Health for All says
Winter is the season of high incidence of respiratory diseases, especially for the elderly. The immunity of the elderly is relatively weak, and the respiratory system is also susceptible to the stimulation of cold weather and the appearance of lesions. Therefore, the elderly should pay special attention to the protection against respiratory diseases in winter. As an experienced veteran Chinese medicine practitioner, I will combine the theory of Chinese medicine and ancient and modern prescriptions to introduce you to some scientific and healthy protection methods.
First, keep your indoor air fresh. In winter, the elderly do not sweat because of poor blood circulation, which leads to the obstruction of the detoxification channel, which can easily lead to the accumulation of moisture and the invasion of diseases. Therefore, to maintain indoor ventilation and increase indoor humidity appropriately, you can use humidifiers or place some plants indoors to improve indoor air quality.
Second, keep warm. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that cold evil is easy to hurt people, and the elderly are more likely to feel the invasion of cold evil in the cold winter. Therefore, the elderly should pay attention to keeping warm indoors and outdoors, wear appropriate clothing, especially the head, neck, chest and limbs and other parts that are vulnerable to cold wind.
In addition, a balanced diet is also an important measure to prevent respiratory diseases. The elderly should pay attention to dietary conditioning in winter and eat more warm foods, such as ginger, garlic, red dates, etc., to enhance their physical fitness and immunity. In addition, the diet should be balanced and nutritious, with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, and adequate vitamins, minerals, and proteins to help improve resistance and immunity. At the same time, it is necessary to avoid eating greasy, spicy and irritating foods to avoid damaging the spleen and stomach.
In addition, proper exercise is also an important part of maintaining respiratory health. Elderly people can do proper physical exercises, such as walking, tai chi, etc., which can help improve lung function and body immunity. However, it is necessary to be careful not to experience excessive fatigue and cold due to excessive exercise, and to arrange the exercise time and intensity reasonably according to your own condition.
Finally, drug conditioning is also an important means of protecting against respiratory diseases. Since the development of traditional Chinese medicine, it has accumulated rich experience, and there are many traditional Chinese medicines that have certain curative effects on respiratory diseases. For example, in the common cold, cough and other symptoms in winter, traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions such as ephedra decoction, Yinqiao san, etc. can be used**. However, it is necessary to pay attention to the use of drugs under the guidance of doctors, follow the dosage and time of administration, and avoid adverse reactions.
In short, the elderly should do a good job of protection during the high incidence of respiratory diseases in winter, establish a healthy lifestyle and dietary Xi, keep warm reasonably, enhance physical fitness and immunity, pay attention to indoor air quality, exercise appropriately, and rationally use drugs under the guidance of doctors, which are effective ways to prevent respiratory diseases. Only by developing good habits of life and strengthening Xi immunity can we better protect the health of the respiratory tract and survive the cold winter.
Health References:
1. health promotion board. (2017). protecting against respiratory infection in older adults. singapore: ministry of health.