Fever, runny nose, cough: These cold remedies are now recommended

Winter is uncomfortably cold.

Fever, runny nose, cough: These cold remedies are now recommended

Winter is uncomfortably cold. And sends people in this country with infections to the boards in rows. If you have a runny nose, a sore throat or a tormenting cough, it is usually just a cold. At least the symptoms can be alleviated. Warentest knows inexpensive and non-prescription medicines from pharmacies.

Hardly anyone gets through the cold season without a cold. The first symptom is usually a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, cough, sometimes also fever, headache and body aches. Many sufferers fight the common cold with home remedies or medication or even just handkerchiefs.

However, anyone who suddenly suffers from a high fever, severe headache, muscle and body aches, a strong need for rest and a severe feeling of illness should see a doctor as soon as possible to rule out real flu. But if, for example, the sense of smell falls by the wayside, it is time for a corona test and self-selected isolation.

If the course is less alarming and only the nose and throat are sore, it is usually a simple cold. This is also known as the common cold. It's annoying, but treatable and usually harmless. Even if every sign of cold symptoms is currently a cause for concern for those affected and those around them.

If you want to relieve the symptoms first of all, your path leads to the pharmacy. It is true that the common wisdom is that a cold takes seven days without medication and a week with medication until it is over. Because against the around 200 pathogens known so far, no herb has yet grown. The body's own immune system is particularly important here. And gentleness. So going to work isn't just a bad idea with regard to your colleagues.

But at least there are some over-the-counter, good and inexpensive remedies available in pharmacies that can at least provide relief, as the Stiftung Warentest reports. Patients can therefore save themselves wrong purchases, because there are sometimes large price differences for medicines with a specific recommended active ingredient.

This year, the testers again advise against combination preparations such as Aspirin Complex, Grippostad C or Wick MediNait. Accordingly, these are not very suitable for strengthening the body against a flu infection, since the ingredients contained in each case do not complement each other in a meaningful way or burden the body unnecessarily. In addition, the use of such products increases the risk of side effects. According to Stiftung Warentest, each symptom should be combated individually.

Here is a selection of the remedies of choice that help against the individual complaints:

fever and pain

If you have a fever, it should be noted that this helps the body to fight pathogens. Doctors describe a body temperature of at least 38 degrees Celsius as a fever. From 39 degrees high fever is spoken (children 39.5 degrees) - appropriate means should only be used from this temperature. From 42 degrees, the body threatens organ damage. If the symptoms are unclear or if the fever is particularly high or lasts longer than three days, a doctor should always be consulted.

Sore throat

cough suppressant

cough suppressant

Cold (decongestant sprays)

(This article was first published on Wednesday, December 14, 2022.)