective. In practice, the high efficiency of the drug has been repeatedly confirmed.

Considering the strategy for the prevention and treatment of colds and flu, you need to remember that the basis should be a remedy that acts on the cause of the disease – the virus. If necessary, symptomatic preparations, homeopathic or folk remedies can be used. Get well and be healthy!