Which type of therapy involves taking medication to treat a specific symptom, like a cold?

Supportive therapy is specifically designed to alleviate symptoms without directly addressing the underlying condition. This type of therapy often involves administering medications that help ease discomfort or improve quality of life during an illness, such as taking over-the-counter medication for a cold to relieve symptoms like a cough or congestion.

In the context of a cold, supportive therapy serves to provide relief from symptoms, allowing patients to feel more comfortable as their body fights off the viral infection. It does not aim to cure the cold itself but supports the patient's overall well-being during the recovery period.

Other approaches, such as empiric therapy, typically focus on treating underlying causes based on clinical assumptions, while palliative therapy is broader and aimed at improving quality of life for patients with serious illnesses, often beyond just symptom management. Maintenance therapy generally refers to ongoing treatment to sustain a patient’s health after acute treatment, rather than addressing the immediate symptoms like those of a cold.