How do I know if I have a cold sore ? ?
You often feel out of sorts when a cold sore is developing. It usually starts as a tingle, and gets bigger and your lip will feel swollen, there will be a blister which will break, and there will be some scabbing, a little bleeding when the scab comes off. Most of us have the cold sore virus in our bodies from when we were children, and most of the time it is dormant. If it is a cold sore it is not a big deal - just do not share drinking or eating utensils or wash cloths or towels with anyone while you have it, and no kissing. A cold sore is the herpes simplex virus and genital herpes is the herpes complex virus - but no oral sex either while you have the cold sore because you can pass it on that way too, and that would not be nice. Actually people can transmit the cold sore virus even when they do not have a cold sore, but that is less common. There is no over-the-counter medication or home remedy that cures cold sores. Only time will take care of that. But there is a good prescription medication for cold sores. It will make them go away much faster, and as a result of taking this medication you will have far fewer outbreaks of cold sores. The absolute best treatment for cold sores is a prescription medication in pill form called Valtrex. It was intended for genital herpes, but cold sores are caused by the same family of viruses, and Valtrex stops colds sores in their tracks. None of the other treatments come close to the effectiveness of Valtrex, not the ointment Zovirax, and certainly not Abreva or anything else. Ask your doctor about it to see if you would be a good candidate for this medication. My doctor prescribed it for me for cold sores about five years ago and after taking it only a couple of times I hardly ever get a cold sore any more, and before Valtrex I was having several attacks a year. On the rare occasions that I do get one now, it is gone almost immediately when I take the medication - in about a day. In the meantime, here are a couple of informative links. http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/cold-sores-topic-overview http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/aches/cold_sores.html
Can you take a shower if you have a cold or the flu?
I rarely get a cold and haven’t had the flu since the 1950s, but I know of no reason NOT to have a shower.
Why should you not wear contact lenses when you have a cold or the flu?
Your cold isn't that bad since you can still go to school. You may as well wear contacts. It's not recommended because germs will get in your contacts. It doesn't matter though if you don't wear them all day. Take them off right when you get home after school, clean them properly, and everything should be fine.
Does a fan make a cold worse?
My whole life I’ve had a fan on me when I sleep. My dad said when I was a baby it didn’t matter if it was snowing and 10 degrees outside momma had a fan on me. I need it now more so for noise. But I also need the circulating air. I can’t stand still air. I feel I can’t breathe. There have been times I have woke up with a sore throat and attributed it to the fan. The next night the fans cool breeze was uncomfortable on my throat. It did seem to keep my sinuses irritated but the symptoms didn’t get worse. Eventually I just pointed it away from my face and it was fine. After a few days I was all back to normal. Does the fan make symptoms worse? Not in my experience. It may cause them to linger longer than normal. But they didnt get worse. I also keep my fan clean. They all tend to get dust and debris built up on the blades and the back. That seems to help more than anything. But. If I knew I’d get a cold using a fan then I’d just have to get a cold. If i knew symptoms would worsen with the use of a fan then they’d just have to worsen, lol. I have got to have my fan. Or A fan. I downloaded the app for fan noise. But when the air is still it renders the app useless for me. I have friends i sometimes stay with. Nice Brand new house. Not a single ceiling fan!!
Why do i not have any cold water but i have hot though?
If you have hot water flow, the cold water is definitely getting into the home. The hot water tank does not fill and empty like you might think. There is never supposed to be air in the tank. When you use hot water it is the cold water pressure that displaces it and keeps the tank full. That's why the cold water inlet on your tank actually has a pipe all the way to the bottom by the burner called the "draw tube". That way the cold water doesn't mix readily with the usable hot water, which rises. Your cold water pipe has some sort of blockage (ice, closed valve...whatever) between the water heater and the rest of the cold water plumbing. The only way it could be ice is if your distribution pipes inside the house run in a place where the outside temps could affect them--not usually the case for residential plumbing. Is it possible someone closed a valve inadvertently? Residents almost never have to deal with debris getting lodged in pipes, but that is also a remote possibility. Is it absolutely zero flow, or just a trickle? Try to investigate these questions, and hopefully you'll find the answer is just a closed valve. Edit: I remembered that you are in a trailer and not a home on a foundation...that makes ice more likely as the pipes are probably run under the floor where air is relatively free to communicate with outdoors. Watch for leaky and cracked pipes once they thaw.
Can I eat a banana with a cough and cold?
Banana is a great source of fiber and good carbs. Banana lectin which is a type of protein or BanLec has the potent power to bust viruses and can even stop the HIV virus from getting into cells. They contains a significant amount of vitamins and minerals and are easy to digest. It controls diarrhea and treats constipation. It is also one of the mucus forming foods. It is best to eat foods that can help alleviate the symptoms and also keep you hydrated during cough and cold.It improves the immune system and helps prevent cold and cough if you eat bananas on a daily basis. Bananas do increase mucus and phelgum and can aggrevate a common cold and cough. It also has vitamin B6 that can help relax bronchial smooth muscle tissue. During coughs and colds, they can wreak havoc on your respiratory system. Long golden bananas aggravate cold and cough while the smaller elaichi bananas are safe. It is suggested to consume fruits that are rich in Vitamin C during cold and cough.
Why is it advised not to have rice when having common cold or cough?
Its a tradition may be .The logic is rice requires water ., its a crop of rainy season . and cough cold will increase due to rice . as its acool food .But rice has no of types some maybe like this should be avoided .Where are you staying ? What is the type of rice not tobe taken ?It contains amilopectin amylase . the percentages of these two are different .in different type . there were 40000types of rice in india . each having speciality .In Maharashtra it is not the tradition in fact only rice of aambemohor is used .Rice is easy to digest easily absorbed in stomach . can be taken but take little soft मऊ भात with less water . take it hot,and fresh only not to be used when kept in freeze.Choose a variety from your local side like small aambemohor .Take the hot rice water ,(पेज)with desi ghee for cold it is effective as hot temp will kill the viruses and bacteria in throat .According to aayurwed rice is cold शीतगुण.So taken in different form different type have the effect against cold .
Should i drink Sprite when i have a cold?
I would recommend orange juice, especially current brands fortified with Vitamins E, C, Zinc or Selenium. High sugar drinks or candy can coat your throat with sugar where the germs can thrive, but coating your throat with Zinc has the opposite effect and helps to resist the germs instead. If you feel you need something "bubbly" to settle your stomach, I agree with answer on Ginger Ale, or mixing your own ginger tea (with cut up ginger, lemon, and honey) or some other juice where you can add sparkling soda if you want to make it bubbly. The best thing I recommend for either colds or flu, is liquid Echinacea with Goldenseal (not pills or capsules, and not Echinacea without Goldenseal as these do not work for me). It is in the herbal section (a brown liquid in a eye dropper bottle that tastes like a bitter tea, and costs about $8-10. you can find it at GNC or other places that sell health food or herbal vitamins.) If you drink about 10-20 drops in orange juice with every meal (about 3 times a day) it boosts your immune system to "wash out" the cold or flu from your system. You may experience a runny nose while it puts your lymph glands on overdrive, but if you take it, you need to do so consistently like an antibiotic for 5-10 days maximum until the symptoms are gone and there is no risk of relapse. But don't take it more than 10 days or your system will get used to it and not respond anymore. It is best to take this when you first feel symptoms and before it becomes a full blown flu or cold. But I have taken Echinacea with Goldenseal after I got sick, and it still worked to flush it out of my system so I got well faster.