Same Symptoms, Different Causes—Don't Let Intuition Delay Your Treatment

We often say, “If you’re sick, get treated promptly.” But often, the real problem isn’t about being “prompt” but about being:
“Treated correctly.”

When faced with discomfort, many people’s first reaction is to judge based on experience:

• 🧠 “Nasal congestion? Must be rhinitis.”
• 🧠 “A cough? Just a cold.”
• 🧠 “A headache? I’ll just take a painkiller.”

Then they begin to self-diagnose and self-medicate.

But the truth is, many different illnesses can present with the exact same symptoms.

If you don’t figure out the root cause and only treat the symptoms, not only will it be ineffective, but it could also make things worse.

🧪 I Thought It Was Allergic Rhinitis, But It Was Actually Vasomotor Rhinitis. The Medications Are Completely Different: One for Desensitization, the Other for Corticosteroids.

I’m a classic example. Whenever I smell strong odors like perfume, cooking fumes, or dust, I immediately get a stuffy nose, start sneezing, and have a runny nose. It’s especially noticeable during large temperature swings in the morning and evening or when the air is dry.

My subconscious reaction was: “This must be allergic rhinitis.”

So, I used a Japanese nasal spray:

✅ Sato ナザール Spray

• 👉 Contains a vasoconstrictor ingredient (naphazoline) that clears congestion within minutes.

At first, the effect was magical. One spray and my nose was clear, as if I was “cured.”

But problems soon followed:

😵 Once I stopped the medication, the congestion became even worse. My nasal passages were repeatedly congested and swollen, I couldn’t sleep well at night, and even speaking was difficult during the day.

🔍 A Check-up Revealed: Not an Allergy, But Vasomotor Rhinitis

I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I went to the hospital for a series of tests:

• ✅ Allergy skin prick test: Negative
• ✅ IgE blood test: Normal

The final diagnosis was:
Vasomotor Rhinitis

• ✔️ Not an immune system problem
• ✔️ Anti-allergy medications are ineffective
• ✔️ Vasoconstrictor sprays can worsen the condition!

⚠️ Vasoconstrictors: Temporary Relief, Long-Term Worsening

Common sprays like Sato Nazal, Otrivin, and others almost all contain vasoconstrictor ingredients (like naphazoline, xylometazoline).

Their mechanism of action is:

Rapidly constricting nasal blood vessels → Relieving congestion → Providing temporary relief

But what happens with long-term use?

• 🚨 The nasal passages become less and less sensitive to the drug.
• 🚨 Blood vessels experience rebound dilation after stopping the medication.
• 🚨 “Rebound congestion” occurs.
• 🚨 Over time, this develops into “drug-induced rhinitis” (rhinitis medicamentosa).

📄 The Instructions Aren’t Just for Show: Read Them Carefully!

Many people only look at the effects when buying medicine and ignore the instructions.

In fact, the drug instructions clearly state:

• ⚠️ “Do not use continuously for more than 5-7 days.”
• ⚠️ “Limited number of uses per day.”
• ⚠️ “Long-term use can lead to drug-induced rhinitis.”

These are not formalities; they are warnings based on clinical experience.

Fast-acting drugs are not a cure and cannot replace a proper long-term treatment plan.

😷 “A Cold” Is Not a Diagnosis, But a Set of Symptoms

“A cold” is everyday language, not a medical diagnosis. When symptoms like coughing, fever, and a runny nose appear, the actual cause could be one of many things:

• 🦠 Viral infection (e.g., rhinovirus, coronavirus)
• 🧫 Bacterial infection (e.g., streptococcus)
• 🌬 Allergic reaction (e.g., pollen, dust mites)
• 🌫 Air irritation (e.g., smog, cold air)

Same symptoms, different causes.

If you take medicine based solely on the words “I have a cold,” you’re very likely taking the wrong one.

🥶 “You Caught a Chill” ≠ The Real Cause

We are too accustomed to phrases like:

🗣 “Did you catch a cold?”
🗣 “Did you catch a chill?”

But you need to understand:

• ✅ “A cold” is just a collection of symptoms.
• ✅ “Catching a chill” is just a possible trigger.
• ❌ Neither of them is the cause itself.

