Q: I am a 44 years old man having slight fever with cough for the last one week. There is no body pain as such but I feel warmth on my soles and palms. Mostly, the symptoms appear in the evening. My nose is running a bit too. My cough becomes persistent and erratic and it is mostly dry. Sometimes I get headache too. I have a sound sleep. What medication or steps should I take? I do not want to take any antibiotics.

A:From your symptoms the conclusion I am able to draw is that you have some form of infection, of the upper respiratory tract. Most commonly the infecting agents are either viral or bacterial in origin. Analgesics like paracetomol can help to give you symptom relief, but if it does not settle you need to get investigated and get treated. Evening rise of temperature is said to be symptoms of various infections including tuberculosis, which is treatable; therefore it is essential that you consult a physician.