In winter, keeping warm can be quite a challenge.
Children's safety for a healthy winter
For your child to enjoy good health in winter, make sure to:
- Minimize your child's time outside
- Wash the child's hands frequently
- Vaccinate your child with the seasonal flu vaccine
- Too much water to keep his body hydrated
- Apply sunblock to uncovered areas
How do you keep your child warm?
- Wool clothing - warmer than cotton
- Waterproof pants and jackets - to keep him dry
- Gloves, socks and shoes - to keep limbs warm
Health problems associated with winter season
- Skin dryness
- Dry Eye
- Respiratory infection
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Exposure to firewood smoke
- Rheumatism
Learn about habits that will help you to have a healthy winter and keep you safe during severe cold:
Stay active during cold weather
Don't let cold weather stop you from Gym.
Balance your eating
Eat a balanced diet and reduce sugars.
Drink more water
Stay hydrated to avoid dehydration.
Do not light firewood or coal in a closed unventilated place
Burn wood in well-ventilated areas to avoid the risk of exposure to firewood smoke.
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Skin Dryness
The phenomenon of dry skin is a general phenomenon, not dangerous, and it can be uncomfortable and occurs in areas with cold and dry weather, especially in desert areas in winter season.
Most skin dryness occurs as a result of partial or complete exposure to environmental factors. These factors include exposure to hot or cold weather with low humidity levels, exposure to water, and not using moisturizers after showering.
The driest areas of the skin are arms and legs, and the severity of dryness varies from person to person, depending on: age, health status, location of dehydration, cause of the health problem and amount of time spent outdoors.
Symptoms:
- Appearance of shrunken or dry skin.
- Itching, sometimes severe.
- Skin peeling and flaking from mild to severe.
- Appearance of fine lines or cracks.
- Skin redness.
- Deep cracks in the skin leading to bleeding.
To prevent skin dryness:
- Keep your skin moist, especially when using cosmetics.
- Avoid hot water when taking a shower and reduce time length of shower.
- Use moisturizing soap or gel containing oils, and avoid harsh and dry soaps on the skin.
- Moisturize immediately after showering.
- Use a humidifier, and make sure it is clean of bacteria and fungi.
- Choose fabrics that suit your skin type and are made of natural fibers such as cotton and silk, which allow your skin to breathe. And when washing your clothes, try to use detergents that don't contain dyes or fragrances, which can irritate your skin.
Wrong Concepts:
Are there certain foods that help skin moisture? In fact: Foods rich of fluids, such as vegetables and fruits, can help hydrate the skin.
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Dry Eye
Harsh winter weather is often associated with dry, itchy skin, but do you know that cold weather can cause dry eyes? Winter dry eyes can be very annoying and greatly affect the performance of daily activities.
Common dry eye symptoms:
- Eye redness
- Itchy eyes
- Feeling pain like tingling
Follow these tips to help your eyes stay moisturized and comfortable this winter:
Ways to prevent dry eyes in winter
- Eyelashes help keep eyes moist and healthy.
- Eye drops or moisturizing ointments which can be issued without medical prescription can help relieve mild symptoms of dry eyes. They can be used as often as needed to increase eye moisture and comfort.
- Warm, wet compresses can help soothe dry eye symptoms and open up any blocked sebaceous glands in the eyelids. Make this a part of your daily bedtime routine to improve eye lubrication and help you relax after a long, hard day.
- Drinking water throughout the day is not only healthy, but it also helps keep your skin and eyes hydrated. If water doesn't suit you, try adding lemon or making herbal tea.
- Wear sunglasses outdoors, sunglasses with polarized lenses will protect your eyes from harsh winter winds that can cause dry eyes and the harmful UV rays that keep emitting from the sun even when it's cloudy outside.
- In winter, a humidifier can be used to add moisture to dry indoor air.
- The use of contact lenses may increase dryness of the eye, and can be replaced by wearing glasses.
Visit your ophthalmologist if your eyes tend to become severely dry or irritated.
