On the other hand, reduce the amount of handshakes

If the value is lower, this indicates an overactive thyroid. During sonography or an examination using ultrasound, the position, shape, structure and size of the thyroid gland can be determined. In the radio-iodine test, the patient is given radioactive iodine-131. This is how iodine metabolism in the thyroid can be measured. Because of the high level of radiation exposure, this test is now only carried out in preparation for radio-iodine therapy. Scintigraphy, like ultrasound, is an imaging method. It works on the basis of radioactive radiation and is used in the presence of thyroid nodules. During fine needle aspiration, a cell sample is taken from the thyroid gland using a thin hollow needle. The sample is then examined in a special laboratory. 

Sore throat, runny nose and cough: Mostly a flu-like infection is behind it, triggered by viruses. Not to be confused with the real flu, influenza. You can find out here how to get rid of the common cold quickly.

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What home remedies can relieve an infection? Cold medicationHow can I prevent a cold?

Adults are hit two to four times a year on average, and children even more often. A cold is very annoying and you want to get it over with as quickly as possible. But one saying makes it clear that this only works to a limited extent: A cold lasts seven days without treatment, one week with treatment, is it [called. 

But nobody has to suffer unnecessarily, because cold symptoms can be alleviated quite well. Those plagued by a sore throat, runny nose and cough can therefore favorably influence the course of their flu-like infection. Find out which home and cold remedies are helpful in controlling your symptoms so you can feel better, faster. Severe sore throats that do not go away can indicate inflammation of the tonsils (tonsillitis). A doctor can assess whether treatment is needed.

Which home remedies can alleviate an infection?

The following remedies have proven themselves in the case of flu-like infections to alleviate the symptoms and promote healing:

Inhalation, nasal douche, gargle, red light, cold tea, cold bath, prescription-free medication 

Inhalation: The blocked nose and inflamed sinuses can be freed and moistened by inhaling water vapor with additives. Overhead steam baths or inhalation with inhalation devices are suitable for this. You can use essential oils from eucalyptus, mountain pine, or spruce. Herbs such as sage, chamomile or hay flowers are also suitable. You can also buy cold oil or balm, which are intended for rubbing the chest and back, as well as for dissolving in hot water and inhaling. Put the additives in a bowl of boiling water and let it cool to about 50 degrees. Then hang a towel over your head and slowly inhale the rising steam through your mouth and nose for about five minutes. When inhaling with an inhaler, you should also let the water cool down briefly.

To clear the nose and sinuses, nasal rinses using a nasal douche are also suitable. To do this, mix table salt or sea salt with water: The ratio is 500 milliliters of water to a level teaspoon of table salt without additives such as iodine or fluorine. You can get nasal showers in drugstores. 

With a higher dosage, salt water is very suitable for gargling. This can be used to fight a sore throat, because the salt works against viruses and bacteria in the throat.

Red light: In addition to inhalation, irradiation with red light is very effective in loosening mucus that has got stuck in the sinuses. Red light lamps are available in electronics stores.

Cold teas: Tea infusions based on anise, fennel, eucalyptus and ivy are good for relieving cold symptoms. Thyme and sage in particular help against sore throats. You can gargle these infusions lukewarm – they have an anti-inflammatory effect and can kill germs.school uniforms argumentative essay Commercially available cold teas with a mixture of herbs are also suitable. Even finely chopped ginger infused with boiling water works well against a sore throat. Studies have shown that the pungent substances contained in the root have anti-inflammatory, expectorant and analgesic effects. Ginger also strengthens the voice.

Cold bath: A full bath only makes sense if you don’t already have a fever. In this case, additional heat puts an additional burden on the organism. Bath additives such as oils based on menthol, eucalyptus, camphor, spruce or pine needles improve blood circulation and clear the airways.

