It’s the spring flu season again. Here are 9 tips to help you cope with the flu attack calmly.
Step 1 Wash your hands
If you are unfortunately infected with a cold or flu, it is probably because your hands are not clean. Pathogens touch your mouth or eyes through your hands, and many viruses are transmitted in this way. Therefore, remember to wash your hands with hand sanitizer and soap frequently, which is the most critical part to prevent colds and flu.
Step 2: Vaccination against influenza
You may not think flu is a big problem in what, but flu symptoms are actually more serious than the common cold, especially for children, the elderly and pregnant women. A simple vaccination may save you and your family a lot of troubles.
STEP 3 Be Ready
Before you fight a cold or flu virus, make sure you are armed. Check your medicine cabinet and your reserves of paper towels, soap or hand sanitizer. Of course, don’t forget to make sure the thermometer is still working.
Step 4 Pay Attention to Symptoms
Is it the common cold or the flu? It is difficult to distinguish the two by exact symptoms. Generally speaking, the common cold is relatively mild, and you may have runny nose or stuffy nose. Influenza symptoms are more severe and come more suddenly. High fever, body pain and fatigue are common symptoms of influenza.
Step 5 Use drugs correctly
No medicine can cure the flu, But some drugs can help you recover faster. There are a lot of cold medicines on the market now, so choose carefully. Compound cold medicines contain complex ingredients, so try to choose drugs that suit the symptoms. And avoid taking two drugs that contain the same ingredients at the same time. Read the drug instructions or consult a doctor to help you take the right drugs.
STEP 6 Abandon Antibiotics
Both the common cold and influenza are caused by viruses, so antibiotics are not effective. They can only fight bacterial infection, and abuse of antibiotics will increase the risk of bacterial drug resistance.
7. If you are ill, please stay at home
If you have caught a cold but still force yourself to work, your body will have more difficulty in the process of fighting the virus. You may need more time to recover, and you may also pass the virus to others. Therefore, when you are ill, please stay at home and rest. This will be better for you and the people around you.
8. Do not cross-use personal effects
If your family has caught a cold, please do not use his personal belongings, such as towels and water cups in the bathroom, until he recovers. This is the simplest way to prevent the spread of cold virus in the family.
9. Adequate Drinking Water
Drinking more water can help you improve the function of nasal mucosa and relieve nasal discomfort symptoms. Water, hot tea or light soup are all good choices.
Clean air makes children’s lungs healthier
Research published this week in the New England Journal shows that lung health is positively related to air quality.
The 20-year study, which measured lung development in children aged 11 to 15 in the Los Angeles area, found that children developed better lungs between 2007 and 2011 than children of the same age and community between 1994 and 1998.
Through follow-up of more than 2,000 children in different parts of Los Angeles, After removing age, sex, race, height, respiratory diseases and other influencing variables, the researchers found that good air quality can lead to better health. And this benefit lasts for life, especially for children who breathe better air at the critical age of lung development.
Previous studies with wider coverage have pointed out that children in heavily polluted areas have slow lung development and a higher probability of asthma, especially children living on busy roadsides.
In this study, the levels of NO2 and PM2.5 particles, two pollutants in Los Angeles, decreased by about 40% from 2007 to 2011 compared with 1994 to 1998. Children’s lungs developed better after air quality improved.
Lung function decline in adults is believed to be closely related to respiratory tract, cardiovascular diseases and premature death. Since the lungs seem to stop growing in adulthood, puberty is the critical period for lung growth.
Local and federal governments have made a lot of efforts to reduce air pollution in the Los Angeles Basin. In 2011, NO2 and PM 2.5 were lower than federal standards and visibility increased. In addition, the economy and population of the Los Angeles Basin area have increased since 1994, and this study also tells us that air protection and economic growth can go hand in hand.