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Definition:
It is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that obstructs flow of air out of the lungs. It is not limited to one respiratory disease, but includes: emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Symptoms:
- Chronic cough with phlegm.
- Shortness and difficulty in breathing.
- Fatigue and tiredness.
- Repeated inflammation and infections of the respiratory system.
- Wheezing when breathing.
The appearance of these symptoms does not necessarily mean that a person has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as its symptoms may resemble other diseases, only the doctor can determine whether a person has COPD or not, and severity of symptoms varies according to size of the lung part affected, and difficulty breathing and coughing are considered a normal part of aging.
Associated Risks:
People with COPD are at increased risk of heart disease, lung cancer, and a variety of other conditions.
Protection:
- Avoid smoking or stop smoking immediately.
- Avoid exposure to air pollutants at home and workplace.
- Some people may not have any symptoms at first, so it is important to check the lungs for people at risk factors; To receive early treatment and avoid complications.
General Instructions:
- Join programs to help stop smoking.
- Practice physical activity slowly, and increase it gradually.
- Get serums (immunizations) to prevent diseases that may worsen the pulmonary obstruction (such as influenza).
- Obtain psychological support.
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For a healthy winter, avoid burning wood indoors:
Definition:
- Firewood smoke affects indoor and outdoor air quality because it contains many toxic air pollutants that can cause harm and affect your health.
- Firewood smoke contains coarse and fine particles. Coarse particles can include black smoke (soot) and dust. When you inhale these particles, they settle in the lungs and narrow the airways.
Firewood smoke can affect anyone, but these groups are at particular risk:
- Children
- Elderly
- People with heart or lung problems
Health risks of firewood smoke:
- Cough
- Wheezing when breathing
- Asthma attacks
- Heart attacks
Short term effects:
- Irritation of eyes, throat and nose
- Cough
- Bad or difficult breathing
- Asthma.
Long term effects:
- Decreased lung function
- Development of chronic bronchitis
- Effects on heart and blood vessels.
Protection:
- Monitoring children with asthma.
- Take the initiative to take preventive doses for allergy sufferers.
- Burning firewood in well-ventilated places.
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Respiratory Infection
Respiratory infections due to cold air can be caused by an increase in bronchitis caused by the association of trigger factors such as cold and infections capable of destabilizing the patient.
It is known that winter is the difficult part of the year for patients with chronic respiratory diseases, and that breathing cold air has negative effects on the lungs of people with respiratory diseases, especially asthma patients.
Other non-cold and infectious factors that should be considered are cigarette smoke and inhalation of pollutants and irritants in air and in work environments.
To reduce spread of respiratory infection in winter:
- Take the seasonal flu vaccine.
- Wash hands with soap and water or use a hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
- Avoid contact with eyes, nose and mouth.
- Cover the mouth and nose while coughing and sneezing.
- Practice physical activities, healthy nutrition and other healthy habits.
- Do not share your personal items with others.
- Avoid contact with people with respiratory infections.
- Stay at home when feeling sick or having symptoms.
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Rheumatism;
It is a group of diseases that affect the immune system and make it attack joints, muscles, bones and organs. Rheumatic diseases may cause damage to vital organs, including lungs, heart, nervous system, kidneys, skin and eyes.
Types of Rheumatic Diseases:
Rheumatic diseases fall under the term "Arthritis", which is used to describe more than 100 diseases and conditions, including:
- Rheumatoid arthritis: This is an autoimmune disease that mistakenly attacks healthy cells in your immune system, causing inflammation (painful swelling) in affected parts of the body.
- Fibromyalgia: a condition that causes pain all over the body.
- Gout: a form of arthritis in which urate crystals accumulate in the joint, usually the big toe joint.
- Rheumatoid arthritis in children
- Lupus: A chronic autoimmune disease that occurs when the body's immune system attacks tissues and organs, causing damage to any part of the body.
How does winter season affect the person with rheumatism?
Low temperatures lead to an increase in thickness of the synovial fluid, which acts as a shock absorber in the joint, which makes the joints more rigid and more sensitive to pain.