Internal Medicine

Common cold and flu are both respiratory diseases. However, common cold is a milder problem than the flu. It is easy to treat cough, sneeze and nasal congestion but if you are suffering from flu symptoms then you can feel ill for a few days to months. It can also cause serious health problems like pneumonia.

Factually, nothing can cure a common cold. You can stick to a few remedies that can definitely make you feel better. At the most, what you can do is:

-Try to relieve your sore throat by doing gargling. Since children who are below 5 years of age cannot gargle so it is advisable to give them warm water with lemon and honey.

- Drink enough juices, lemonade, and water to stay hydrated. Avoid consuming caffeine, alcohol that can worsen your dehydration.

- A humidifier at your home can help you feel better and loose congestion.

- You can use Over the Counter Medicines (OTC) to shorten the duration of the cold to give you instant relief.

Lifestyle changes to treat high blood pressure:

No matter what medications your doctor prescribes to treat your high blood pressure, you'll need to make lifestyle changes to lower your blood pressure.

• Eating a healthier diet with less salt. Fruits and vegetables are rich in certain antioxidants that prevent narrowing of blood vessels.

• Exercising regularly at least 40 minute.

• Quitting smoking

• Limiting the amount of alcohol you drink

• Maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight if you're overweight or obese

• Stress management: Continuous stress may lead to the activation of sympathetic nervous system and causes hypertension.

No. Antibiotics only work against infections caused by bacteria, fungi and certain parasites. They don't work against any infections caused by viruses. Viruses cause colds, the flu and most coughs and sore throats.

The fundamental reasons for the development of antimicrobial resistance are use of the wrong drug, incorrect dose and duration, and self-medication. Thus develops the resistance of a microorganism to an antimicrobial medicine to which it was previously sensitive. The inappropriate and irrational use of medicines provides favorable conditions for resistant microorganisms to emerge and spread.

The answer depends on what is causing your infection. The following are some basic guidelines:

• Colds and Flu: Viruses cause these illnesses. They can't be cured with antibiotics.

• Sore throat, Cough or Bronchitis: These can be caused by both bacteria and Viruses. Your doctor may decide to try using an antibiotic.

• Ear infections: There are several types of ear infections. Antibiotics are used for some (but not all) ear infections.

• Sinus infection: Antibiotics are often used to treat sinus infections. However, a runny nose and yellow or green mucus do not necessarily mean you need an antibiotic.

• Dengue fever: Antibiotics are not required. Take paracetamol, adequate fluid and rest under mosquito net.

• Acute diarrhoea in children does not require an antibiotic, but oral rehydration salts and clear instructions to parents.

Headaches can be classified mainly into 4 types

• Migraine Headache – A common form of headache which occurs on one part of the head

• Tension Headache – Headache which occurs at the back of the head, temples, forehead, the feeling is as if a tight hat were in place.

• Hypnic headache – A rare headache that affects the age group of 40 – 80. It occurs only at night at a fixed time of the night lasting for 15 – 60 minutes.

• Cluster Headache – A headache which occurs several times a day but lasts for a short while. It is always one sided headache and is associated with symptoms such as stuffy nose, tearing and enlarged pupil.

There are many ways of treating headaches. The first initiative to treat headaches would be by bringing a change in lifestyle. Proper sleep, clean surroundings, eating at the right time, exercising etc. would be one of the few things to do to reduce headaches. Other home remedies to follow can be Yoga, meditation, counselling (if needed). Proper nutritional diet and physical exercises also help treating headaches

Migraine does not directly lead to stroke. Only in cases where the migraine gets complicated can it lead to stroke. Statistically, it is shown that people who have a history of migraine are more prone to get a stroke if the migraine gets worse. For people suffering from migraine, it is advised to reduce smoking and not take up activities which lead to high blood pressure. You should start living and practicing a “stroke-smart” lifestyle.

Yes, there is a vaccine for chicken pox and it is recommended for children. They should be routinely vaccinated at 12 – 15 months of age initially followed by a second dose at the age of 4 – 6. The vaccine is also given to adults who are susceptible to the virus on or within 3 days of the exposure.