Every week we ask a medical expert a question about health. This week: Does the cold give you a cold? General practitioner Tamara de Weijer: “If you don’t get enough rest when you have a cold, it will just take longer.”
Do you catch a cold?
“No. The common cold is caused by a virus. That virus occurs in both winter and summer, and you can also get a cold virus in high temperatures. The fact that we get colds more often in winter is partly because that we spend more time indoors, live closer together and ventilate less.”
Does the cold have no effect?
“Indirectly yes. At low temperatures, the air becomes drier. This causes the resistance of the mucous membranes to decrease somewhat. The cold also causes less good blood circulation. This also causes the mucous membranes to function poorly.”
Wrap yourself up, but get out. And also ventilate well.
“These mucous membranes act as a protective barrier: they have a filter function and ensure that viruses are stopped. With a reduced filter function, the possibility of a virus entering and multiplying in cells increases. And with that, the possibility that we will get sick.
But you should avoid the cold when you have a cold, right?
“Pack well, but get out. And ventilate well too. It’s also a matter of taking it easy. Ensure as little stress as possible and don’t start running and flying too fast again. If you don’t get enough rest, it just takes longer before you it’s over.”
Colds usually go away on their own. Our body does it on its own.
“In principle, a cold goes away on its own. Our bodies do it on its own. Rinsing with a solution of warm tap water and table salt can relieve cavities.”
Are there medicines for the common cold?
“No. There are nasal sprays for sale, but they don’t make a cold go away any faster. Sometimes they have the opposite effect, and some types are addictive.”
What about antibiotics? Do they help?
“Antibiotics are of no use to the cold virus. Usually, the virus is cleared by our immune system after a few days. A cold is essentially a test of that body’s cleansing process. Classic cold ailments like pulling sniffle, sneezes and coughs have a function: that’s how the body works out of the virus.”
Is fever included? Or should you worry?
“Fever is also a reaction of the body to get rid of the virus. The body sets the thermostat a little higher. If you have had a high fever for a long time and feel very lethargic, it is wise to call your doctor for a consultation. You may have pneumonia.”
What is the difference between a cold and pneumonia?
“A cold is a virus. Pneumonia is almost always a bacterium and only very occasionally a virus or fungus. Reduced resistance during a cold can increase your risk of pneumonia.”
Pneumonia gives much more serious ailments and is often much more profound.
“The distinction is not always easy to make. Pneumonia causes much more serious ailments and is often much deeper. You feel short of breath and it hurts to breathe. In general, you are much sicker than with the common cold. If you worry: call your doctor, who can often hear by listening to your lungs if it affects only your airways or if lung tissue is also affected.
Tamara de Weijer is a general practitioner and founder of the Arts and Lifestyle Association.
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