About Diseases in winter

Diseases in winter

Come winter and the most common sight apart from the snow is the queue to meet the doctors. With the onset of cold, there is sudden outbreak of diseases like flu, common cold and cough. This is because these germs that normally lie dormant suddenly start to be active with winter and lower temperatures.

This results in more cases of sinusitis, bronchitis and even pneumonia. Sinus and asthma patients bear the brunt of the cold during the winters.

People with heart diseases, blood pressure and diabetes are more prone to these viral infections than the rest. Even a common cold takes at least a week to be completely cured. If it takes more than a week, a specialist’s help is to be sought.


How To Prepare the Kids for Flu and Winter Diseases

Children are more susceptible to winter diseases and the end result is a week’s leave from school. Some of them fail to express the pain in the chest as a result of congestion. This worsens the situation leading to spreading of the infection to other parts of the respiratory system like the lungs.

This leads to pneumonia, resulting in lung damages. With improper lung functioning, there will be less intake of oxygen and more accumulation of carbon dioxide. This makes the situation even more chronic.

This should be identified by the parents at the earliest then. Kids with congestion will develop productive cough. They experience difficulty in breathing, unable to sleep properly, chest pain while they cough and even vomiting.
Some tips to prepare the kids for flu and winter diseases;

Washing the hands with liquid soap before eating is a must
Train them to use a paper tissue and dispose these immediately after use
Cover your mouth and nose with your hand when you cough and sneeze
Consult your family doctor for a flu shot
Drink more water and fluids(soups) during winter
Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, grams
Consume more meat, fish and eggs.
Drink only warm water, tea and milk.
Avoid food and drinks directly from the fridge that is cold
Eat warm and heated food
If case of cold, steam inhalation is good with eucalyptus oil
Dry hair and body immediately after bath

Skin Infections in Winter

You can also develop skin infections during winter. Your skin too needs proper care and attention.

Scaling and itching of the skin can be prevented by using a skin moisturizer. These should be applied just after the bath to trap the moisture.
if moisturizer is not helping you, you need to consult a dermatologist to prescribe urea cream
Regular washing of the hands results in drying of the skin; so use a mild soap or hand wash.
use humidifiers as the heat from your heaters can dry your skin
your lips need Vaseline or a good lip guard
eat more spicy food containing pepper and ginger
practice yoga
take vitamin pills
stay off from work and school when you have flu