Caution: Essential oils should be avoided in children under two years of age because cramps, shortness of breath and even respiratory failure can occur. Camphor, in particular, has to be kept out of the reach of children because, if ingested in large quantities, it can cause severe nerve damage, among other things. Essential oils are also not tolerated by all adults. When symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath occur, your mucous membranes become too irritated. Then do without essential oils. This also applies to allergy sufferers and asthmatics.

The cold bath should not be too hot, but should correspond to your body temperature – 35 to 38 degrees are ideal. You can do the baths several times a week for around 15 minutes. 

And try the good old chicken soup. It is a helpful companion for cold infections.

Home remedies for a cold: why chicken soup actually helps

Not a home remedy, but absolutely essential: take care of yourself. Calm and warmth are most important now. This is especially true for children. Two to three days of bed rest help ensure that the infection can be cured properly. 

Cold medication:

There is no such thing as a cold or flu medicine that will make you healthy. Only the body can do that. Preparations from pharmacies that are declared as cold remedies can neither eliminate nor shorten the infection. These are demonstrably empty promises made by the manufacturers of such drugs. You should especially avoid combination preparations. They often contain various active ingredients that you don’t all need, but which place unnecessary stress on your body because there are too many or the combination is not suitable. In the case of a cold, cough, headache or aching limbs, it makes more sense to take the active ingredients individually and thus specifically for each symptom. 

Nasal sprays: Decongestant nasal sprays are suitable so that you can breathe better through your nose, especially when sleeping. However, these must not be used for too long because there is a risk of addiction. You can also use the lower-dose nasal sprays for children – they also work, but are less aggressive on the mucous membranes. The pressure on the ears, which one sometimes has during a cold infection, is also usually reduced by nasal drops that reduce swelling. Such nasal sprays are also useful in the event of an otitis media in order to keep the connection between nose and ears free. Salt-based nasal sprays are suitable for moistening the dried out mucous membranes. 

Cough medicine: Coughing comes and goes with common cold infections usually by itself. Sugar-free cough drops help to increase the flow of saliva and moisten the dry throat. The body’s own substances that fight pathogens are found in saliva.

According to the Stiftung Warentest, the effectiveness of various cough suppressants has not been sufficiently proven (pentoxyverine and dropropizine). The cough suppressant effect of dextromethorphan, however, has been well documented. Means with this active ingredient are therefore suitable for a dry, irritating cough without sputum for a short time in the evening before going to bed. 

According to Stiftung Warentest, there is also insufficient evidence for so-called cough removers that loosen the phlegm. The study situation on these funds is therefore inconsistent. There is still insufficient evidence that coughs actually go away faster with the preparations than without them. This could most likely still apply to the active ingredient acetylcysteine. If the cough does not resolve itself for more than four to five days with the remedies, the experts advise going to the doctor.

Painkillers: Pharmacy-only preparations with active ingredients such as aspirin, paracetamol, ibuprofen and diclofenac help with headaches and body aches. All four active ingredients also lower fever. You can take the tablets for a short period of time over a few days according to the package insert. However, prolonged use of such agents puts a strain on your organs. Without a doctor’s consultation, these agents may only be used briefly. Asthmatics can react to ASA with an asthma attack and should therefore also consult a doctor if they have no experience with the active ingredient. 

Ointments: Ointments with essential oils for rubbing the chest can have a liberating effect on breathing. 

How can I prevent a cold?

Cold viruses attack our respiratory tract. There are around 200 different ones. We transmit the pathogens through droplet infection when sneezing or coughing and through skin contact. In this respect, regular hand washing several times a day is an effective strategy to reduce the number of viruses. To do this, you should wash your hands thoroughly with soap for around 30 seconds, including between your fingers, and then dry them well. Disinfectants are not necessary. On the other hand, reduce the amount of handshakes. Also, try to avoid touching yourself on your face as little as possible, as this allows viruses and bacteria on your hands to enter your body through the mucous membranes of your eyes, nose and mouth.

