How to Treat Cold Intolerance

Cold Intolerance or "common cold, " medically known as "viral rhinitis," is a viral infection that causes nasal congestion, runny and stuffy nose, sneezing, itching throat and general malaise. Common cold is caused due to various viruses, the prominent of them being rhino and adeno viruses. Cold Intolerance is a common problem and could be treated with medicines and other home remedies.

Things You'll Need

• Bulb syringe
• Warm water and salt solution
• Decongestants

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Instructions

Home Care for Infants and Pre-Schoolers:

• 1

  Clear the nose with a bulb syringe. It is best to get your doctor's advice first

• 2

  Mix 1 tsp. of salt with 8 oz. of warm water and use this solution as nose drops every few hours to provide relief from nasal congestion.

• 3

  Use a warm air humidifier in the child's room

• 4

  Increase his fluid intake.

Home Care for Adolescents and Adults

• 5

  Drink at least eight glasses of fluid daily.

• 6

  Wear warm clothing and also cover your feet

• 7

  Get plenty of bed rest.

Medications

• 8

  Use decongestants to help relive you from cold. These decongestants help in constricting the dilated blood vessels, shrink the swollen tissue and open nasal passages allowing you to breath normally.

  Common decongestants include Dristan and Neo-Synephrine, and longer-acting products (such as Afrin) containing oxymetazoline. These are available as nasal sprays.

  Oral Decongestants include drugs containing phenylpropanolamine (PPA)

• 9

  Consider taking pain relievers, such as aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Most of the common cold problems are also characterized by head pain, general body aches or even muscle pain, and the pain killers help in solving this problem.

• 10

  Treat soar throat with lozenges, sprays and mouthwashes. These relive you from pain and irritation in the throat area.