Being sick can disrupt your day to day life with bothersome symptoms. There is no official medical treatment available for colds, as your body usually just requires time to fight off the infection itself. Learn how to manage a cold at home so that you can live symptom free.
Causes & Symptoms of a Cold
Colds are common illnesses. They are caused by a virus. There’s hundreds of different viruses that could cause cold symptoms. The kind of virus that causes your symptoms is not usually known, because there is no formal medical treatment available for colds. You can catch a cold causing virus through direct contact with a person who is sick or a surface that has the virus on it. You can also breathe in viruses through tiny droplets released by sneezing and coughing. This is why it is important to self isolate while you’re sick so that you don’t spread your illness.
Since the symptoms of colds are mild in nature, they often do not require medical diagnosis and treatment. This does not mean that colds cannot bring some bothersome symptoms if they do infect you.
Common Cold Symptoms:
- Sore Throat
- Congestion
- Sneezing
- Coughing
- Fatigue
- Itchy/Watery Eyes
Isolating when you’re sick is the only way to ensure you are not spreading your illness to others. Coughing and sneezing into your arm and washing your hands regularly can also help prevent others from getting sick. If you’re experiencing severe symptoms, it is always best to seek medical care at urgent care for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Does a Cold Require Treatment at Urgent Care
Most times, a viral infection is mild in nature. Although the symptoms are sometimes bothersome, they usually resolve after 7-10 days on their own due to your body fighting the virus off on its own.
If you’re experiencing severe symptoms, you may be sick with something other than a cold and should seek medical care at urgent care for quick diagnosis and treatment. If you are sick with a cold, our medical providers are here to help provide treatment advice.
At Home Cold Remedies
Although there is no prescription medication that can help alleviate cold symptoms quickly, there are quite a few over the counter medications that specifically aim to help with common cold symptoms.
Tips for Managing Cold Symptoms at Home:
1. Stay hydrated: being dehydrated can make symptoms worse
2. Get plenty of rest: this gives your body the strength to fight off the virus
3. Drink warm liquids with honey: this is a good remedy for a sore throat
4. Add moisture to the air: adding moisture may loosen congestion in your sinuses
5. Gargle with salt water: to combat an itchy or sore throat
If you’re looking for further relief, you can look at many of the over the counter medications for symptom management. Generally, you should look for Acetaminophen as the active ingredient in medications made for cold symptoms as it is a fever reducer and a pain reliever.
In addition to medications with Acetaminophen, there’s a wide variety of medications to treat more specific symptoms caused by colds. You should speak to a medical professional if you are suffering from one symptom more than others so that they can advise the most effective medication and treatment plan for you.
Get Cold Symptom Treatment near Aurora, CO, at AFC Urgent Care Aurora Saddle Rock
When you’re feeling sick, AFC Urgent Care Aurora Saddle Rock is here to help by providing top notch medical care when it’s convenient for you. We do not require appointments to receive medical treatment, just walk into our clinic today. Our team of board-certified medical experts can diagnose and treat a wide variety of illnesses. To learn more about the conditions we treat, visit our patient services page on our website.
We accept most major medical insurance plans. If you have questions about the care we provide, you can speak to one of our medical providers directly by calling (303) 529-3300. Don’t delay, get the care you need today near Aurora, CO, at AFC Urgent Care Aurora Saddle Rock.
