Health problems in winter and their solution

Pakistan’s weather varies greatly regionally. There are areas which are considered to be the coldest areas of the country such as Murree, Kalat, Quetta, Ziarat and northern areas where the minimum temperature reaches minus eleven degrees Celsius and there are areas where it is more The temperature reaches up to fifty-five degrees Celsius. Annual vacations in schools and colleges are also in the same respect.

In winter, people face various health related problems, especially women and children need to be very careful because physically they have less immunity than men, so they are also prone to diseases. are relatively high.

If we look at the health problems regarding winter, the situation is generally the same in all the regions of the country. With the arrival of winter, seasonal diseases come as uninvited guests.

Vitamin D deficiency due to lack of sunlight and household routines in winter weakens the defense system of the human body and many seasonal diseases attack.

These include allergies, cough, cold, sore throat, fever, joint pain, cold hands and feet especially fingers, dry skin, heart attack along with flu, blisters on and around the lips and Includes vomiting.

Flu, cold, flu, cough and fever

With the change of weather, the attacks of flu, cold, flu and fever reach their peak. No one who lives in cold regions is immune to this viral flu. Like Corona, immunity also plays an important role in this.

For this reason, the situation can be complicated in children. Symptoms of rapid breathing can be complicated by pneumonia or TB. Which is also deadly. Pneumonia is the number one cause of death in children under the age of five worldwide.

Respiratory system means the breathing system which consists of the nose, trachea and lungs. Its function is to take in fresh oxygen-containing air from the outside and expel harmful carbon dioxide-containing air from the inside.

The respiratory system consists of the upper respiratory system (nose and windpipe) and the lower respiratory system (lungs). In cases of allergies, colds and flu, the upper respiratory system is usually affected. But in case of viral or bacterial infection, pneumonia, TB and asthma, the patient’s lungs are also affected. Twenty-five percent of children may be at risk of bronchitis.

Safety measures

In case of general symptoms, keep the child away from other children in a clean and ventilated room. Dress him in warm clothes. Give something to eat and drink. During this time, mothers must breastfeed their newborns for six months and start a light diet rich in nutrients with their own milk for babies older than six months.

In case of high fever, soak the strips in tap water and give panadol or ibuprofen syrup. Do not give aspirin or disparin to children under 12 years of age because it can affect the liver and brain. It is mostly viral in winter. Antibiotics have no role in viral infections.

If the child’s fever does not decrease by following the instructions and the respiratory obstruction persists, then the child should be examined at the nearest health center. Also complete a course of immunizations.

Pneumococcal vaccines (PCV) have been developed to prevent pneumonia. However, it has not yet been fully implemented in third world countries. For older children and women, honey, dates and fish oil are the best foods for the respiratory system.

Coughing and sneezing is also a boon as it helps clear infection or mucus build-up in the lungs or respiratory tract and is also a great immune system booster. Therefore, in the absence of other symptoms, no medication is required.

Gargling with warm water and salt or taking steam relieves cough. However, in case of infection, fever also occurs, then medicine is needed. Likewise with colds or flu which are mostly caused by viruses.

Medicines have no special role. Steaming, vitamin C, soups and decoctions should be used. By this the situation can be controlled as much as possible. Avoid nasal decongestants or decongestants as this can increase blood pressure and cause vasoconstriction.

Arthritis

Joint pain and stiffness are common in winter for most of the people. It is also caused by vitamin D deficiency.

Such patients should be kept as warm as possible. Along with pain pills, vitamin and calcium pills and a nutritious diet are essential. Also, sitting in the sun is beneficial to some extent, but the rays of the sun can cause damage between 11 am and 4 pm, so sitting in the sun should be avoided during such times.

Heart attack

It is often observed that heart attack is common in winter season. Due to high blood pressure in this season, there are negative effects on the heart and heart attack may also occur. The room should be kept warm.

For this, it is necessary to keep the internal temperature of the room above eighteen degrees Celsius. Keep yourself as warm as possible when going out. Be sure to wear a warm woolen hat, muffler, scarf, warm hand gloves and socks.

Coldness of hands and toes

This disease is very common in the residents of cold and snowy regions. Due to the narrowing of the arteries, the blood supply to the fingers is greatly reduced. The color of the fingers starts to turn white first, then blue and finally red.

At the same time severe pain is also felt. Often the fingers of security personnel living in snowy areas or doing tough duty there get melted. At the same time, the blood vessels under the skin become damaged and the hands and feet experience redness, itching, blisters and inflammation. Warm gloves and socks can be helpful to avoid this complaint, as well as avoiding tobacco and caffeine.

Eczema and Xerosis

Winter and drought are inseparable. Regarding the skin, as soon as winter comes, dandruff also piles up in the house with full enthusiasm. In which cracked heels, chapped lips and hair as well as dryness all over the body.

In this season, the skin becomes dehydrated and the production of fatty acids decreases and the skin becomes dry and itchy. This is called eczema, which can also be atopic. Atopic eczema can also be called hereditary.

If one’s parents have had this disease, it is also seen in children. In this case, allergy and asthma are also complained of along with rash symptoms. In winter, the disease may recur or the condition of a previously infected patient may worsen.

Measures to prevent dryness

1: Avoid keeping hands and feet in water for a long time in winter as it dries the skin.

2: Use a moisturizer that contains pigments to prevent dryness. It is a substitute for natural pigments to some extent. Use moisturizer two to three times a day.

3: At night, wash your hands and feet well and apply cold cream or petroleum jelly on them. Apply foot cream and wear socks during the day. If possible, apply petroleum jelly all over the body, it helps in retaining the moisture of the skin for a long time.

4: Avoid bathing too much during the day. Use a soap that contains a moisturizer for bathing and washing hands and feet. Or a small amount of powdered almonds can also be added to the bath water. Also, bathing with too hot water can cause dryness, so bathe with moderately hot water.

5: Steam should be taken from time to time to maintain body moisture.

6: Use Elura face wash to wash your face.

7: Drinking less water is one of the main reasons for dryness in winter. Which results in dehydration. Therefore, it is important to drink a lot of water even in winter. Water can be warmed and drunk. Other beverages such as tea, coffee and fresh fruit juices of various types can also relieve this deficiency.

8: Like skin, hair is prone to dryness in winter. For this, shampoo your hair less in winter. Also, different types of oils should be used along with food to meet the nutritional needs of the hair. Of which coconut, olive and almond oils are important. All these can be applied together.

9: Cold cream or petroleum jelly can be applied on the lips to prevent chapping.

10: In order to avoid overall dryness, food with oily ingredients should be used in the diet. For example, milk, fish, curd, balai, and cheese etc.

11: There are also some home remedies in which the body can be protected from dryness by using milk, curd, neem leaves, bali, rose water, glycerin.

Note: In patients with eczema and xerosis, treatment should be initiated by a qualified physician in case of recurrence or worsening of symptoms.

Asthma

In winter, dryness increases and humidity in the air decreases. Because of this, most of the allergens like dust, house mite, pollen grains are easily added to the air. Allergies can also occur due to food and drinks or due to infection, mucus accumulates in the respiratory tract.

Apart from this, wood smoke and pollution can also cause asthma. Nowadays, smog conditions due to climate change and factory fumes can also trigger asthma.

Safety measures

The best treatment for asthma prevention is complete avoidance of allergens. Stay at home in extreme cold. If going out is absolutely necessary, a mask should be used or the nose and mouth should be covered with a scarf, while the asthmatic should continue to use the medicine or pump.