Things to do to protect your health in cold weather

The elderly, children, especially those with chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis, etc. are susceptible to relapses leading to pneumonia and respiratory failure, which can be life-threatening.

Enhance the body's resistance

To proactively prevent diseases in general, respiratory diseases in particular, the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health) recommends that each person needs to improve the body's resistance such as ensuring a nutritious diet; supplementing both quantity and quality; increasing green vegetables and fruits.

Pay attention to regularly adding warm, hot dishes with the presence of spices such as onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon... These are all spices that have the effect of warming the body, stimulating digestion. However, it is also important to note not to consume too much spicy, hot food because it can affect the stomach.

And even though it's cold, you still need to drink enough water, drink warm water instead of cold water. Drinking plenty of water will help your body prevent the risk of dehydration, enhance the functioning of organs in the body and prevent diseases caused by viruses.

Avoid eating cold foods or foods that have just been taken out of the refrigerator because they can easily make your body cold. Avoid drinking alcohol before going out in the cold because alcohol dilates blood vessels, causing your body temperature to drop, which can be dangerous when you go out in the cold.

Keep your body warm

In addition to improving resistance, keeping the body warm is also the leading measure to prevent disease. Because the respiratory system is very sensitive to temperature, when the temperature is low (cold) combined with high humidity (due to rain and wind), the body is very susceptible to colds leading to upper respiratory tract infections; bronchitis, pneumonia...

Doctors recommend that parents keep their children warm by dressing them warmly and avoiding letting them go out without wearing masks. Parents should pay special attention to dressing their children warmly because if they wear too many layers of clothing, the child's sweat can be absorbed back into the body, causing a cold or fever.

In addition to children, the elderly are also the ones who are most affected by the cold weather. In cold weather, the elderly are susceptible to lung diseases, colds, and flu, with severe progression that can easily lead to pneumonia; meanwhile, chronic diseases such as asthma, rheumatism, stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, etc. also progress severely, especially high blood pressure, which can easily cause stroke. Therefore, the elderly must wear enough warm clothes when sleeping as well as when awake, indoors as well as outdoors, pay attention to keeping the head, neck, and feet warm; avoid staying outdoors for long periods of time and avoid staying up late to prevent colds, pneumonia, or cardiovascular complications, etc.

For the elderly, avoid sudden changes in temperature, such as going from a warm house to a cold outside. Sudden changes in temperature can cause changes in blood pressure, which can lead to a stroke.

For young children, sometimes the opposite situation occurs. At night, if you dress your child too warmly to sleep until it gets too hot, the child will sweat, leading to wet clothes. When the clothes are wet, they will seep back into the child's body, causing the risk of pneumonia. Therefore, you should pay attention to keeping the room temperature warm enough and dressing them appropriately. Always check to see if the child is sweating. If the child's clothes are wet, you must change them and avoid letting the child wear wet clothes.

Personal hygiene, keep the house clean

In addition to wearing enough warm clothes, you should also create a habit of cleaning your mouth with warm salt water every day. Gargling with warm salt water will help clean the respiratory tract, preventing bacteria and viruses from residing in the throat and causing disease.

In addition, when the weather is cold and the humidity is high, it is necessary to keep the house and personal belongings clean and free of mold to avoid bacteria from residing and causing disease.

Nowadays, many families use heating lamps and air conditioners to increase the temperature in the room. However, it is also necessary to pay attention to the temperature to make it suitable, not too hot. Many babies have thin skin, if placed too close to the heating lamp, it will lead to skin burns.

Note, do not heat the room with a honeycomb coal stove or firewood in a closed room, which will lead to the risk of generating carbon dioxide and reducing oxygen. If you have to use coal for heating, you should note: do not use it in a closed room, leave the window open to allow air to escape, and only use it for a maximum of 1 hour and use safe heat-generating coal.

According to VNA