The term colds is quite popular and is even considered a disease. Frequent coldstimes used to describe the problem of feeling unwell, aches, and flatulence. Many think that this happens because too much wind enters the body, especially when rainy season. How does the medical world view this?
Colds are not a medical term and not a disease. Colds are just a term used by Indonesian people to describe complaints of fever, chills, muscle aches, aches, flatulence, and loss of appetite.
Causes of Colds
The causes of colds can vary, because there are various diseases that can cause the above complaints. But for sure, colds are not caused by wind or rain directly. Complaints of colds most often arise due to decreased body resistance, so that sufferers are susceptible to viral and bacterial infections.
Why this condition is associated with wind and rain, is still unclear. But what is certain, the lack of exposure to sunlight during the rainy season can indeed make the production of vitamin D in the body decrease. Vitamin D is one of the nutrients that play a role in the immune system, in addition to vitamin C and omega-3.
The decrease in the body's resistance causes the emergence of diseases with various symptoms which are referred to by the community as colds. Symptoms that are generally felt are fever, chills, headache, cough, runny nose, muscle aches, stomach pain, flatulence, frequent belching, frequent urination, and feeling weak.
Some Diseases Often Referred to as Colds
As previously explained, colds are not a disease, but a collection of symptoms of certain medical conditions. Complaints of colds can be a sign of the following diseases:
1. Tract infection perbreathtop
Upper respiratory tract infection ((nose and throat) is the most common disease with symptoms of fever, runny nose, and cough, which can be viral or bacterial.
Most upper respiratory tract infections have mild symptoms and go away on their own. However, if it attacks the lower respiratory tract (trachea and airways in the lungs), for example in pneumonia, the symptoms will be more severe and can cause dangerous complications.
2. Digestive disorders
Indigestion can cause several symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation, and a burning sensation or heartburn. These symptoms, especially bloating, are also often referred to as colds.
Causes of digestive disorders vary, including food poisoning, viral or bacterial infections, food allergies or intolerances, and stress.
3. Fever bbleeding and malaria
Both of these diseases are infectious diseases that often occur in tropical countries, such as Indonesia. Both are equally transmitted through mosquito bites.
Dengue fever and malaria can cause symptoms of fever, joint pain, aches, chills, and weakness. If not treated properly, this disease can lead to serious complications and even death.
4. Heart disease
Heart disease can occur when the heart muscle does not get an adequate supply of blood and oxygen, due to blockage or narrowing of the heart's blood vessels.
This condition often causes chest pain, which people call angina. Complaints can be in the form of heartburn or chest pain that radiates to the arms, neck, or back, weakness, shortness of breath, to fainting.
When to go to the doctor?
There are many possible diseases that can cause complaints of colds, and the cause may be a serious disease. Therefore, you need to be careful and not underestimate it, especially if the symptoms you feel are quite severe and do not improve immediately.
If complaints of colds are in the form of high fever for more than 3 days, weakness, vomiting, and diarrhea continuously, or accompanied by chest pain with a history of heart disease, then you need to immediately see a doctor.
How to Overcome Colds
Although generally can heal on its own, colds can cause discomfort and interfere with your activities. Here are some ways you can do to relieve colds and speed up recovery:
- Drink more water, especially in conditions of vomiting and diarrhea, to prevent dehydration.
- Drink warm water. This method can help relieve the symptoms of a respiratory infection. Warm water can be mixed with honey or ginger to further warm the body.
- Get enough rest. This is important to do to help the body fight infection.
- Do not smoke and avoid caffeine and alcohol consumption.
- Taking fever-reducing medication. Fever and muscle aches in colds can be relieved with fever-lowering and painkillers, such as paracetamol.
How to prevent colds
The main way to prevent colds is to maintain the immune system. This can be done by:
- Eat healthy and nutritious foods that contain protein, omega-3, and antioxidants, such as vitamin C, flavonoids, and vitamin A.
- Exercise regularly.
- Get enough rest and sleep.
- Get used to washing hands with soap and running water or with hand sanitizer, to prevent the spread of disease. Hand washing should be done before and after eating, after using the toilet, after touching animals, and before and after touching sick people.
- Wearing jackets and thicker clothes in cold weather.
So, it can be concluded that colds are not a disease, but a term commonly used by the public to refer to complaints of not feeling well in general. The causes are varied, it can be a mild disease, it can also be a dangerous disease.
To treat colds, the cause must be known first. Although colds generally get better on their own without treatment, if the symptoms get worse and persist, you need to see a doctor immediately.
Written by:
dr. Asri Meiy Andini