Oh winter … winter sports’ season, pampering evenings by the fire, illuminated villages and little light cheese dishes! But in winter, there is as well a lower rate of sunshine, lower temperatures suitable to the development of germs and viruses. Flu, gastroenteritis and colds are stars.
How to get your patients overcoming the Cold’s road?
Teach them the difference between colds and rhinitis
Not easy to differentiate knowing that the 2 terms are often associated: infectious rhinitis = common cold and allergic rhinitis = hay fever. If in addition, we add the terms rhinopharyngitis or nasopharyngitis, then here is the end of the world!
Here’s a summary chart to help them make the difference:
| Cold | Rhinitis | |
| Cause | Virus | Allergens (pollens, dusts, animal hair, mites) |
| Symptoms | Runny nose, some sneezing, stuffy nose, runny nose, no itching, tiredness, headache | Runny nose, sneezing (bursts), itching and tingling of the nose, runny nose, eye irritation, watery eyes, red eyes |
| Duration | 7 to 10 days in general | Soem days to several months |
The cold is a disease that often occurs in cold weather. Promiscuity in public transportation or with colleagues in confined, poorly ventilated offices are all factors favoring the cold. The drier air makes the nasal mucosa fragile so more vulnerable to viruses as, on top of it, the cold is very contagious. And yes, sociability is not only good!
Offer preventive treatments
To avoid your patients of being confined at home in a clean, ventilated house without children, without animals, without human contact, there will be solutions.In addition to the recommendation of regular hand washing, the most effective tool is the preventive and daily use of a nasal spray based on seawater or plants that are very effective in moisturizing the nasal cavity.
Bring solutions in case of contamination
What a pity, your patients are affected. First of all, recommend rest, drink plenty of water, decongest their nose with herbal nasal spray products or hypertonic seawater. To treat the eventual associated sore throat there are throat sprays.If the cold is persisting after 1 week, it could be necessary to switch to anti-inflammatories.
Contract Manufacturers are developing good products to deal with the daily ENT problems of each of us, get closer to them.
