What else can we do for the various symptoms of mild COVID-19 besides taking medicine?

Recently, multiple versions of the "COVID-19 Symptom Chart" have been circulated online, which has a certain reference value, but you don't need to panic just because your symptoms are different from those in the pictures. After being infected with the new coronavirus, the symptoms that each person experiences may be related to a variety of factors such as personal basic health status, vaccination status, age, environment, etc. The most important thing is to make timely treatment and status adjustments based on the symptoms.

In order to help everyone recover as quickly as possible while in home isolation, NetEase Health has summarized various methods to relieve symptoms of mild COVID-19 in addition to taking medication for your reference!

Symptom 1: Fever

The average normal human body temperature is between 36 and 37 degrees Celsius (axillary), 37.3 to 38 degrees Celsius is a low fever, 38.1 to 39 degrees Celsius is a moderate fever, 39.1 to 41 degrees Celsius is a high fever, and hyperpyrexia is above 41 degrees Celsius.

In addition to taking antipyretic drugs, you can also do the following to deal with fever:

① Rest in bed: Rest can help the immune system fight the virus better. During fever, the body temperature rises and the body's metabolic rate also increases, which consumes a lot of energy. Rest can avoid physical exhaustion.

② Drink plenty of water: When the human body is feverish, the skin dissipates heat and the breathing speeds up, which will lead to a large loss of water. Therefore, it is very important to replenish fluids and drink plenty of water. There are also some rules for replenishing water. It is not necessary to drink a lot of water at one time, which may cause nausea and vomiting. It is usually recommended to drink water in multiple times and small amounts to achieve the purpose of replenishing water. If you sweat a lot when you have a fever, you can drink a moderate amount of light salt water. If you are not sweating, just drink warm water.

③ Physical cooling: Physical cooling is the first choice for patients with body temperature below moderate fever (38.1-39°C). You can use warm water to wipe the chest, back, forehead, groin, armpits and other parts, or use ice compresses on the forehead to cool down.

④Dietary adjustment: When you have a fever, your diet should be mainly light and easily digestible food. Avoid eating spicy, irritating, raw, cold, or greasy food to avoid causing digestive dysfunction.

Symptom 2: Sore throat and cough

Infection with the new coronavirus may cause coughing, the most common feature of which is dry cough with little sputum. Throat pain is usually similar to that caused by upper respiratory tract infection. Inflammation stimulates the local area, causing congestion and swelling, resulting in pain.

In addition to taking cough suppressants, you can also do the following to deal with symptoms of sore throat and cough:

① Avoid irritation: Avoid inhaling irritating gases such as cigarettes, chlorine, ammonia, coal gas, etc. to prevent the cough from worsening; cold air will also aggravate the cough. Wear a mask when opening windows for ventilation to avoid inhaling cold air.

②Hot compress relief: You can use hot towels, hot water bottles, etc. to apply hot compress to the back to help the trachea expand, accelerate blood circulation, and relieve cough symptoms. Be careful not to use too high a temperature when applying hot compress to avoid burns. In addition, hot compress is not suitable when accompanied by fever symptoms.

③Dietary relief: Drinking autumn pear paste, throat clearing soup, apricot pear tea, white fungus and rock sugar soup and other dietary therapy methods can also relieve dry cough. In addition, drinking more water can also help relieve sore throat.

Symptom 3: Fatigue and pain

After the onset of fever symptoms, lactic acid in the muscles may accumulate, leading to symptoms of body aches and fatigue, usually in the limbs or lower back muscles.

To deal with the symptoms of fatigue and soreness, you can take drugs that clear away heat and detoxify or drugs with analgesic function. In addition, you can also take the following methods to relieve it:

① Get enough rest: ensure reasonable and sufficient rest, be careful not to reverse day and night, stay up late, etc., and make sure to ensure regular sleep.

② Appropriate activities: While ensuring rest, walking appropriately can also help relieve fatigue and soreness.

③Massage bath: You can take a hot bath before going to bed, or massage and apply hot compress to the sore area, which will help eliminate fatigue and improve sleep quality.

Symptom 4: Gastrointestinal discomfort and diarrhea

The new coronavirus not only attacks the respiratory tract and lungs, but also affects the digestive system. Diarrhea is a common symptom, which may also be accompanied by abdominal pain.
If diarrhea occurs, you can take drugs such as montmorillonite powder, bifidobacterium, and Huoxiang Zhengqi to stop diarrhea. You can also take the following methods to relieve it:

① Pay attention to your diet: avoid consuming raw, cold foods, and eat more light and easily digestible foods.

②Replenish water: Diarrhea patients may suffer from severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance due to large amounts of bowel movements, and need to replenish a lot of water. They can drink some rehydration salts containing sodium chloride, potassium chloride, glucose and sodium citrate. In addition, they can drink carrot juice, apple juice and watermelon juice, which can not only replenish water, but also replenish essential vitamins and effectively prevent dehydration.

③Keep the abdomen warm: You can apply a hot towel to your lower abdomen and pay attention to keeping the abdomen warm.

Symptom 5: Loss of smell and taste

Some people infected with the new coronavirus may experience loss of smell and taste. If you are infected, don't panic, as these symptoms will generally disappear after recovery.

If you experience symptoms of decreased sense of smell and taste, you can try the following to relieve it:

① Ensure hygiene: Even if you experience a loss of taste, it is still necessary to maintain oral hygiene. Brushing your teeth twice a day can help prevent the further spread of the new coronavirus.

② Olfactory training: The World Health Organization recommends that you try olfactory training, including smelling lemons, roses, cloves, eucalyptus, etc. for 20 seconds each time, twice a day.

Symptom 6: Nasal congestion and runny nose

Some people infected with the new coronavirus may experience nasal congestion and runny nose. You can try to use antihistamines to relieve them. You can also try the following methods:

① Hot compress nose: You can use a hot towel to warm the nose to promote blood circulation in the nasal cavity, but be careful to avoid burns.

②Massage around the nose: Place your thumb and index finger on both sides of the bridge of the nose, massaging from top to bottom and then from bottom to top.

③ Inhale water vapor: Pour some boiling water into a cup, put your nose towards the mouth of the cup, and inhale some water vapor from the hot water. This can also promote blood circulation in the nasal cavity and relieve symptoms of nasal congestion.

Most of the symptoms of mild COVID-19 are self-limiting, and the above methods can help relieve the symptoms. Finally, I would like to remind everyone that no matter when, maintaining a good attitude and relaxing your mood are helpful for your health. Even if you are infected with the new coronavirus, don't be too anxious so as not to affect your recovery. I wish you all good health and safety!