What is the real cause?

• ✔️ Rhinovirus
• ✔️ Coronavirus
• ✔️ Influenza virus
• ✔️ Streptococcus
• ✔️ Other pathogens

“Catching a chill” simply causes a temporary drop in your body’s immunity, opening the “door” for these pathogens.

So, it’s not the cold wind that makes you sick, but the cold wind that makes it easier for viruses to get in.

🧩 A Few Examples to Make It Clear:

Every symptom can be linked to different diseases; you can’t rely on intuition to judge.

⏱ Many Medications Require a Full “Course of Treatment,” Don’t Stop Just Because You See Improvement!

This is another point many people overlook:

• 📍 Antibiotics, nasal steroids, antiviral drugs, medications for chronic inflammation…
• 📍 All require a complete course of treatment, taken according to the prescribed days and dosage.

• ❗️You can’t stop just because you “feel a little better.”
• ❗️You can’t switch medications arbitrarily just because you “feel uncomfortable.”

Otherwise, it can lead to:

• Recurring symptoms
• Prolonged illness
• Development of drug resistance, making future treatment more difficult

Scientific treatment involves a process: “Lab tests → Determine the cause → Targeted treatment → Take effect → Consolidate → Recover.” Skipping any stage can undo all previous efforts.

📚 We Are Entering the Era of “Evidence-Based Medicine”

In the past, seeing a doctor or buying medicine was often based on “experience,” “reputation,” or “what worked for so-and-so.”

Today, medicine has entered a more scientific era:
👉 Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM)

What does this mean?

• ✅ Using real clinical data to guide treatment
• ✅ Verifying drug efficacy through scientific experiments
• ✅ Assessing risks with statistical models
• ✅ Making decisions based on research conclusions, not “feelings”

🧪 Is a Drug Really Effective? You Can’t Rely on “Hearsay”

For a drug to be approved, it must undergo a rigorous medical validation process:

• Animal experiments + Pharmacological mechanism research
• Phase I-III clinical trials: Including randomized, double-blind, and control groups
• Toxicity analysis and long-term observation
• Pharmacokinetic analysis: Understanding how the drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted in the body

Especially the double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT), which is the gold standard for testing drug efficacy:
Neither the doctor nor the patient knows whether they are receiving the drug or a placebo, ensuring the results are reliable.

🧬 Pharmacological Mechanism + Etiological Research = The Foundation of Precision Treatment

• Anti-allergy drugs target the histamine release mechanism.
• Antibiotics are categorized to attack specific bacteria.
• Antiviral drugs precisely interrupt the viral replication cycle.
• Biologic targeted drugs and immunotherapy drugs directly address the root of cellular pathology.

This isn’t about “who was cured by this before,” but about: 📊 Scientific basis + Experimental data + Clear mechanism + Clinical confirmation

✅ The Correct Approach to Treatment (A Summary)

🔎 Don’t just buy medicine as soon as symptoms appear.
🧠 Don’t “self-diagnose” based on experience.
📋 Instead—

• Find the cause, don’t just look at the symptoms.
• Get tested, don’t rely on subjective feelings.
• Follow medical advice, don’t self-medicate randomly.
• Read the instructions: usage, dosage, and duration are all important.
• Adhere to the full course of treatment; do not stop on your own.
• ✅ Use evidence-based medicine to guide every treatment decision.

📌 In Conclusion:

Next time you say, “My rhinitis is acting up again” or “I have a cold,” first ask yourself:

“Do I really know what illness I have?”

• 🧩 Symptom ≠ Diagnosis
• 🧩 Appearance ≠ Essence
• 🧩 Experience ≠ Evidence
• 🧩 Feeling ≠ Science

Using the mindset of evidence-based medicine to identify the cause, treat the specific problem, and complete the course of treatment is how you truly take responsibility for your health.

If you know someone who always “self-diagnoses,” misuses sprays, or stops treatment courses early,
👉 Please forward this article to them.

Experience cannot replace science, intuition cannot replace diagnosis, symptoms cannot hide the truth, and treatment must be based on evidence.