Colds, coughs, sore throats: common cold – symptoms, course, duration No side effects at all: Effective home remedies for colds, cold, bacteria and co .: The best home remedies for sore throats

You can strengthen your immune system and adjust your body to temperature fluctuations by taking regular alternating showers (always cold at the end), going to the sauna or doing Kneip cures. Exercise in the fresh air also makes sense because it stimulates the circulation and metabolism, you get enough oxygen and your body gets used to different and cold temperatures. It is also important to mitigate the effect of dry heating air in closed rooms. Every now and then, place wet towels on the radiators and ventilate them twice a day.

Good to know: By blowing your nose intensely it can happen that you unintentionally press secretions into your sinuses. Sometimes the viruses and bacteria contained in the mucus settle there again. In addition, the pressure that some people exert on the blood vessels when blowing their nose loudly is sometimes too strong, which can lead to nosebleeds.

Sources used: Stiftung Warentest own research

It starts like a gastrointestinal flu with diarrhea and abdominal pain. Very few people think of chronic bowel inflammation. Sometimes it takes years before a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis is made. These are the symptoms and the treatment options.

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Symptoms of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease Treatment of chronic bowel inflammation When bowel inflammation requires surgery Improper diet is not the cause Colon inflammation affects everyday life

In Germany around 320,000 people suffer from Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis – and the number is rising. "With Crohn’s disease, the number of sufferers has increased in recent decades, with ulcerative colitis it has remained more or less constant"says Bernd Bokemeyer, gastroenterologist from Minden. Young people between the ages of 15 and 35 in particular suffer from chronic intestinal inflammation. Children can also be affected very early on. In contrast, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are rarely diagnosed in those over 50.

In particular, the relatively unspecific symptoms of Crohn’s disease are often misjudged. "If abdominal pain, discomfort and diarrhea keep recurring over a period of four weeks, you should definitely consult a doctor"says bowel specialist Bokemeyer. Those affected should not shamefully hide their bowel problems. The family doctor is initially the right contact. In severe cases, however, a specialist in intestinal diseases, a gastroenterologist, should be consulted.

Symptoms of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease

While ulcerative colitis only affects the colon, Crohn’s disease can affect the entire digestive tract from the oral mucosa to the anus. Symptoms for both diseases are cramping abdominal pain and diarrhea. While abdominal pain and exhaustion predominate in Crohn’s disease, those affected are more often tormented by severe, bloody diarrhea in ulcerative colitis.

"But diarrhea is not always in the foreground", explains Britta Siegmund, director of the medical clinic with a focus on gastroenterology, infectious diseases and rheumatology at the Charité in Berlin. "Sometimes the symptoms are more of a general feeling of illness, fever, or pain."

The diseases usually run in episodes, which means that severe symptoms alternate with symptom-free periods.

Treatment of chronic bowel inflammation

Once the diagnosis has been made, it is important to learn to live with the disease, because chronic intestinal inflammation cannot be cured. After all: "Most patients, however, can be adjusted with medication so that they can lead a relatively normal life"says Siegmund. An apprenticeship, a degree, a demanding job and family planning should be possible.

Various drugs are used in the therapy of intestinal inflammation. The aim of treatment is not only to suppress the symptoms, but to prevent further damage to the intestine. "But when someone is prescribed cortisone permanently, something is wrong"warns Bokemeyer. The drug could alleviate the symptoms, but not permanently prevent the intestinal inflammation. Because bowel inflammation increases the risk of cancer in the long term, regular checkups are necessary.

When bowel inflammation requires surgery

If the treatment does not work and the constant inflammation has formed scars, fistulas or constrictions in the intestine, there is no way around an operation. At present, every second Crohn’s disease patient has to undergo surgery in the course of their medical history. Ulcerative colitis patients have better prospects: the operation rate here is less than 20 percent.

Bad diet is not the cause

The causes of chronic intestinal inflammation are not yet clear.